3 Careers That You Can Pursue With A Law Degree
In order to become a lawyer, it takes an investment of time, persistence, and a whole lot of reading. Along the way, you’re going to develop skills such as negotiation, time-management, analysis, problem- solving, conflict resolution, and analytical skills among many others. These skills are both transferable skills as well as ones that can be used inside of the workplace once you enter employment. You might have recently completed a law degree and be wondering what career paths you can pursue. The answer is that there are many that are both, directly and indirectly, related to what you’ve studied. This article will look at four possible rewarding routes that you could take after obtaining a degree in law.
Private Practice Lawyer
In 2017, there were said to be 1, 335,963 resident active attorneys nationwide. This is a considerably large number of lawyers who have graduated and gone on to pursue their area of interest. Apparently, most lawyers go on to work in private practice. Some choose to be solo practitioners, while others decide to go on and work in a small firm. If this sounds like a path you’d like to follow, you’re going to have to complete a law degree. This can be financed through obtaining law school scholarships, looking for grants, or taking a break to work and save. Once you complete a law degree, you’ll also need to complete the bar, so that you can get licensed and practice professionally.
Banking and Finance
Sometimes people are under the misconception that the only thing you can do with a law degree is work in a large firm. However, this is far from true, as there are several other career opportunities. One of them includes working within the banking and finance industry. More specifically, a law degree could be used within tax, estates, and within small businesses. This is a technical role that would require you to negotiate the contractual relationship between both lenders and borrowers. You would also need to ensure that the terms of the agreement are favorable to your client. If you like the idea of negotiating contracts and you have a knack for finance, then you’ll need a degree in corporate or finance law or a related field. You’ll also need to get licensed by completing the bar exam, and you could even consider going further by completing a Master of Laws program. Remember, by finishing at the top of your class, there are several scholarship opportunities you could have access to that would help you finance your education.
Law Teacher
If you enjoy learning about law and want to contribute to pushing it forward, you could consider going into the teaching or research. By doing this, you would have the opportunity to teach people about the law, or actually improve or update it. In 2016, there were 1,314,400 postsecondary teachers in the U.S. If you’re more of a behind the scenes kind of person who wants to contribute to the law through knowledge, this may be a career choice for you. In order to teach law, you will most likely, again, need a law degree. You may also need to have contributed some work to a reputable journey, writing experience, and practical experience through a clerkship. Seeing as this is a competitive field, having gained research or academic experience after your law degree is key.
You’d be surprised at how many people need a lawyer to function. Lawyers provide a vast knowledge of the law and create a sense of security for people trying to protect their assets as well as those who want to protect their lives and well-being. Being a lawyer creates an opportunity to bring justice to people in your community in different ways on a daily basis. Luckily, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all career path you have to take in order to use your law degree to create a positive impact in the lives of the people you serve. Hopefully, the suggestions in this article have given you a wider perspective of your prospects after you’ve completed law school.