Career Paths and Options for Students

You’ve graduated law school and the world is your oyster. Or is it? Are you finding it difficult to figure out the right career for you? Is there something holding you back? FindLaw’s section on Career Paths and Options for Students offers advice and resources for students as they figure out their options, including topics such as: where to look for the right career path, qualities essential for success, how other young lawyers have found success, how more women can become partners, whether big law is an option for students with less than stellar grades, and how to overcome mediocre grades. Read on to get started.

Legal Career Options

Career Paths and Options for Students Articles

What Should Young Associates Expect in a Large Firm?

Realizing that getting "The Offer" is everyone's first concern, I was wondering if we could focus on the second greatest concern -- meeting the partner's expectations.

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To Clerk or Not To Clerk

Every year we receive numerous phone calls from practicing attorneys as well as law students inquiring whether or not they should pursue a clerkship with a judge in order to make themselves more marketable.
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Exploring the World of Small Firms That Represent Individuals

See how one hypothetical attorney explores the various small law firm options.

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Qualities Essential For Success as a Business Owner

Are there certain characteristics, like independence, determination, confidence, or having good people skills, that you need to be your own boss, or can anyone do it?

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Kids Interested in Becoming Lawyers

What kinds of lawyers are there? What kinds of school do you need to go to? How long does school take? Is there a place kids can go to learn more about how to become a lawyer?

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Girls, Interrupted: How Women Become Partners

Just over 15 percent of partners at big law firms are women. What in the name of Gloria Steinem is going on?

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How Paralegals May Gain More Responsibility Within the Firm Setting

A paralegal or legal assistant who's willing to learn new tasks and help out with additional duties may enjoy a boss who respects and values his or her contribution to the firm.

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Career Options for Registered Nurse/Law Student

I am a registered nurse (Labor & Delivery, Neonatal ICU experience) and soon to be first year law student. People are constantly asking me if I plan to go into medical law. My stock answer is that I don't know.
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Advice on Choosing Law Schools

Need advice regarding your law school choice? Here are two common scenarios that often face students.

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Is there any aspect of law that would relate to a Sociology background and allow me to live abroad?

I currently hold a B.A in Anthropology and a M.A. in Sociology. I am thinking about going back to school in the fall of 2002 for a law degree. I eventually want to live outside the United States.
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Undergraduate Degrees and Legal Career Options

What role does your undergraduate degree have in choosing your legal career options? If you have already chosen your major, what are the best options for you?

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Should I Transfer From My Chicago Law School To UCLA?

I would like to practice law in Chicago, and am currently enrolled in a II-tier school in the area where I am in the top 10 percent of my class.
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How To Gain Solid Information About Careers In The Field Of Law

Read on to learn more about where to find legal career information, as well as answers to common career questions.

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Choosing the Right Law School

I am a prospective law student who has been accepted by two very different law schools. One is the University of Minnesota, the other is Lewis & Clark. My primary reason for applying to Lewis & Clark is their environmental law program.
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Professions For A Law Student With An Undergraduate Degree In Accounting

I need information about professions available for a law student with an undergraduate degree in accounting. Possibly in securities, sports, tax? An accounting degree is really a good background for almost any type of law practice.
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Is A Paralegal Certificate Appealing To The Legal Industry?

I am currently taking a paralegal course through a correspondence school. It only offers a certificate, not an associate degree.
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The Best Area Of Law To Practice With A Math Degree

What would be the best areas of law to practice with a math degree? One of the hot areas right now is patent law, especially in the area of software.
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What Law Career Options Are Open to a 19 Year Old

My son who is 19 has left school with just one A level (D grade- Business Studies) and has gone to Australia traveling etc. He is due to come back in January and he has no definite idea of what he wants to do on his return.
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Who are the “Cream of the Crop”?

Where do the top people at top firms come from and what schools did they attend? The highest-achieving lawyers in private practice come from many different law schools.
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Where Do I look to Find the Career Path for Me?

Looking for a new career path, or just getting started in finding one? Where do you even begin?

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The Best Way To Overcome Mediocre Law School Grades

Did you have less than stellar grades in law school? How do you overcome that and find the job you're hoping for?

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Pre-law Student Majoring In Spanish and Portuguese.

I am currently a pre-law student majoring in Spanish and Portuguese. I love to find a way to apply these to a future law degree.
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How do I pick a new title for my quasi-legal job?

I work in the legal department of a mid-size media company. I have a JD, but am not a practicing attorney. I was hired to perform traditionally paralegal-type functions, but the parameters of my job have expanded tremendously.
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Big firm, big pay … not-so-good grades

I recently graduated from a law school in the Midwest (3rd-tier) and my grades were not very good. I am living in Virginia (I just took the VA bar in July) and I have no idea as to how to find a job in the DC Metro area.
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