Top 5 Non-Lawyer Law Jobs for Lawyers
Just because you trained to be a lawyer, it doesn't mean you actually have to practice law, or even work a job that requires you be a lawyer. After all, you didn't spend all those years in school to work more than 40 hours a week like a chump.
Though, to be fair, lawyers are not the only people who work crazy hours, and even non-law jobs can lead to the same level of pressure and stress. Regardless, if you aren't interested in practicing, below you can find a shortlist of non-lawyer law jobs that are particularly well suited for lawyers.
Clerking for the Court
While law clerks are traditionally younger lawyers, court clerks don't necessarily have to be lawyers at all. If you want to research and write for a judge all day, then go the law clerk route. But if you don't want to have to do all that legal research, analysis, and writing, a court clerk's job is primarily administrative.
Anything in Politics
It is rather common for lawyers to break into politics. This is likely related to the fact that lawyers tend to actually know how the government works. Attorneys are well suited to be lobbyists, political advisors, analysts, or even politicians.
Government Administration
Similarly to politics, government administration jobs don't require a law degree or bar passage. However, being a lawyer can certainly help you get pretty far within an agency, and could even set you up for a political career.
Human Resources
Very few law students are determined to become HR professionals, however, there is clearly a benefit to being an attorney in the human resources profession. This is particularly true when it comes to the handling of employee complaints that could result in litigation.
Law Enforcement
If you ever dreamed of chasing down bad guys, you might actually consider working for a police department, or other law enforcement agency involved in tracking down criminals and evidence for prosecution, such as the FBI. Lawyers are well suited to detective work as they have a better understanding of how and when constitutional rights are violated that can negatively impact a prosecution, and have a better understanding of what evidence will satisfy the elements of particular crimes.
Related Resources:
- 5 Law School Failures of 2017 (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- New Law School Bar Passage Questionnaire Could Help Prospective Students (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Need a Job? 5 Reasons to Head to D.C. (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
