Alternative Careers for Lawyers
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
- Campaign Manager
- Campaign Finance Director
- Court Administrator
- Elected Official
- Ethics Officer
- Foreign Service Officer
- Land Use Examiner
- Legislation and Policy Analyst
- Lobbyist
- Ombudsman
- Political Fundraiser
- Risk Manager
- Speechwriter
- Special Project Administrator
HIGHER EDUCATION/CONTINUING EDUCATION
- Business Law Professor at a graduate school of business
- College professor
- Community college professor
- Dean of Student Affairs at a law school (may involve teaching)
- Director of Alumni Relations at a law school (often involves fundraising)
- Instructor in a court reporter program
- Instructor in a legal assistant program
- Instructor for community college law-related courses
- Instructor for bar association-sponsored CLE programs
- Law Librarian
- Law School Dean
- Law School Career Services Office Director
- Member of an educational think tank
LABOR UNIONS
- Administrator/manager
- Labor negotiator
- Union Representative
COUNSELING, MEDIATION, ARBITRATION, and OMBUDSMAN
Possible employers include:
- community dispute resolution boards in various cities
- corporate counseling (with master’s degree in applied behavioral science)
- court systems
- experimental psychology and cognitive psychology (with a Ph.D.)
- government agencies
- labor unions
- marriage, family, and child counseling (with master’s degree)
- not-for-profit groups
- panels such as American Arbitration Association
- psychological counseling (with master’s in psychology)
- social work (with master’s degree)
- therapy group leader
- university, hospital, prison, media, government and corporate ombudsman programs
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- CIA Agent
- Court Bailiff
- Criminal Investigator
- FBI Agent
- Juvenile Justice Director
- Police Administration
- Police Officer
- Probation Officer
- Sheriff
- Special Agent with the Department of Justice in customs, narcotics, U.S. Marshal Service, border patrol, Secret Service
LEGAL PUBLISHERS, RESEARCH FIRMS AND LEGAL WRITING
- Computer-aided Legal Research Trainer
- Continuing Legal Education Program Designer
- Continuing Legal Education Program Panelist
- Editor of legal magazine
- Editor of legal newspaper
- Editor, writer, owner or publisher of a legal newsletter
- Freelance writer or reporter for legal magazine, newspaper, or newsletter
- Managing Editor
- Research and writing
- Product Development Manager
- Writer or editor for an on-line legal news service
COMMUNICATIONS
- Agent for athletes or actors
- Book author
- Corporate Communications Company President
- Director of Contracting for corporation
- Public Relations
- Technical Writer
- Television Producer (particularly court programs)
BUSINESS
- Actuary
- Bank Vice President
- Business Appraiser
- Career counseling
- Corporate counseling
- Corporate Marketing
- Errors and omissions examiner
- Equal Opportunity Officer
- Event Management
- Facilities Manager
- Field Education Director
- Financial Plans Sales Director
- Headhunter
- Human Resources Manager
- Insurance broker
- Insurance claim adjuster
- International Trade Analyst
- Investment Banking
- Leasing Contract Administrator for financial institution
- Mergers and acquisitions specialist
- Organization Development Specialist
- Pension and profit sharing analyst
- Stockbroker
- Telecommunications Director
Source: Hindi Greenberg, Lawyer’s Career Change Handbook: More Than 300 Things You Can Do With A Law Degree, Avon Books, 1998