Alternative Careers in Law

If you want a career in law and can't attend law school, you can investigate the options available to paralegal professionals. Paralegals perform skilled legal services (some of which traditionally had been performed only by attorneys) under the supervision of lawyers. They interview clients, analyze documents, investigate, do legal research, prepare letters and other documents, and even negotiate with government agencies. Recent research has found paralegals employed in a wide variety of legal areas, including family law, immigration and naturalization, criminal process, landlord-tenant law, real estate, taxation, unemployment compensation law, welfare law, and worker's compensation law. New specialties are constantly being created. In addition, paralegals are employed by government bodies, colleges, and other large organizations.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Quarterly, paralegals are employed in the fastest growing occupation "requiring some postsecondary training or extensive employer training," and the demand is expected to increase by 85 percent by the year 2005. Older paralegals may have only on-the-job training. Younger paralegals are increasingly likely to be college graduates who have received paralegal training after graduation at universities (including Roosevelt) or private specialized schools (Philadelphia Institute). The training programs run from a few weeks to 11 months depending on the degree of specialization required. Many schools offer part-time and evening programs.


It's possible to have a good, challenging career as a paralegal. Moreover, there is always the possibility that if you work in the legal world for a while and acquire skills useful in legal practice, you will improve your attractiveness to law schools. In small but steady numbers, paralegals do eventually go to law school.

I have mixed feelings about paralegals. It's quite true that you can have a professional career in the legal field in this way, and it's also true that there are many creative and independent jobs for paralegals. But not every paralegal has such a job. Many complain of repetitive and mindless work; others suffer the kind of burnout that comes with high stress coupled with lack of control of one's work situation. As in comparable "helper" professions like nursing, the pay tends to be low. According to one study, paralegals are paid about two-thirds of the starting salary of a lawyer. Although it's true that some paralegals support themselves with office work while attending law school at night, others find their jobs too demanding for them to study part-time.

If you are interested in paralegal education, I suggest that you investigate your options carefully. Many programs recruit aggressively on college campuses, and information will be available from your placement center. Training programs vary in length and cost. You should understand exactly what kinds of jobs a program will prepare you for before you enroll. Some train you for nothing more demanding than clerical work. Ask what kinds of jobs alumni have obtained; if possible, talk to some of them. Schools vary in quality as well. The American Bar Association accredits some paralegal programs, including those at NYU and the Denver Paralegal Institute. It's not necessary to attend an accredited program to qualify for a good job (at least not while there's a shortage of trained people), but accreditation provides a guarantee of at least minimal quality. If you consider a non-accredited program, it's even more important to understand what you're paying for, and how well previous students have done, before you enroll.

There are other, less well known ways to remain in the legal field. Most require some graduate work. For example, there is a growing demand for judicial administrators who manage big-city court systems, large law offices, and similar businesses and bureaucracies. The University of Denver offers a Master of Science degree in judicial administration, a one-and-a-half- or two-year program that includes coursework in various aspects of legal management and a full-time internship. Its graduates have become court administrators, clerks of appellate courts, and administrators of the offices of prosecutors, arbitrators, and mediators. USC has a similar program and other graduate schools are also entering this growing field.

As prison systems expand, there are also growing opportunities in the field of criminal justice. Jobs in police administration, penal system management, and similar fields are usually filled by college graduates who majored in criminal justice administration, sociology, social work, or other liberal arts subjects. But some schools, including Rutgers, Washington State, and Indiana, offer advanced degrees in criminal justice administration. Graduates become prison wardens, police administrators, and managers in bureaucracies oriented toward criminal justice.

Master's-level programs in government, public administration, and public policy may lead to governmental careers very closely related to legal work in the areas of government regulation of business or city planning, to name just two. The George Washington University, for example, offers extensive programs in political campaigning, lobbying, and "issues management."

If you've been doing your homework, you know that law in the United States is a growth industry. As the number of lawyers increases, we expect that the numbers of all the other professionals and paraprofessionals that work along with lawyers will also increase. If you are a college graduate with an interest in law, you're likely to be in demand. In the near future, it will remain possible to have an interesting and rewarding career in law-related work, even if you don't go to law school.