Career-Options In Legal And Non-Legal Sectors And How To Find Them

The purpose of this article is to apprise you of the various career options available to you, and to assist you in making an intelligent, informed decision about your particular career path. Please be aware that opportunities exist in the public as well as the private business sectors, and that you might later choose a non-legal profession while still making use of your law degree.

There are many career options available to you upon graduation from law school. These choices are as numerous as the law schools themselves. You can choose a traditional legal career, which usually means practice in a law firm (large or small), a legal career other than private practice, such as teaching law, or a non-legal career that may have little direct application to your law degree, such as becoming an investment banker.


Law school develops skills that should stand you in good stead whatever the career path you choose. In law school you learn to think, reason, and write analytically and logically and to speak eloquently and extemporaneously, all fundamental ingredients to success in any field. A great sense of accomplishment comes with graduation from law school. You sense that if you can survive law school, you can successfully play a fundamental role in contributing to almost any business setting. You believe that not only can you take life's lemons and make lemonade; you can sell that lemonade as well.

Gaining Employment:

This information is designed to assist you in your quest for that perfect position. While these career options are by no means all-inclusive, they should provide you with a sense of direction.

Although graduation from law school and passage of a state's bar exam are important achievements, the most important goal is gaining employment. A recent law graduate was overheard to remark, "There might be life after law school if only I could find a job."

Finding a job, however, does not mean merely sending out resumes or pounding the pavement and taking the first job that comes along. It means meticulously doing your research, determining what type of law you want to practice (or any other career for that matter), and then intelligently selecting the right position for you. Being able to select your career puts you in control of your own future rather than having others determine it for you.

Relatives Practicing Law:

If you are planning to practice law with a relative, you are one of the fortunate few who will not have to beat the bushes for a job. You can spend your law school years learning and applying substantive and procedural law without having to worry about future employment. Even with this distinct advantage, you should consider taking such courses as Law Office Management and a Document Drafting course. These courses will introduce you to the inner workings of law firm practice, including proper management, marketing, and rainmaking skills as well as proper techniques for drafting documents.

Contacts:

In the practice of law, it is not only what you know that is important but who you know as well. As is true with friends, you can't have too many contacts. Contacts are established through networking, joining various professional and civic organizations and your place of worship, as well as local and state bar associations-even law school alumni directories. Everybody knows somebody. Thus, everyone you meet is a potential contact. In fact, some of the most unlikely persons may be your best contacts or can introduce you to some of your best contacts. Therefore, treat everyone with courtesy and respect. Good manners never go out of style and who knows what effect they may have on helping you to obtain that perfect position. Ask around if you need assistance in finding a position. People can't know you need help unless you tell them.

Law School Career Services Office (On-Campus Interviews):

Students start interviewing for part-time clerk and summer associate positions during the fall of their second year and for permanent positions the fall of their last year. On-campus interviews usually last approximately twenty minutes. Your purpose during this short period is to make a good impression on the interviewer so as to earn an invitation to the firm for more formal interviews with other principals and associates.

Research National Association for Law Placement (NALP):

You should research the firm in advance by looking at the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) questionnaires on file with the career services office or by contacting NALP directly. Normally, firms send an interviewer who is personable and who will present the firm in a favorable light. If you are not impressed with the interviewer, and they are considered by their firm to be the most personable, that should tell you something about the firm, probably that you don't want to work there.

Try to anticipate what questions the interviewer will ask so that you can come up with coherent responses. If the interviewer asks about your negative traits, try to present them in a favorable light. If the interviewer tries to throw you off guard with a trick question or one you didn't anticipate, try to maintain your poise and composure and give a reasonable response. Most important of all, be yourself. If your personality and that of the firm do not mesh, it's best to find out through an interview rather than after you've started to work and it's too late.

After the interview, send a personalized thank you note to the interviewer stating your reasons for wanting to work at that firm and why you would be an asset to the firm. Close by thanking him or her for the opportunity to interview and stating that you look forward to speaking with him or her again soon.

Resumes:

Not all students are granted interviews through the law school's career services office; some career services directors tend to cater to students who are at the top of the class. Even if a student is granted an interview, there is no guarantee that the interview will result in a job offer. Also, some students plan to relocate to another state after graduation. If you are one of those students, an impressive resume is essential.

Since a prospective employer cannot see you face to face to study your demeanor, your cover letter/resume combination is his or her only insight into your personality and qualifications. It is your only opportunity to present your case and to persuade a prospective employer to hire you. Rather than sending resumes to firms in general, however, call firms that interest you and obtain the name of the person to whom you should direct your resume. If you are uncertain as to the spelling of a name, ask.

A resume should not exceed one page in length unless you use the extra space to present additional qualifications to further your cause. White or ivory papers are good colors on which to print resumes. Have a print shop do the work; however, as school copy machines do not produce very high quality copies.

After a firm has had time to review your resume, follow up with a phone call to determine if additional information is required or to answer any questions. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying until you do succeed. It is all right to be persistent, especially when your future is on the line, but do not burn any bridges. Go slow, be polite, and by all means do not push too hard. Employers have plenty of candidates from which to select.

Alumni Directory:

Some law schools (for a fee) provide their graduates with an alumni directory listing names and professional addresses alphabetically, geographically, and by year of graduation. This enables alumni to keep in touch with former classmates as well as providing a possible network of future job contacts.

Legal Directories:

Legal directories provide biographical information on lawyers and law firms throughout the country. Information includes profiles about a firm's attorneys, areas of practice, important clients, and any other information a firm wishes to provide.

These directories provide an excellent source of information for interviewing purposes. In-depth research of relevant data about a firm can enable you to ask intelligent questions of an interviewer. This gives you credibility and can impress a possible employer. Prospective employers are favorably predisposed toward students who possess enough motivation and who express enough interest in their firm to be fully prepared for any questions the interviewer might ask.