Year after year, you see lawyers walk away from the courtroom to look for alternative career options. Perhaps they’ve grown tired of the courtroom drama or have found out that the profession is simply not suited for them. But even if you turn your back to the legal practice, there are opportunities that you can explore. Years of intensive research and putting your critical thinking skills to test wouldn’t be thrown out the window, when there are industries that highly value the skills set of a lawyer. Here are some career alternatives:
Career in education
You can use your legal experience, training, and extensive knowledge on the field of law through teaching in universities or even paralegal colleges in the country. You may also consider positions in academic administration or non-teaching positions where legal training could be an asset such as in career services, law libraries, or admissions.
Career in government and politics
Legally-trained professionals can assume important positions in the government, since policy-making, research, legal interpretation and implementation are tenets of public service. With thorough understanding of the legal framework, lawyers also make good candidates for political positions, from mayors to state officials. As a good strategist, you can also become a successful campaign manager, lobbyist, or fundraiser.
Career in publishing
Your writing and research skills will prove useful in the field of publishing. You can be a writer for legal publications, be an author of books or articles about legal topics, or even be a newspaper columnist. Aside from publishing companies, other industries will also benefit from hiring a skilled writer. You can be an editor, publisher, or a trusted media personality.
Career in business
Your training as a lawyer can be a valuable asset in business. For banking and finance, you can assume roles as a risk manager if you specialize in tax, banking law, trusts, and securities. You can also be an arbitrator or mediator, resolving conflicts for different organizations, or head the HR department or become a training manager. Some lawyers have also become successful entrepreneurs themselves because of their ability to analyze risks and carefully plan every business move through research.
Entering into law school but unsure of the the different jobs and salaries common to the legal field? This article will cover some of the common career paths in law and the salaries that come along with them. Regardless of the type of job or salary you receive, you can be assured that you can earn a hefty paycheck, as long as you are ready to deal with hardship of pursuing a legal career. Here are is some helpful information on what you can expect, professionally, after law school:
Common careers for law school graduates
The education, training, and experience that students get through law school is respected in many different industries. Education, litigation, and insurance are just some of the industries that lawyers commonly go in to. Basically, your achievements, legal specialization, pre-law education, and professional experience will determine which fields you can go into. Remember, that you can always have your own practice as well.
Salary information on lawyers
Like any other career path, there are different factors that affect the salaries that lawyers earn. PayScale reports that, as of September 2008, law school graduates who have just graduated can earn roughly $50,000 annually. With time, your salary is likely to increase steadily. After 10 years, you can be earning around $80,000 per year and upwards of $100,000, 20 years after graduating from law school.
There are more specific factors that directly affect your salary, though. Specialization is one of these factors. The three specializations that earn the most on average are corporate law, litigation and appeals, and real estate. Law school graduates in these fields can earn yearly salaries of around $85,000, $75,000, and $74,000, respectively.
Another factor that will have an effect on your salary as a law school graduate is the place in which you work. For example, those who work for non-government organizations can expect around $54,000 per year, while those who work for the government earn about $91,000 per year. If you handle the legal concerns of a hospital, you can earn around $83,000 per year. Just be sure that the place you decide to work for can offer you the working environment and perks that you are interested in.
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