Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, April 2005 (Vol. 33, No. 8). All rights reserved.

Jobs

Wondering about nonlegal careers? Use the resources available to you

by Donna Gerson

Each year, law school graduates find work in traditional venues such as law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, and judges’ chambers. Others explore nontraditional options that may or may not require a J.D. degree as a hiring prerequisite. These nontraditional jobs run the gamut from grant officer for a foundation to technical writer for a manufacturing company to insurance risk manager for a major league baseball team.

You may be contemplating a nontraditional career but feel uncertain about how to proceed. How can you prepare for a nontraditional career either directly after law school or later in life? What job search strategies work? What resources are available?

As so many students did before me, I entered law school with only a vague understanding of what a legal career entailed. My undergraduate history degree didn’t provide a clear career path, but I enjoyed writing and wanted to help others. Law school seemed like a good idea at the time. I was optimistic that law offered many career options. If you would have asked me what these options were precisely, I would have smiled sweetly and changed the subject.

Following a very fulfilling year serving as a judicial clerk for a local trial court judge, I entered private practice. The stark contrast between the pace of a judge’s chambers and the demands of private practice astounded me. I found that litigation entailed high levels of personal confrontation with no control over my personal life. Taking care of my health, keeping family commitments, and even making vacation plans would be trumped by late-breaking assignments. As an associate, I’d never made more money, yet I had never been more stressed out and depressed.

I visited my local bar association because it offered free, confidential career counseling to members. A counselor reviewed my professional and personal goals, strengths, and weaknesses. I took several tests, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and began keeping a journal to record my thoughts. Working with a trained career counselor—something I had never done before—enabled me to consider career alternatives with a sense of objectivity that I lacked.

Based on prior positive work experiences as an undergraduate, I realized that I enjoyed working for a university and that I excelled at writing, speaking, and event planning. I wanted to make a difference in the quality of students’ lives and needed my workday to be challenging, yet have a definite beginning and end. Through the bar association counselor, I soon found a position with the career services office at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. I worked there for seven years before starting my consulting and writing business.

My journey to nontraditional work took several years to sort out, but my current vocation engages me, connects me to the legal profession, and pays the bills, too. For me, law school was a valuable experience because it fulfilled an intellectual desire, gave me the credentials to work both in and alongside the legal profession, and research, write, and speak about topics that are personally rewarding.

Is nontraditional work right for you? It depends. Only spending the time to research options and exploring your strengths and interests will lead you to the right answer. Begin by visiting your career services office and perusing print resources on nontraditional practice. Many of the professionals working in career services offices have law degrees and know from firsthand experience about the path to fulfilling nontraditional work.

Process your thoughts by keeping a journal of ideas and questions. Ask yourself: Why did you initially choose to attend law school? What do you enjoy/dislike about law school? What legal jobs have you enjoyed and why? What non-legal jobs have you enjoyed and why? What are your most important values for day-to-day happiness? How much money must you earn in order to meet your postgraduate financial obligations? If you’re leaning toward nontraditional work, are you attracted to work in the legal profession (for example, in bar association or university administration, legal recruiting, or legal publishing) or do you desire something completely apart from law? Should you take the bar exam after graduation and maintain your license?

The answers to these questions hinge on your individual dreams and desires. For me, taking and passing the bar exam was a crowning achievement. I maintain my license mostly out of pride and partly out of my desire to affiliate with the profession. Returning to practice law after an absence of more than 10 years is unrealistic. Still, I reason, if I pursue work in law firm administration (perhaps as director of professional development), then my license may afford me added credibility. By contrast, I know law graduates who choose to leave the profession completely and forgo taking the bar exam.

If you’re considering a nontraditional career, find individuals engaged in nonlegal work and schedule informational interviews to learn more about different options. Many career services offices maintain mentor databases that include graduates engaged in nontraditional work. Talk to those who are pursuing different and interesting nonlegal career tracks to learn their stories. Attend programs at your law school that feature nontraditional lawyers to ascertain the range of options. Browse general career web sites, such as www. wetfeet.com, to learn about nonlegal career paths and resources.

Many universities offer confidential professional counseling services beyond your law school. Counseling professionals at these offices can administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, as well as other measures of personal and professional aptitude, to help guide you in your decision-making process. Use these resources now while you’re enrolled; they often are free of charge to students, but will be fee-based after you graduate (typically $75 an hour and up).

Reaching nontraditional employers can be challenging. Some prospective employers will no doubt be flabbergasted to meet a law graduate who does not want to be the next Clarence Darrow. Assuage employers’ suspicions by drafting cover letters that describe your motivation for pursuing a nontraditional career in positive terms. This is where your advocacy skills will be useful. For example, “After much deliberation, I have decided to use the strong research and writing skills I acquired during law school in order to analyze and critique grant funding requests with a highly critical eye.” Offer the prospective employer the added value of hiring someone who is articulate, well-spoken, organized, and professional.

Similarly, when drafting a résumé and cover letter that would appeal to nontraditional employers, focus on research and organizational skills and writing ability. Consider reformatting your traditional law school résumé into a functional skills-based résumé that breaks down your experience into relevant areas such as “Writing and Analytical Experience” and “Programming and Counseling Experience.”

Nontraditional work that is chosen after careful research offers fulfilling professional opportunities. There will be tradeoffs, and you will encounter resistance from some who will question your motivation. But you’ll be joining the ranks of successful law-trained individuals who have made an impact beyond the traditional practice of law, including Mohandas Ghandi, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, television commentator Greta Van Susteren ... and me.

Donna Gerson, a former law school career services director, is author of Choosing Small, Choosing Smart: The Secrets of Small and Mid-Size Firm Hiring. E-mail her at donna@donnagerson.com if you have comments on this article or would like her to speak at your school.

For more career and job search guidance, visit the ABA Career Counsel at www.abanet.org/careercounsel/students.html.

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