Click on the links below to see the desecriptions of the jobs.

Associate Management
Education
Entrepreneur
Government
In-House Attorney
Judge
Legal Support Services
Military Attorney (JAG)
Private Practice/Law Firm
Public Interest and Legal Aid
Sports/Entertainment Agent

Association Management

Some attorneys work for organizations designed to represent and assist lawyers. For example, many of the individuals managing the American Bar Association and its sections and divisions are individuals who have graduated from law school and passed a bar exam. Instead of working as attorneys, these individuals have chosen to use their management skills and knowledge of the legal profession and attorneys to help national, state, or local bar organizations to run effectively and to improve the lives and practice of attorneys.

Individuals working for legal associations, or as executives in other types of associations, manage the day-to-day operations of the association, including managing the association's finances; supervising, hiring and firing employees; managing the association's communication and technology systems; ensuring compliance with local, state and national laws; and assisting the elected or volunteer leadership in developing new legislative and policy initiatives and in accomplishing the association's mission and goals.

Education

Some practicing and non-practicing attorneys work full or part-time as educators. Many of these individuals are professors or instructors at a law school or a college. Whereas law school professors teach law students in courses designed to prepare them to be attorneys, college professors or instructors may teach courses designed for individuals interested in becoming attorneys or courses designed to educate individuals, in various study areas, about the law.

In addition to law school or college instructors, attorneys may have jobs in which they teach business owners or employees about the law and how it relates to their business. Similarly, individuals may be employed to teach law students how to pass a bar exam, to teach practicing attorneys about changes in the law, or to teach attorneys how they can become better attorneys. These individuals may teach classes or may author treatises or books designed to aid attorneys in practicing law and in becoming better attorneys.

Entrepreneur

A legal education prepares law school graduates to deal with and resolve problems in an analytical and creative way. This skill is useful in many different career fields. Many individuals who graduate from law school or practice law for a time decide that they do not want to actively practice law. Instead, they decide that they would prefer using their knowledge of the law and legal skills along with other talents and interests that they may have to start or operate a business.

The skills learned in law school and as an attorney can be used in such fields as business, healthcare, and insurance. Having a law degree may also be helpful in a career in investment banking, securities, real estate, or in any industry that is heavily regulated by national, state or local laws or in which contractual negotiations and drafting are important.

Attorneys working in a non-legal field may be officers or employees in a major corporation, may start their own company, or may join others as a partner or shareholder in a company. Attorneys have owned and operated sports franchises, airlines, technology companies and almost any other imaginable business.

A perfect example of a lawyer entrepreneur is Herb Kelleher. In 1971, Mr. Kelleher, a practicing attorney, co-founded Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines started as a small airline with flights to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. It is now flies to 60 cities and flies over 70 million passengers each year. Mr. Kelleher has served as President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board for Southwest Airlines and continues to serve as its Executive Chairman of the Board.

Government

Federal, state, and local governments employ thousands of lawyers. Some of the many types of government jobs are:

(1) Prosecuting or defending individuals accused of a crime;
(2) Prosecuting or defending against civil law suits filed by or against the government;
(3) Preparing and reviewing government contracts;
(4) Protecting consumers through the creation of policies or through legal or administrative proceedings;
(5) Protecting the environment;
(6) Assisting and advising a legislature in the drafting of new laws;
(7) Negotiate and draft international treaties; or
(8) Advising the President, a governor, or mayor regarding requirements of the law and how to implement laws.

An attorney working for the government may work for the Department of Justice, a state attorney general's office, a legislature, or one of many other national, state or local governmental agencies.

In addition, many attorneys serve in the government as elected or appointed judges at the trial and appellate level. These judges often employ judicial clerks and court staff attorneys who assist them in understanding the law, researching legal issues presented to a judge by the parties, and in preparing legal rulings.

Government jobs are often more secure than in the private sector, and offer good benefits and decent work hours, although the salary may be less than in the private sector.

In-House Attorney

In-house attorneys, who are also known as corporate counsel, do not work for a law firm. Instead, they work for and receive a salary from a corporation or other type of company. In-house jobs differ greatly from company to company. In a small company there may be only one in-house attorney who is responsible for any and all legal issues faced by that company. In contrast, an in-house attorney in a larger company, such as American Airlines or Wal-Mart, may work in a legal department with many other attorneys and may specialize in only one legal issue, such as labor and employment law.

As with other types of attorneys, an in-house attorney may be responsible for preparing and reviewing contracts, advising senior management on legal issues that the corporation faces, preparing labor and employment policies and employee handbooks, advising the company on securities issues, advising and representing the company on environmental issues, or representing the company before administrative or governmental agencies, or before Congress. Although an in-house attorney may represent his or her company in litigation and in court appearances, often a company's litigation is not conducted by its in-house attorney. Instead, the litigation will frequently be handled by a private law firm that is supervised and assisted by an in-house attorney.

In addition to performing legal duties for a company, an in-house attorney, especially a company's General Counsel or top in-house attorney, may also have management and business responsibilities at the company. The top in-house attorney may also be a member of the company's board of directors or governing body.

Judge

The United States' legal system is an adversarial system. This means that parties or entities file a lawsuit and try to win the lawsuit by presenting the best case that they can. Rather than presenting all facts to a court, litigants will present those facts that best support their case and the other party will present the facts that best support their respective arguments.

In an adversarial system, judges ensure that the litigation process is fair and resolve the differences between the parties' competing legal arguments and conflicting facts. Judges preside over a lawsuit by ruling upon requests from the parties, by deciding what evidence can be admitted, by managing the setting and completion of a trial, and by managing the selection of a jury, which will be asked to resolve competing facts.

Judges make up the third branch of our government-the Judiciary. As part of the principle of checks and balances in the federal system, judges have the power to rule upon the legality or constitutionality of actions by the executive and legislative branches of government. Therefore, independent judges are a crucial part of our democracy.

Some actions that judges can take include issuing injunctions to prohibit an individual or entity from doing something (such as dumping trash into a river), grant damages to a party, decide what a law means, declare a law or some action unconstitutional (such as a law prohibiting a person's freedom of speech), sentence a person to jail, and punish a person for violating the legal system's rules.

There are many different types of judges. Trial court judges preside over the initial trial, intermediate appellate court judges determine whether the trial court judge or jury ruled properly, and supreme court justices or other top-tier appellate judges determine whether or not the intermediate appellate court judges ruled properly.

In the U.S., there are two separate court systems: the federal courts and state and local courts. In the federal courts, judges sit on bankruptcy courts, district courts, military courts, the courts of appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Judges in the district courts, courts of appeals and U.S. Supreme Court are nominated by the U.S. President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Once approved by the Senate, these individuals can serve as a judge of their court for life.

In the state court system, a judge may work for a city (municipal judge), a county, or the state. Judges in this system may preside over a trial court, an intermediate appellate court, or the state's highest appellate court, such as the state supreme court. Most judges in the state court system have to be attorneys, but some lower level judges, such as a justice of the peace or a municipal judge might not be attorneys. The selection process for local or state court judges varies greatly. Judges are either appointed, elected, or selected in a system that combines an appointment and some type of election.

Another type of judge is an administrative judge. An administrative judge generally works for a governmental agency and has authority to decide specific disputes or issues related to the agency's area of responsibility, such as the licensing of automobile dealerships.

Legal Support Services

Some attorneys use their experience from law school and the practice of law to assist other attorneys in their careers or in their practices.

One principal legal support career is a career as a legal recruiter. These individuals help individual attorneys or groups of attorneys to find jobs and law firms or other employers to find qualified attorneys for jobs. Other potential legal support careers include a job as a jury consultant, legal technology salespersons or administrators, document management managers, and other related services that assist attorneys in performing their jobs.

Another main legal support career is a law firm administrator, who serves as the chief administrator in a law firm and supervises employees, manages the finances, and ensures that the law firm operates efficiently.

Military Attorney (JAG)

Some of the country's largest law firms are actually found in the U.S. Military. Attorneys serving in the military are often referred to as JAG attorneys or JAG officers. JAG stands for Judge Advocate General. In addition to serving as counsel to the military, JAG attorneys serve their country as officers, both active and reserve, in the military. JAG attorneys serve in the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army, Coast Guard and National Guard.

Newly-licensed attorneys joining the military may find more immediate opportunities to practice law than in the private sector. Whereas a private attorney may not step into a courtroom or directly advise a client for months or years, a JAG or military attorney may begin litigating cases soon after beginning active duty.

A JAG attorney may serve at a base in the U.S. or in another country, including in a combat zone. The opportunities for a JAG attorney are broad and diverse, and involve the practice of different types of law. In a three or four year period, a JAG attorney may prosecute or defend criminal cases, proffer administrative law opinions, handle labor law and government tort claims, and advise individual clients regarding personal legal problems, such as divorce and custody disputes.

Potential practice areas may include:

• Prosecuting, defending or serving as judges in military criminal trials in court-martials.
• Advising commanders and managers regarding Homeland Security issues.
• Advising commanders regarding laws and treaties, including environmental laws, immigration law, customs law, and national security laws.
• Prosecuting and defending civil claims for the military, including collecting monies owed to the government, recovering damages for the destruction of government property, and defending personal injury claims for injuries caused by military personnel or occurring on government property.
• Advising commanders and managers regarding labor and employment laws and representing the military in federal court, in arbitration hearings, grievance hearings, and administrative hearings regarding labor and employment issues.
• Transactional law, including drafting and reviewing contracts, and advising management, technical and contracting officials regarding contracts related to major construction, acquisition, and procurement.
• Advising officers, managers and others regarding federal, state, and local environmental laws and requirements.
• Providing legal advice regarding the acquisition, maintenance and disposition of real property, including leases and licenses.
• Drafting and reviewing rules and policies created by the military branches.
• Reviewing and advising officers and managers regarding pending legislation, Congressional testimony, and executive orders.
• Providing personal legal services to military personnel and their families regarding estate planning, financial issues, landlord/tenant, personal real property, domestic and family law, taxes, and application of laws impacting military personnel.
• Providing academic lectures and training to military lawyers and military officers, regarding legal issues, including Rules of Engagement, military justice and civil law.

For more information regarding the opportunities available as attorneys in the military, visit the following websites:

• United States Air force - www.jagusaf.hq.af.mil
• United States Army - www.jagcnet.army.mil/JARO
• United States Coast Guard - www.uscg.mil/legal/practice.htm
• United States Marine Corp - http://sja.hqmc.usmc.mil
• United States Navy - www.jag.navy.mil/AboutUs/AboutUs3.htm

Private Practice/Law Firm

Attorneys in private practice may work in a large law firm with hundreds of attorneys in multiple cities around the country or world, for a large regional law firm, for a mid-size or small law firm, or as a solo attorney who works alone. Attorneys in private practice generally provide legal services to clients, both individuals and entities, in exchange for money. Because only attorneys can practice law and represent other individuals, people needing legal services are willing to pay for assistance from an attorney. The salary of individuals working for law firms varies greatly depending upon the location of the firm, the size of the firm, and the firm's type of practice and clients, but it can be very lucrative for an attorney.

Attorneys in private practice work in large cities and rural towns. Clients for attorneys in private practice range from the largest corporations to a small family business. Attorneys may represent a large number of individuals at once in a class action or just one person. Similarly, attorneys may represent a local or state government or governmental unit.

Attorneys in private practice may practice in many different types of law or specialize in one or two specific areas of law, such as employment or criminal law. You can find an attorney in private practice who handles almost any type of legal issue. Therefore, the day-to-day practice of attorneys working solo or in a law firm can be vastly different from one another and offer diverse opportunities to attorneys in a private practice.

Public Interest and Legal Aid

Some attorneys work for public interest agencies that seek to change laws and society. These agencies, which include, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union, MALDEF, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund, seek to use the laws to improve the lives of individuals or groups or to change laws in a way they believe will make the world or country a better place. Similarly, individuals working at legal aid agencies represent indigent (poorer) clients who are unable to afford an attorney. Attorneys working at legal aid agencies may handle a broad range of legal issues, including family, consumer protection and employment law, or civil rights and constitutional law issues.

Although attorneys working in public interest work or for legal aid agencies often receive relatively low pay, generally they are more interested in having a job where they feel they are making a difference and helping society and individuals in need. These types of positions can also be very intellectually stimulating and often expose young attorneys to experiences and opportunities that they may not have in a large law firm.

Sports/Entertainment Agent

Many sports and entertainment agents are attorneys. For example, Leigh Steinbergh, who has represented professional athletes such as Troy Aikman and Warren Moon, is an attorney.

A sports or entertainment attorney will negotiate a contract for an athlete or entertainer with a team's general manager or studio executive to try to get the best deal possible for his or her client. The attorney may also represent his or her client in marketing agreements, such as having the client appear in a television commercial or to have the client's picture on a cereal box. The attorney may draft or assist in the drafting of a contract and may advise his or her client regarding legal issues affecting him or her, such as tax law, family law, or employment law.