If you have ever questioned what you could do with your law degree – beyond practicing – you have come to the right post.
Perhaps it happened while watching a lunchtime speaker panel on alternative careers in law. Maybe it happened during the 9th week of your Admin Law class when Chevron suddenly didn’t hold the mystique it once did. Or, maybe it happened after submitting your 536th timesheet to your managing attorney.
Whenever you experienced the moment when you realized that using your law degree to practice law is an option but not the only option, you may have started wondering … so, what else can I do with my JD?
Here is a list. A warning though, or caveat emptor if you will, our list contains everything from job titles, to big concepts, to names of famous JDs, and a bit more. What’s interesting is that some of the most surprising entries are based on real non-law options that have been exercised (find out more in the Related Resources). It is a mixed bag at best, so use it as a brainstorming tool … a place to let you begin to create your perfect job title.
And here we go…
- Public policy advisor
- Think tank contributor
- John Grisham
- Start a non-profit
- Demetri Martin
- Mayor
- High school political science teacher
- Public health graduate student
- President Obama
- Pastry chef
- Law firm recruiter
- Law school recruiter
- Loan officer
- Contract negotiator
- Human resources specialist
- Motivational speaker
- Law supplement author
- Romance novelist
- Ari Gold
- Home stager
- Harvey Levin
- Lobbyist
- CEO
- Political cartoonist
- Write a screenplay
- Law school professor
- Mediator
- Ozzie Nelson
- Venture capitalist
- Form a start-up
- Record music
- Marketing
- Compliance manager
- Career coach
- Start a fashion blog
- Law school career counselor
- International sales
- Sports agent
- Stock broker
- CFO
- Financial analyst
- Foreign service diplomat
- UN Ambassador
- Talk show host
- Start a dating blog
- Grant writer
- Franchise owner
- Magazine editor
- Playwright
- Field journalist
- Fraud regulator
- Sitcom actor
- Speech writer
- Crime reporter
- Get a PhD
- LSAT instructor
- Blues singer
- Reality show contestant
- Risk assessor
- Start a brewery
- Public Relations
- Children’s rights’ advocate
- Office manager
- Courthouse staff
- Public affairs representative
- Senator
- Travel blogger
- Backup dancer
- Own a professional sports team
- Stand-up comedian
- Mohandas Gandhi
- Study Abroad Coordinator
- Work at a foundation
- Law school dean
- Win a Pulitzer
- Clinical research associate
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Futures and options specialist
- Photographer
- Social entrepreneur
- Andrea Bocelli
- Nelson Mandela
- Middle school principal
- Producer
- Open a law book store
- E-discovery specialist
- Practice support professional
- Ben Stein
- Governor
- Television sportscaster
- Geraldo Rivera
- Win a Nobel
- Movie critic
- Inventor
- Colonel Sanders
- Teach online
- Strategy and operations
- College softball coach
- FindLaw blogger!
This post originally appeared on October 14, 2009. It has since been updated.
John Grisham
Start a non-profit
Romance novelist
Talk show host
Start a dating blog
Start a brewery
Travel blogger
Nelson Mandela
Middle school principal
Producer
Related Resources:
- What Else You Can Do With a Law Degree? (Professor Corcos’ webpage)
- The Limitless Lawyer (JDSnub)
- Things to do with your law degree (besides practice law) (ThingsToDoWithYourJD)
- 11 Famous People Who Were in the Completely Wrong Career at Age 30 (11points)
- Nobel Peace Prize in the U.S.: Who Has Won and For What (FindLaw’s Law & Daily Life)
- 111 Ways to Find Your Next Legal or Non-Legal Job (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
- 14 Things I Wish I Had Known When Graduating From Law School (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
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