Go Premium for $25 and get
Already a member? Log in here.
Studies have found that approximately one out of every five students pursues an alternative career path after law school. There are many different careers that can benefit from your law degree. The job that’s best for you will ultimately depend on your most valuable skills and what you want to do.
From startup ventures to life, Lee Chang, a 2L at the Brigham Young University—J. Reuben Clark Law School is following a path rarely taken through law school.
If you “followed the rules” but feel like you don’t fit the role you found yourself in this summer, not all is lost. That feeling can serve as a tool to place you on the path meant for you, so don’t ignore it.
Don’t send another resume before reading these stories of lawyers who forged their own career path— and are glad they did.
A Congressional staffer shares his story and offers suggestions on how to build a satisfying career in public service.
Lawyers across the country are using their law degree in ways they never expected - it's called the JD Advantage. Here are tips on how you can, too.
I’m proud to welcome you to this issue, which provides invaluable information about what you can do with your degree while going off the beaten path.
In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host Sandy Gallant-Jones talks with Above the Law Editor Joe Patrice, CuroLegal CEO Chad Burton, LegalZoom General Counsel Chas Rampenthal, Clio Lawyer in Residence Joshua Lenon, and Legal Talk Network Executive Producer Laurence Colletti about alternative careers in law. Joe opens the
I have heard this question a million times. I am still less than five years out of law school, and it still puzzles people that I do not practice law. Yes, I was willing to go through 3 years of tortur- ahem, I mean law school to not practice. I also
Growing up in the projects on the Lower East Side of New York City and watching her immigrant Chinese mother work in the garment industry’s sweatshops—even working alongside her at times— Villy Wang became determined to grow up and earn enough money that her mother wouldn’t have to work so hard. Wang achieved
By Jordan Glasgow JORDAN GLASGOW, a 3L student at University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law, is the 8th Circuit governor for the Law Student Division. As Jaspreet Singh began his second year at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, he was not only juggling the demands of classwork and student
By Amy Phan Taylor AMY PHAN TAYLOR, a 2L student at Seattle University School of Law, is student editor of Student Lawyer. Diana Kim’s decision to share her father’s journey of recovery from mental instability and homelessness in a photography blog has had far-reaching impacts on the island of Oahu, where she
When Shawn Askinosie entered law school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, he wanted to become a criminal defense lawyer just like his father. When he graduated in 1989, Askinosie joined a large Texas firm and handled white-collar crime cases. Three years
When Arin Reeves entered law school, she was interested in women’s rights and planned to prosecute sex crimes. But during her years at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, she grew increasingly interested in the social science aspect of law. When she graduated in 1996, she began
By entering law school, Simon Rust Lamb was launching a second career. After college, he’d already started his own indie music label and worked as a freelance journalist for music magazines. So when he graduated from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles in 2007, entertainment law was a natural specialty. After
Alicia Morga quips that she went to law school because she “didn’t know what else to do with [her] life.” The one-time investment banker graduated from Stanford Law School in 1999 and spent a year as a Silicon Valley corporate lawyer at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati before being recruited
When Michael Melcher entered the joint JD/MBA program at Stanford University, he had “no clear view” of what he wanted to do. But having worked in the US Foreign Service before law school, he was interested in public policy and international work. After graduating in 1994, he joined the securities practice
When Mary Wittenberg entered law school, she hoped to someday practice law in the sports world. The former college rower was also interested in nonprofit work. But, first, to get some experience, she joined the corporate practice of Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia, after graduating from the University of
After an early career in political consulting working on campaigns for the likes of Ed Koch, Tom Bradley, and Walter Mondale, Jay Goldberg became a sports agent representing athletes, retired sports legends, and sportscasters at a large New York-based agency. “I knew I wanted to eventually work for myself,” recalled Goldberg,
Sometimes, you just know. And for some in law school, what you know is that practicing law through a typical legal employer would never make your heart sing. At the same time, you know the value of a legal education, which is why you chose law school in the first
After graduating from the John Marshall Law School, Michael Palermo spent two-and-a-half years representing labor unions at a Chicago law firm. He later worked for the state of Illinois, prosecuting doctors, dentists, and other professionals. After returning to private practice to handle construction litigation and personal injury cases, Palermo eventually
Vol. 42 No. 8 By Leslie A. Gordon LESLIE A. GORDON is a secret lawyer who has been working as a freelance legal affairs journalist for more than 10 years. When Kelly Boyd enrolled at the University of Chicago Law School, she had an open mind about professional possibilities. She loved law school and
Law, Samantha Daniels said, is “in my blood.” Her father was a prestigious lawyer and Philadelphia chancellor. Her two brothers are lawyers. “As a family, the law and legal education [were] considered fundamental,” she said. “At a young age, I was fascinated by the law. If I wanted to convince
In her first career, Anna Gil was an academic research scientist specializing in molecular biology. She later decided to apply her science background to the legal profession, graduating from George Washington University Law School and practicing patent law for a Washington, D.C., law firm. A few years later, she moved
As a University of Iowa College of Law 3L, Maria Flores-Mills worked at the Office of the Provost, assisting the university’s first Latina PhD. During that time, she served alongside other Latina law, medical, and dental students on a panel for local middle school students. The crowd turned out to
Before the Bar is the blog of the ABA Law Student Division. It brings together a diversity of opinions, experiences, and voices from those associated with the law anywhere in the world and is targeted to law students, current, past and future.
Unless stated, the opinions shared by our writers do not reflect the official position of the American Bar Association.
Before the Bar Guidelines
Become a Contributor
