So, you’ve done the hard part already. You worked your tail off through law school, managed to pass the bar and are ready for the next step: applying for as many attorney jobs as you can find. But is there more to life after a law degree than just being a lawyer? What if you’ve recently discovered that maybe you’re not interested in using your law degree to actually land one of the attorney jobs you’ve been applying for? What then?
To start, don’t freak out. A lot of people who have law degrees have made an attorney career change, and you can, too! If you spend enough time working on your career planning goals, almost anything is possible. Below are three alternatives to the standard attorney jobs:
1. Become a consultant. In this economy, lots of businesses are looking for ways to save cash wherever they can. For some, this translates to outsourcing their staff attorney positions to freelance consultants. As a legal consultant, you can use your law degree to give great advice, without having to step foot in a courtroom.
2. Take up freelance writing. You know all of those briefs you wrote in law school? It could be time to put your writing skills to the test and apply for some freelance writing work. There are a variety of websites online that you can use to get started, and you’ll be able to work on your own schedule (and from the comfort of your own home…in your pajamas!). This kind of career planning move could be just what you’re looking for, and is quite lucrative over time.
3. Change your legal specialty. If you haven’t been impressed with the attorney jobs from legal placement services that you’ve some across so far, maybe you should broaden your search to include attorney jobs that are outside of your specialty. Sometimes, a little change is all you need!
For a lawyer, taking the leap and making a career change can be a scary proposition. If you stop practicing law, are you throwing away all of your years of experience (and hard work!) and all of that training in law school? Is it ludicrous for an attorney to want to make a career change? The answer to both questions is not necessarily. There are all kinds of ways that you can leverage your education and work experience to land a job that is fulfilling and pays the bills. Here are a few steps on how to navigate such a career move:
1. Talk to employers about your overall experience. Did you write a compelling, persuasive brief? Did you negotiate a big deal? Did you manage a team of paralegals or other attorneys? Did you use your creative problem solving skills to produce results for your clients? Lawyers tend to think in terms of their practice areas. This kind of thinking short-sells their abilities. Your knowledge of your practice area can be obtained through studying. Your abilities to manage projects, supervise others, write effectively, analyze issues and negotiate deals are inherent talents upon which you can base a career change.
2. Consider becoming a consultant. Becoming a consultant is one of the easier way of making a career change. You can even start out on a freelance or ad hoc basis to gain some non-lawyer experience, all while keeping your regular job. This is a great way to test the waters and see what kind of positions are out there. It is also a way for potential employers to see the value you can bring to them. A recent “graduate” of our program wanted to transition into the computer industry. He offered to take on some non-legal projects for a technology company, and did the work on nights and weekends. They were so pleased with the results that they hired him full-time as Director of Special Projects. FYI — set your fees high – companies are much more willing to pay contractors a higher per-hour rate than hire somebody full time, so you should take advantage.
3. Expand your practice areas. Sometimes making a career change is more about getting away from a particular segment of law. One of our clients, a solo with a general practice, was very interested in financial planning. He took some courses and began studying for his CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation. After a time, he was able to add financial planning to his practice. This new area involves making presentations before investors, typically in small groups, and this satisfied our client’s love of public speaking. Eventually, he was doing more financial planning for clients than he was lawyering! Expanding your practice area involves the excitement of learning new disciplines, and can also be a great additional revenue stream!
With the economy being what it is these days, more and more lawyers and law firms are feeling the pinch. Business in many segments has simply dried up. This may mean seeking a new position or career somewhere else, or it may mean you’ll need to pick up some additional income. Here are three of the easier ways to accomplish this:
1. Freelance legal work. If you’ve just been laid off from your big firm, or if you have a lot of extra time on your hands, and you do not want to make an actual career change, try doing freelance legal work. You can get in touch with the contract legal staffing or legal temp agencies and get on the list for document review or other short term assignments. You can also contact law firms that do not provide services in your practice area and work out a split for business that they can refer to you. You can also approach law firms to take on some of their over flow work.
2. Freelance writing. There are all kinds of journals, papers and magazines that could use a fresh legal perspective – your legal knowledge could earn you money, without having to do any actual legal work. Write up some query letters and send them off to as many editors as you can find. Publications like Writers Digest and Editor & Publisher will have names of companies. You can also do a Google search for publications. Lawyers doing freelance writing work can command a high per-word fee.
3. Consulting work. This is one of the easiest moves for a lawyer to make. There are lots of businesses, both large and small, that are in need of legal consultants. This work can often be rewarding, and is a fantastic way to break up the monotony of day-to-day legal work. As an added bonus, contracted consultants usually are able to charge significantly more per hour than their salaried counterparts. The hardest part of making this kind of career change is finding the actual consulting gigs, so having above average networking skills are important.
Are you ready to switch industries? Have you reworked your cover letter and created an effective career change resume? With the economy being what it is these days, many people have been laid off or forced to take dead-end jobs to make ends meet – and now, the job market is more competitive than ever. When you have dozens of people applying for the same position, it can be difficult to land your dream job.
Still, it’s important to remain hopeful and keep trying. Here are some tips that will help you make your big New York career change:
1. If you are not happy with your current situation, don’t be afraid to make a switch. If you’re working as a lawyer, are burned out and don’t have a positive attitude, it may be time to change fields. That doesn’t mean that your J.D. has to go to waste, though: there are all kinds of things you can do with a law degree!
2. Create a career change resume. You will need to completely refocus your old resume to show why you are qualified for a new type of position. You should focus on the skills and experiences that are beneficial to the jobs for which you are applying. If you are seeking a managerial position, talk about how you manage associates and paralegals, not your ligation experience. If you are looking for a PR or corporate communications job, focus on your writing and presentation skills, not your knowledge of civil procedure or regulatory statutes. If your plans include working for a nonprofit, make sure you include any volunteer work that you have done.
3. Don’t get discouraged. Making a career change isn’t easy; in fact, it can be harder in the metro New York region than it is in many other places. The key is to not give up. If you didn’t get hired after nailing an interview, keep applying and going out on other interviews. Also, tweak your career change resume and cover letter until you find the right formula that hiring managers get excited about.
Get our updates and job postings direct to your inbox
