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Legal counsel for non-profits or businesses. The brother of a friend of mine got a job at Hallmark Cards, and has been set for life with that career. He's still there 20 years later. Big businesses need someone to handle their contracts. Universities have lawyers. Indian tribes need someone to handle contracts. Think outside the box; not all the lawyer jobs are with law firms. While you're job searching, offer your services to a non-profit on a volunteer basis. Through networking, you may eventually find a paid position. You never know. Volunteer for a political candidate in the run-up to the 2016 elections. You can get a paid job out of that, if your boy (or girl) wins. And you'll get experience for your resume and a good source for recommendations, whether the candidate wins or not.
Legal counsel for non-profits or businesses. The brother of a friend of mine got a job at Hallmark Cards, and has been set for life with that career. He's still there 20 years later. Big businesses need someone to handle their contracts. Universities have lawyers. Indian tribes need someone to handle contracts. Think outside the box; not all the lawyer jobs are with law firms. While you're job searching, offer your services to a non-profit on a volunteer basis. Through networking, you may eventually find a paid position. You never know. Volunteer for a political candidate in the run-up to the 2016 elections. You can get a paid job out of that, if your boy (or girl) wins. And you'll get experience for your resume and a good source for recommendations, whether the candidate wins or not.
Legal counsel for non-profits or businesses. The brother of a friend of mine got a job at Hallmark Cards, and has been set for life with that career. He's still there 20 years later. Big businesses need someone to handle their contracts. Universities have lawyers. Indian tribes need someone to handle contracts. Think outside the box; not all the lawyer jobs are with law firms. While you're job searching, offer your services to a non-profit on a volunteer basis. Through networking, you may eventually find a paid position. You never know. Volunteer for a political candidate in the run-up to the 2016 elections. You can get a paid job out of that, if your boy (or girl) wins. And you'll get experience for your resume and a good source for recommendations, whether the candidate wins or not.
If he or she hasn't been able to find a legal job yet, virtually no one will hire for an in-house position without prior legal experience.
A legal education is invaluable and qualifies you for many positions. Do a google seach on "400+ things you can do with a law degree (other than".
This is 100% totally and utterly false. A JD is a degree from a trade school and qualifies you to be a lawyer (but not even very well for that, as law school doesn't teach you much that you need for practice). A lot of people transition from a legal career to a business or quasi-legal career, but that's always going to be a mixture of happenstance and "right place, right time" and should not ever be counted on.
As I haven't been able to find a job with my law degree, I would like to know what industries I could potentially look into?
Thank you!
The biggest mistake that most people who get a law degree and struggle to find employment make is refusing to consider simply going into solo practice. This is a tight job market and a law degree may not open many doors right now.
Thirty years ago, I struggled to find work as an attorney. I eventually did land a couple of jobs, but neither worked out. Out of necessity, I set up my own law office.
Today, I regard it--next to marrying my wife--as the greatest thing I ever did. Few occupations offer someone the chance to be their own boss and to work entirely for themselves. Law is one of those occupations. It requires some chutzpah and a willingness to take a few risks.
Consider a strategy like this: Go to the nearest downtown and try to find the office building with the most attorneys in it. Find the very smallest and cheapest office for rent in that building and hang out a shingle. Go around to all the other attorneys in that building and offer to take the work that they do not want to do. This might be individual bankruptcies, collections work, or petty criminal cases. Take that work. Walk around. Meet people. Have a real life insurance agent and a real life accountant to prepare your taxes. Give them business cards. Go to the bank you do business with and talk to them. Often bankers encounter people who need legal services for things like probate. Make it clear you would appreciate such referrals and hand out more business card. Get lots of business cards made. In a world that is full of people who want to live on the internet, make some personal contacts. Do a good job for the people you represent and tell them how badly you need their help to stay in business. Learn about advertising on the internet. Find out how you can create a presence there for the fewest dollars possible.
Some other suggestions:
1. Always wear your best clothes when you are out in public and groom yourself well too.
2. Practice smiling. Smiles will always get you further than a frown. People like optimists and optimism.
3. Try to make no fewer than twenty business-related telephone calls a day.
4. Join a church and attend regularly getting to know others in the process.
5. See if there are any community groups that you can join.
In two or three years, you may have a very viable law practice. If you fail, will you be in a worse position than you are now?
I did what I describe above and I now have that law practice along with a very healthy income. I look back at my younger years now as a lawyer with quite a bit of nostalgia. They are golden to me.
I live around LA - seems like everybody here has a law degree. There are so many, that only the ones work in law firm who have graduated from a super expensive fancy school. All the other lawyers end up in insurance or bigger corporations as inhouse counsels. Every industry needs attorneys, movie industry, pharma industry, car industry ....
Google is your friend ...
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