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6 Jobs You Can Do With a Law Degree

• Samantha Adair
  Jan 20 2017, 01:16 PM
  
  
  Lawyering is high stress work. It’s not unusual for lawyers to become burned out after an exhausting law career. Maybe you’re a recent law school grad who has explored the profession and decided that it wasn’t for you after all. That doesn’t mean your education went to waste. There is no shortage of unconventional ways you can put your education to good use while feeling good about the work you do.
  
  1. Start Your Own Business
  A lot of legalese goes into starting a business. You need to negotiate contracts, develop a brand, and patent your innovations. A lot of entrepreneurs need to outsource this work to legal professionals, but you already have the knowledge to do it all on your own. Think about what you’ve always wanted to do, draft up your own business plan, and post your “Employee Wanted” ads on Gumtree. You can open your doors and get your business rolling with little to no outside help.
  
  2. Get Involved in Politics
  You don’t need a law degree to get involved with politics, but it certainly seems to be a common trend. Having a complete knowledge of the law makes you a viable political candidate. You understand what you’re being tasked to uphold better than a candidate with a business degree would. The general public tends to find legal knowledge to be one of the most appealing things about a candidate. If you’ve always wanted a platform you can use to make a meaningful difference in the world, you certainly won’t find a better one.
  
  3. Project Management
  Project management is arguably a big step down from lawyering, but your skills will prove to be useful in this position. If you enjoy the negotiation and collaboration aspects of being a lawyer, you’ll be able to use these skills as a project manager. It’s a high stress job, but the pressure isn’t as grating as a lawyering job. Project management is a great transitional career for people who are looking to get out of law work, but aren’t sure exactly where they’d like to end up.
  
  4. Writer or Journalist
  Everything from major news publications to niche blogs are constantly looking for people with legal knowledge to comment on important issues. Whenever breaking news happens about a business or an upstanding individual finding themselves in a scandalous situation, these outlets love to have a legal expert to consult with. Whether you write the article yourself or approve something written by another staff member, it’s easy to get involved with writing and journalism.
  
  5. Work in the Insurance Field
  Insurance is a very complicated field to work in. There are a lot of guidelines and restrictions that need to be respected, and who better than someone with a law degree to interpret and adhere to those guidelines? Loss adjusting is one of the most complicated aspects of insurance. There are a lot of finite details in loss adjustment, and insurance agencies often hire people like former lawyers to handle the gritty work. It may not sound like scintillating work, but it’s a great way to exercise your brain without working in a courtroom.
  
  6. Become an Educator
  Who better to teach law students than someone who has mastered the curriculum? If you enjoyed law school and were thankful to your great professors, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to pay it forward to incoming students. This is perfect for people who are passionate about the details of legal work, but less thrilled at the prospects of its sometimes confrontational nature.
  
  If you think a career change is right for you, you don’t necessarily have to stick to careers suited to your law degree. You could become a painter or a classical musician if that’s what your heart desires. If you appreciate your education and you want to use it in your career life, consider some of the alternative uses for that prized degree.

  [Edited Jan 20 2017]

  
  

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