You Can Have a Meaningful Career Without Practicing Law
by Donna Gerson

Heather Lewis-Lechner, Shannon Sedgwick Davis, and thousands of others with law degrees have something in common—they have chosen not to practice law. Nontraditional careers are popular with law students who realize that a law degree opens many doors. While most law graduates find work in private practice, government positions, and clerkships, many look beyond traditional positions and venues.

Later in this column we’ll hear advice from Lewis-Lechner and Davis, but let’s first review some basics about nontraditional career searches. Because nontraditional work is so varied, you cannot depend on on-campus interviews, job postings, or other passive means to find work. As with all job hunting, searching for meaningful nontraditional work begins and ends with you.
Meet with a career counselor to describe your goals and learn about the resources available at your law school. Consider taking career-related tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a diagnostic exercise to help you discern your strengths and interests. Test results can serve as a basis for a thoughtful discussion about nontraditional options at your disposal. Testing services are typically free while you’re a student but are often fee-based following graduation, so take advantage of these resources now.
Read about nontraditional career choices and strategies and learn from those who have discovered satisfying careers beyond the law.

Some excellent books on the topic include:
• Nonlegal Careers for Lawyers, by Gary Munneke and William Henslee (ABA Publishing, www.ababooks.org);
• What Can You Do With a Law Degree? A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law, by Deborah Arron (Niche Press);
• Alternative Careers for Lawyers, by Hillary Mantis (Princeton Review); and
• The Lawyer’s Career Change Handbook: More Than 300 Things You Can Do With a Law Degree, by Hindi Greenberg (Avon Books).

In addition to reading about nontraditional careers, be sure to build a network of contacts to guide you through the job-seeking process. Your law school career services office might offer a formal mentor program or provide names of alumni who work in nontraditional fields.

Conducting informational interviews—interviews for the purpose of learning about a field and gathering information—is a key way to learn about internships and full-time positions. Developing relationships while in law school, either through informational interviews or a mentor, can help you to cultivate relationships that will keep you connected about job openings and new opportunities.

Because nontraditional careers range widely, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the array of choices. There are nontraditional positions that are law-related, such as law librarian, law firm recruiting manager, legal journalist, and legislative assistant. Other nontraditional careers are complete departures from the legal profession and include sales and business consulting. The most important aspect of finding nontraditional work that you enjoy involves matching your interests and skills to the field of your choice.

Now let’s hear from Heather Lewis-Lechner and Shannon Sedgwick Davis, law graduates who are happily engaged in nontraditional work.

Lewis-Lechner, a 2001 graduate of Seattle University School of Law, is policy counsel for the Senate Democratic Caucus in Olympia, Wash. Her job involves helping state senators develop policies in the areas of early learning, education, and higher education.

Although Lewis-Lechner took and passed the Washington state bar exam, her work does not require that she be licensed to practice law. She notes, however, that her legal education has been helpful. “I think an understanding of how the law will be interpreted and applied after it is written is invaluable for helping draft the legislation and for helping senators understand the full implications of a specific policy issue,” she says.

According to Lewis-Lechner, networking is key to identifying nontraditional opportunities. She recommends getting to know people who do the type of work you think you would like to pursue.

“Network, network, network,” she says. “As cheesy as that sounds, it’s true. I’ve found that, in the nontraditional areas I was looking at—political and nonprofit work—the positions are often hard to find if you don’t know someone who already works there and if they don’t already know you. Volunteer work in the area you are considering is always a good way to get your foot in the door. You definitely have to take the initiative in order to get noticed and stand out.”

Davis, a 2000 graduate of Baylor University School of Law, is vice president of Geneva Global, a nonprofit organization that raises money for Third World communities. She frequently travels overseas and manages a philanthropic fund that combats child trafficking. Davis’ prior work experience in the human rights field helped guide her decision to pursue a nontraditional career following law school. She took and passed the Texas bar exam and values her legal training even though she is not engaged in traditional practice. “I would not trade my law degree for anything,” she says.

According to Davis, law students need to take the initiative to gather nontraditional career information because law school career services offices tend to focus on more traditional practice options. As such, she advises students to explore various nontraditional options as early as possible. “I would encourage law students to find the avenues they are interested in and immediately begin pursuing them,” she says.

I, too, am a law graduate with a nontraditional career. After earning my law degree, I worked as a judicial clerk and law firm associate. From there, I became a law school director of career services. Today, I work as a freelance writer and speaker. When I counsel law students about nontraditional careers, I emphasize three key points:

Gain some traditional legal experience during law school. Legal training—whether summer, part-time, or volunteer experience—will help influence your decision-making process as you explore nontraditional career choices. Listing legal experience on your résumé will enable you to articulate to a future employer, particularly a nonlegal employer, that you’ve experienced the law yet desire something different—perhaps more creative, perhaps focused in a different arena—and that your decision to change course is well-informed.

Take and pass the bar exam. You never know when a law license in good standing might be useful. Whether or not you decide to retain your license as you progress in a nontraditional career is up to you. However, having this credential represents an intellectual accomplishment and will open more doors than you think. After all, after three or more years of law school, you’ve invested a great deal of time and energy to earn your degree. For the effort and money required to become (and remain) licensed, it may be the best career investment you make.

Be prepared to work hard at finding a nontraditional job. Because these types of jobs fly beneath the radars of most law school career services offices, you need to take the initiative to custom-design a career strategy for yourself. Network and conduct informational interviews to learn more and to develop relationships. Don’t be afraid to meet people and ask for help (and be sure to return the favor someday).

Nontraditional careers offer tremendous opportunities to use your law degree in a creative, exciting way. Engage in the research and challenge yourself to find the niche that’s right for you.

“You can have a meaningful career without practicing law" by Donna Gerson, published in Student Lawyer, Volume 34, No. 8, April 2006. © by the American Bar Association.  Reprinted with permission.

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