Next week (on April 8) we are having our first ever Choose Business: Careers for J.D.s Panel and Reception! These events will bring attorneys to campus who work in business. This is a really broad category of jobs including in-house positions, compliance and regulatory work, finance, healthcare and more. What distinguishes these jobs generally from traditional firm jobs is that although you use your J.D. you are not “practicing”, representing multiple clients, appearing in court, etc. Sometimes, these jobs are referred to as “JD Advantage” jobs. Opportunities in business are varied and expanding. According to the National Association for Law Placement (“NALP”) between 2007 and 2013, the percentage of law school graduates going straight into business nationally has increased from 7.7% to 13.8% and current trends suggest that this number will continue to grow. For a detailed breakdown of these jobs and current trends, check out NALP’s 2013 report.
To get you started on thinking about choosing business, here is a roundup of some articles I think are really helpful.
Thompson Reuters has some great articles on Alternative Legal Careers. Go to this page where you can look at their blog posts that are tagged for this subject.
This blog called Leave Law Behind offers a lot of insight and information from an attorney who chose to leave law for business. There are tips on what steps to take when you are investigating careers outside of law practice, practical considerations, and advice from those who have made the transition about how to be successful.
The National Jurist has an article on what alternative legal careers are hot in 2014. Also, here is the link to the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyers in Transition conference where you will find many videos that provide you great information (for free!). There are topics such as, “Finding a Job You Love with the JD You Have” and “An Introduction to Compliance Careers in Financial Services and Health Care.”
NALP has a series of video interviews with attorneys in JD Advantage jobs that explains what type of jobs are included in this category, why they chose this path, and will help you start thinking about your own goals and wants.
In next week’s post, we will talk about what you can do to explore these careers in business. Make sure to RSVP via your Symplicity “Events” tab for the Choose Business Panel on April 8 at 4:00PM and the Reception at 5:00PM in the Student Lounge!
Tagged: job search strategy, networking, opportunities, resources
