Law school, along with medicine, is considered one of the highest prestige careers in the United States, as well as one of the best paying jobs. However, it sees significant attrition from those who cannot attract new clients, don’t win enough cases or quit because the 60-80-hour work weeks are not conducive to having a family, the latter the reason why so many women leave the partner track in their thirties so they can have children. Let’s look at four alternate career choices for lawyers.
Legal Compliance in Business
Do our contracts contain legally valid and enforceable provisions? Are we asking people to sign non-disclosure agreements that prevent them from working in their field for so long that they can sue us for trying to enforce it? Are we allowed to push these requirements onto our suppliers? Lawyers are ideally suited to answering these questions, which is why they can move from contract review departments in law firms – often seen as a dead end for one’s career – to legal compliance departments for companies.
Civic Roles
Former lawyers should consider getting an online masters in public administration so that they are considered more qualified to work in public planning, policy, and administration. This prepares you for sitting on the planning commission or zoning board. It prepares you for handling challenges related to building code enforcement or complaints from citizens. In some cases, attorneys run for political office because of how well they know the law. Completing an online MPA program lets you stand out from the standard lawyer that many in the public distrust, blaming lawyers for writing complex, convoluted laws and regulations that necessitate hiring an attorney to understand.
Human Resources
Lawyers can work in Human Resources, especially when they are not handling onboarding and interviewing tasks. For example, job listings should be reviewed by attorneys prior to their posting to avoid violating EEOC or other federal guidelines. Legal professionals should work with managers when typing up performance reviews or disciplinary actions to stay on the right side of the law. In many cases, they are ensuring that companies are collecting the legally required information for the EEOC on employee demographics without asking questions that are against the law.
Lawyers are often part of HR departments for handling the most serious situations, such as firing employees for cause or mass layoffs. They may be the ones issuing the pink slip, or they are the ones advising people of their legal rights and obligations.
Supply Chain
Whether drafting requests for quotes, requests for proposals, supplier contracts or purchase agreements, many attorneys find work in the company’s supply chain department. This is aside from the logical place they have when disputing whether products meet the contractually mandated requirements or dealing with slow paying customers or suppliers who deliver late.
Conclusion
Many former lawyers are working in corporate America’s Human Resources, Purchasing and Sales departments. Some work in positions ensuring companies meet various sets of regulations and rules, whether voluntary like CMMI or mandatory like financial legislation. A popular option is in public service, whether seeking public office or working in public administration.
