Alternative Legal Careers
By Michael Umberger
Updated March 2024
Books
Liz Brown, Life After Law: Finding Work You Love With the J.D. You Have (2013).
Written by Harvard-trained ex-law firm partner Liz Brown, this book provides specific, realistic, and honest advice on alternative careers for lawyers.
KF297 .B725 2013 (2nd Floor)
Brannon P. Denning, Becoming a Law Professor: A Candidate's Guide (2010).
A comprehensive guide to pursuing a career as a law professor, with an emphasis on scholarship.
KF272 .D46 2010 (on Reserve)
Nicole Hallett, Becoming a Public Interest Lawyer (2022)
A thorough guide for current and former law students interested in pursuing a career in public interest law.
R.L. Hermann, JD Advantage Jobs in Corporations: Expanding the Legal Function (2017)
A guide to corporate and nonprofit jobs for which a JD is not required but provides an advantage to the employee in performing the duties of the job.
KF299 .I5 H47 2017 V.12 (Office of Career Services)
R.L. Hermann, Law Teaching and Training: Law Schools and Way Beyond (2017).
An exploration of all types of careers in legal teaching and training, including outside the legal academy.
KF299 .L44 H47 2017 V.10 (Office of Career Services)
Amy Impellizzeri, Lawyer Interrupted: Successfully Transitioning from the Practice of Law -- And Back Again (2015).
This guide covers all aspects of transitioning in and out of law practice, including a chapter on pursuing alternative legal career paths.
KF297 .I47 2015 (2nd Floor)
Alan B. Morrison & Diane T. Chin, Beyond the Big Firm: Profiles of Lawyers Who Want Something More (2007).
This book profiles mid-career attorneys with jobs in governments, nonprofits, and small private firms and includes advice on following various career paths.
KF299 .P8 M67 2007 (Office of Career Services)
Monica Parker, The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law (2008).
Designed as a pratical, step-by-step resource for finding an engaging career in the law.
HF5384.P37 2008 (Office of Career Services)
Larry Richard, The New What Can You Do With a Law Degree: A Lawyer's Guide to Career Satisfaction Inside, Outside & Around the Law (6th ed. 2012).
This updated edition of a classic book focuses on the fit between your career identity and your job. It includes a compendium of over 800 ways to use your law degree.
KF297 .A9 A772 2012 (on Reserve)
Deborah Schneider & Gary Belsky, Should You Really Be a Lawyer?: The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During, and After Law School (2010).
This book will help you decide whether to enter—or remain—in law.
KF297 .S36 2010 (Office of Career Services)
Articles
Alternative Careers, Probate & Property, Sept./Oct. 2011, at 8.
Casey Berman, Nine Non-Legal Jobs You Can (Really, Truly) Do With a Law Degree, Above the Law, Nov. 17, 2013.
Erin Binns, How to Rethink Interview Preparation for Alternative Careers, Student Lawyer, Sept. 2014, at 14.
Alyson Carrel, Choosing ADR Careers at the Start: It Is Possible, Dispute Resolution Magazine, Spring 2015, at 30.
Eric C. Chaffee, From Law Practice to the Legal Academy: How to Make the Leap, Young Lawyer, Dec. 2011, at 4.
Carla J. DeVelder, The Other Legal Jobs: Where to Find Them, How to Get Them, Student Lawyer, Feb. 2013, at 27.
Joseph Fawbush, What Alternative Legal Career Is Right for You?, FindLaw, July 12, 2019.
G.M. Filisko, Finding Your Nonlegal Niche: We Sit Down with Four JD-Wielding Professionals Who've Used Their Degrees to Pursue Other Passions, Student Lawyer, Sept. 2014, at 24.
Ed Finkel, International Intrigue: Overseas Opportunities Abound for Those Willing to Stomach the Risks, Student Lawyer, Jan. 2015, at 20.
Nicholas Gaffney, Alternative Careers for Lawyers, Law Practice Today, Jan. 14, 2015.
Roy Ginsburg, Get a Better Job: When and How to Pursue an Alternative Career, The Lawyerist, Dec. 29, 2013.
Hillary Mantis, The Ultimate Alternative Legal Careers, The National Jurist, May 2, 2018.
Gary A. Munneke, What You Can Do with a Law Degree (Besides Practice Law), Student Lawyer, Jan. 2012, at 24.
Geetha Ravindra & Timothy K. Hedeen, Alternative Paths to Careers in ADR, Dispute Resolution Magazine, Spring 2015, at 11.
Suzanne Craig Robertson, Your Flexible Law Degree, Tennessee Bar Journal, May 2014, at 12.
Rebecca Stonawksi, In Addition to the Law Degree, 21 Education and Law Journal 267 (Oct. 2012).
Wendy Weiner, Want to Leave Law? Here Are Some Alternative Careers to Consider, Above the Law, Mar. 1, 2022.
Mary Whisner, 2021 Update to Choosing Law Librarianship: Thoughts for People Contemplating a Career Move, LLRX, Aug. 31, 2021.
Other
ABA Career Center, Alternative Legal Careers
The American Bar Association maintains this site collecting resources directed at aiding attorneys in exploring alternative career paths. Includes an 8-Part Brown Bag Series from the ABA Center for Innovation and Young Lawers and a Toolkit collecting resources on finding new legal career directions.
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP), Alternative Career Handouts:
- From Lawyer to Administrator (PDF)
- Alternative Career Testimonials (PDF)
- The Before & After Resume: Effective Resumes for the Alternative Career Job Search (PDF)
- Handling Tough Interview Issues (PDF)
- Higher Education Law at a Glance (PDF - provided by National Association of College and University Attorneys)
Law professors Adam Chilton and Will Baude have a blog called Summary, Judgement and in summer 2020 published a series of articles on pursuing a career in legal academia, inspired by Jason Brennan's Good Work If You Can Get It: How To Succeed In Academia (2020):
- Jason Brennan, Good Work If You Can Get It (as applied to the legal academy) (June 15, 2020)
- Why Good Advice on Legal Academia is Hard to Get (June 15, 2020)
- Do You Really Want to be a Law Professor? (June 16, 2020)
- But Not All Law Professors’ Jobs Are The Same (June 16, 2020)
- What To Do Between Graduating and Going on the Market (June 18, 2020)
- Ideas (June 19, 2020)
- LRW/clinics; notes; reform (June 21, 2020)
Brian Leiter, University of Chicago Law School Career Services, Paths to Law Teaching (Aug. 2009; last updated Dec. 2023).
A comprehensive guide to different career paths in legal academia.
University of Akron School of Law Career Services Office, Alternative Careers Handbook (2019-2020).
Nitty-gritty guide to skills, career paths, tough questions to ask, and more for non-traditional legal careers.
Yale Law School Career Development Office, Lawyers in Business (September 2016) (PDF).
A detailed guide to business careers for lawyers.