Career Paths for Lawyers

The legal profession isn’t saturated. Litigation is. Too many lawyers feel stuck not because their degree failed them, but because they were only shown one narrow path forward. Court appearances. Chambers. Partnership. Here’s what often gets left out some of the strongest opportunities for lawyers don’t have “Lawyer” anywhere in the title. In recent months, graduate trainee and entry-level programmes across major industries have become one of the fastest ways in and many are still accepting applications. Lawyers are being recruited into: Banking and financial institutions, fintech, oil and gas, telecommunications, consulting firms, insurance companies, and regulatory bodies. These structured programmes are built to train and absorb talent, offering direct pathways into corporate, compliance, regulatory, and advisory work. Beyond trainee schemes, experienced hire roles are opening up for lawyers with skills in compliance and risk management, contracts and commercial advisory, regulatory affairs, governance, and legal operations. Here’s something worth saying clearly: walking away from litigation doesn’t mean your law degree was wasted. Legal training has value far beyond the courtroom in boardrooms, compliance units, regulatory teams, and strategy sessions. If I were speaking to a young lawyer in Nigeria today, I’d suggest: Rethink the assumption that law equals court. Keep an eye on graduate trainee programmes. Position yourself for compliance and regulatory work. Build a credible, visible LinkedIn presence. Don’t wait until you feel completely ready to explore alternatives. A law degree can lead into banking, energy, fintech, consulting, policy, and technology. But many never discover that because they stop looking before they’ve really started.

A reality check I wish someone had given me at 18 about law school… Law school doesn’t tell you this, but your only options are not barrister or solicitor. I had absolutely no idea when I was an undergrad. And honestly? Believing your future hinges on just two paths makes law school far more stressful than it needs to be, especially when everyone’s scrambling for legal work experience. A few days ago, a solicitor friend of mine and I were catching up and she said something that stuck with me: “Most people I know with law degrees aren’t even practising, and they’re doing really well.” She’s right. A law degree is one of the most transferable qualifications out there. People quietly move into other, well-paid roles all the time, they just don’t get talked about enough. Here are some of the paths you can take: Legal & Law-Adjacent: Paralegal, Legal Executive (CILEX), Legal Consultant, Compliance Officer, Risk & Governance, Contracts Manager, Policy Advisor, Regulatory Affairs Corporate & Business: Management Consulting, Company Secretary, Corporate Governance, HR (Employment Relations), Business Analyst Finance & Commercial: Compliance /AML/ Financial Crime,Investment Banking & PE (legal/regulatory teams), Insurance, Tax (non-contentious) Writing, Research & Policy: Legal Research, Journalism & Editing, Policy Research, Academia/PhD Tech & “New Law:” Legal Tech, AI Ethics & Governance, Cybersecurity Policy, Legal Operations Public Sector & NGOs: Civil Service Fast Stream, Local Government, NGOs, International Organisations If you’re studying law and feeling boxed in, you’re not behind, you may just be under-informed. A law degree doesn’t limit you, it opens doors you may not even know exist (yet). Consider them all! Happy Tuesday humans ☺️

I had the job many lawyers dream of, the Holy Grail: In-house counsel. A 6-figure salary. And I left. It's the most overrated career move a lawyer can make. I know that's not what most lawyers want to hear, as in-house counsel is the dream exit, the "softer" version of the lawyer job. Fewer hours, no billables, less politics, more stability, in the business world, etc. It's the path everyone nods at when you bring it up at a dinner party. But for a lot of the lawyers I work with, in-house ends up being the same job with a different logo. The work is still adversarial, the mind is still in legal mode, and the relief they were hoping for never quite arrives. So they call me a year later, asking the same question they should have asked the first time. What else is out there? A lot. And almost none of it is on the list lawyers have in their heads. Here's the list most of them are working from: - In-house counsel - Contract management & administration - Mediation or arbitration - Being an expert witness or jury consultant - Compliance, risk, governance - Regulatory or policy work Those are the obvious ones. They sound a little boring, which is exactly why they get chased. Now here's the list almost no one is looking at: - Legal technology consulting - Legal innovation - Legal transformation - Enterprise legal management - Practice innovation counsel - Legal operations management - Legal project management - LegalTech account management These are the underrated paths, and there's a reason they actually work. They pull on everything a lawyer already knows: - How a law firm operates - How an in-house department thinks - How lawyers behave as humans But instead of staying inside the legal machine, you switch sides. You go from using legal tech as a lawyer to helping lawyers use legal tech. From being managed inside a firm's workflow to designing the workflow itself. It's the same brain but in a completely different chair. And the pay is real. Across the 500+ lawyers we've helped transition, salaries land in the $150K to $400K range. One legal tech role I helped a Leave Law Behind grad land was a $175K to $200K base. Client services roles I've seen come in around $225K. The reason lawyers miss this whole category is simply because they never really thought they could. But you can. -- Hi 👋, I'm Casey Berman, founder of Leave Law Behind. I left law in 2004 and help unhappy lawyers land fulfilling non-law roles in 3-6 months that match or exceed their income. DM me to talk through it. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/evbbbFup

A Recovering Lawyer's Guide to LegalTech As April arrives, my inbox fills with messages from attorneys exploring career pivots. "How do I break into LegalTech?" "Do I need coding skills?" These questions echo my own journey from practicing at one of India's largest firms to now leading Digital & Innovation team and building the Indian LegalTech Network (ILTN). Here are 5 Steps to Successfully Navigate Your Transition 1. Build your LegalTech network Attend LegalGeek, ILTA events, or local Legal Hackers chapters. While running The Blue Pencil in law school, I discovered the LegalTech community is refreshingly approachable—people genuinely enjoy what they do, making connections more authentic than traditional legal networking. 2. Find technology opportunities in your current role Don't wait for a formal transition. Speak to your IT or innovation teams about joining projects. Volunteer for internal committees focused on process improvement. These experiences develop relevant skills while testing your interest without commitment. 3. Develop adjacent skills beyond legal knowledge Abandon self-limiting beliefs like "I cannot do tech." Master advanced features in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Google Workspace. Learn design thinking, process mapping, and product management fundamentals—far more valuable in most LegalTech roles than coding. 4. Build something concrete Today's no-code tools enable anyone to create functional applications. Identify a problem in your practice, map the process, and build a prototype using Bubble, Bryter, or Microsoft Power Automate. Demonstrating this initiative speaks volumes to potential employers. 5. Choose hands-on experience over theoretical training While LegalTech programs proliferate, practical experience typically provides better value. If pursuing further education, prioritize programs offering real-world projects over purely academic approaches. Where Legal Expertise Creates Value! Most LegalTech roles don't require coding—they need people who identify the right problems and bring together solutions. Key positions include: -Legal Solutions Architect -Legal Project Manager -Practice Development -Legal Operations Manager Resources That Made the Difference 1. Richard Susskind's "Tomorrow's Lawyers" 2. Communities like Legal Hackers, International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), Indian LegalTech Network (ILTN) 3. Practical skills in design thinking and process mapping Start Today - Start Where You Are Become your team's tech power user. Volunteer with LegalTech startups. Approach this transition with genuine curiosity rather than career desperation—successful legal innovators see problems as opportunities, not obstacles. (and as always Projects/Solutions you built > > Certificate courses) The pictures from the amazing International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)'s ILTACON 2024!

I get so many DMs from junior lawyers seeking career advice. They're exhausted, working 60-hour weeks at big law, and starting to question if it’s all worth it. And I get it. The industry hasn’t changed much. Junior associates are still buried in tasks that AI could handle in minutes. Long hours are still seen as a badge of honor. Everyone dreams of making partner, but the reality is, very few actually do. But here's the thing: there are countless opportunities for lawyers beyond the partner track. At SpotDraft, we’ve seen incredible career pivots: - Romit, a lawyer, joined us as a legal analyst and is now a product manager. - Udit started as a law associate, pivoted to marketing, and is now the director of product marketing & growth at SpotDraft. - Akshay moved from big law to legal ops and is now our COO. And it’s not just at SpotDraft. Look at these inspiring transitions: - Alex Su went from a law firm associate to a sales role, then marketing, and is now the CRO at Latitude Legal. - Sarah Irwin transitioned from various law firms to in-house roles, and finally started her own business. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s okay to question the traditional path. It’s possible to find a career that makes you happier and more fulfilled. Here’s how you can start exploring new paths: - Identify your interests: What excites you? Marketing, business development, product management, operations? Your legal skills can translate into these areas. - Network actively: Reach out to people who’ve made similar transitions. Learn from their experiences. - Learn new skills: Take courses, attend workshops, and read extensively about fields that interest you. - Be open to change: It’s scary to leave a well-trodden path, but sometimes it’s the only way to find your true calling. The traditional path isn’t the only way to have a successful and fulfilling career. Your career should work for you, not the other way around.

Most legal careers are a sequence of bets. At any given moment, one bet tends to dominate: betting on a brand or betting on yourself. When you choose a brand (T14, BigLaw, marquee groups), you’re buying borrowed credibility: training, signal, and distribution. It’s a safer path, but it comes with terms. You pay in tuition, time, and the risk that advancement isn’t fully in your control. When you bet on yourself (scholarship/non-T14, smaller platforms, building a niche), the risk shifts onto you. But the upside is meaningful: you accumulate owned assets. You get reps, judgment, work product, relationships, and a name for yourself. The most interesting pattern I’ve noticed from interviewing top performers: doing both. They used an established brand as a platform and then expanded the frontier: new office, new practice, new industry niche, new internal capability. You don’t have to pick one forever. Use brands for validation and distribution when it’s useful. And build owned assets: transferable skills, a network that increases in value, and your own media. What are you betting on right now? What owned assets are you building?

Not every lawyer wants to argue in court or climb the law firm ladder. Many are looking for roles that offer strategy, business involvement, and a better work-life balance. That’s exactly why careers in Legal Ops, Compliance, and Policy are gaining traction - they offer a fresh path for legal professionals who want something different. Here’s more information on these areas: 📍Legal Operations (Legal Ops) focuses on managing the business and administrative side of in-house legal teams. The goal? To make legal services more efficient and aligned with business objectives. 📍Legal Compliance ensures companies follow regulations and avoid legal risks. Compliance officers play a key role in preventing penalties, maintaining ethical standards, and ensuring smooth operations. 📍Interestingly, compliance roles often overlap with policy-making. Compliance professionals don’t just enforce the rules - they help shape them by creating internal policies that align with laws, ethics, and industry best practices. Why are these roles becoming more popular? The answer is simple: - Faster career growth compared to traditional law firms - Better financial stability with competitive salaries - More flexibility in work hours and environment - A mix of law, business, and technology, allowing lawyers to expand their expertise. As the legal industry evolves, traditional law firm careers are no longer the only path to success. Legal Ops, Compliance, and Policy roles offer lawyers an opportunity to apply their legal knowledge while shaping business strategy. Would you consider a career in these fields? Neeti Shastra | Campaigns by Neeti Shastra ________________________________________ 📍 I am the first legal recruiter and career coach mentoring lawyers and law students since the past 5 years. How do my mentees get placed at top organisations? Let's discuss!

Law students, Jobs in the law, it's why most of us go/went to law school. We want/ed to work in the legal profession. Despite this desire, I found law school shockingly deficient in orienting me to the realities of the job market within the legal profession. In general, legal jobs exist withiin the following spaces: 1. Private firms where you work as an associate. Within these firms you can move up to partnership, nonequity and equity, after a while with the firm and after proving you can bill hours and bring in business. 2. Starting your own firm. The law is still a profession that allows for lawyers to start their own business. You can start as a solo, or as a partnership, and you can stay as a solo or become a larger firm. 3. The government. By far the largest employer of lawyers. The government, federal, state, county, and local, offers every conceivalbe type of law. You can be a career government lawyer. You can use your government experience to lateral to a firm or start your own practice. 4. Non-traditional legal roles - like risk management, or in house counsel. These jobs, like in house, usually come about after time at a larger firm. Risk management is a truly non-trad legal job since most folks in risk management don't actively practice. And, in the non-trad space, there are folks in legal sales, legal services, etc. - usually jobs where the JD is a bonus to credibility or knowlege enhancement, and often a gateway to the job itself, but even though you have a JD, you're not actively practicing. Includinig in this area are jobs where a JD is helpful, but not necessary. This is the basic outline of the areas where lawyers work. Orient yourself to the legal marketplace. Of the four general areas I have outlined, the first is the most transparent if you are talking about AMLAW 200 firms. Outside of AMLAW 200 firms, it is far more opaque and that opaqueness creates what I call the hidden legal job market, which is where most jobs lie. #lawstudents