Career paths in law: choosing your route to success

If you are an undergraduate and thinking of taking a law qualification, there are various career paths available to you. Some of the career paths available are traditional career routes, but there are also some alternative career paths you can choose. The career paths and job opportunities available to you as a lawyer are almost endless, and you have the option to change paths as your career develops.

A law degree opens up many opportunities

A law degree is a very sought-after qualification and it teaches you a wide range of skill sets. If you are not sure which career path to follow before you enter law school, don’t worry. Often, learning about the different areas of law and speaking to practicing attorneys is the best way to learn and decide what career within law might best suit you. Having a law degree shows employers that you can demonstrate commitment and persistence, and that you offer strong analytical skills as well as intelligence. These skills are highly valuable in any competitive job market, no matter what career path you decide on.

Unexpected career paths for law graduates

Some of the more traditional career paths possible when getting a law degree are:

• Working in a law firm.
• Working in government.
• Legal publishing.
• Judiciary.
• The military.
• Academia.

Some of the more unexpected career paths you can choose when you are qualified include:

• Journalism – many well-known journalists studied law before getting into this profession.
• Real estate – many real estate agents have a law degree, as the skills learnt are transferrable.
• Non-profit management – many leading lawyers hold senior positions in non-profit organizations, as they have great leadership and problem solving skills.
• The arts – some top novelists, including John Grisham, are law graduates and can utilize their writing skills and their specialized law knowledge to write bestselling fiction.

The fact that there are so many options open to you can help to take any pressure off boxing yourself into one career path within law.

Operating internationally as a lawyer

You may also decide that you would like to operate internationally as a lawyer, rather than just in the US. One successful international law practitioner is Shahram Shirkhani, who is the founding partner of International Law Firm of Shirkhani & Alavi. He works with both European and Middle Eastern financial markets in commercial law, banking and finance. His international law firm has worked with major industry leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Shirkhani also serves as a Professor of Law at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. As an educator, he has led graduate and undergraduate courses in topics such as commercial arbitration and international private law.

If you are about to start law school, keep an open mind about the kind of career path you would like to step into when you get your law degree. There are many options open to you to use your law degree skills in a variety of jobs across the world.