Alternative Careers

Doug Richardson is the guy to call when it's time for Plan B. A former practicing lawyer, he advises corporations and law firms about career development and emotional intelligence issues. He answers your questions about how to move from private practice to a corporation, government job or non-profit, or how to leave the law entirely. Questions about finding a better law firm job or balancing your professional and private lives should be directed to our other experts.

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This Week's Question:

I'm thinking about leaving the law. How does one respond to the inevitable question: "Aren't you wasting you law degree?"

Previous Questions:

12/3/02
After five years as a stay-at-home parent, I'm looking to restart my career.

11/26/02
I'm writing a cookbook. Is it possible to balance career and a life outside the law?

11/19/02
I'm in the seventh grade and want to be a lawyer someday. What will I have to go through?

11/12/02
What jobs meet at the intersection of a JD and an MBA?

11/5/02
I am a PhD with a top oil company. I am very interested iworking for
a law firm. Would the IP firms sponsor me for law school or for a patent
agent bar examination? How do I get started?

10/29/02
Where can I find information about transitioning out of big firm life?
Associates from my firm who won't or don't make partner seem to vanish
without a trace -- where do they all go?

10/22/02
I was sexually harassed by a partner I worked with, and he was was fired.
After I was there a year, I and several associates were let go; I
entered into a settlement agreement with the firm. I moved to an
in-house position with a technology company, which went out of
business one year after I joined. How do I explain all these moves?
How do I explain not moving with the harassing partner to his new firm?

10/15/02
I'm about to graduate from a Top 10 law school,
and my summer associate experience with a large firm
was a real disillusionment. What kinds of non-legal
jobs are available for recent grads fresh out of
law school?

10/8/02
Will a PhD in engineering be
an asset in finding work as a
lawyer? Could I practice and
continue to work as an engineer?

10/1/02
Mediocre law school grades are killing me,
so I am considering business school.
Will potential employers consider me
a suspect for leaving the law?

9/24/02
How do I become
an appellate lawyer?

9/17/02
I�m a first-year corporate associate
at a major NYC firm looking
to test the waters as a temp.

9/10/02
Why do law firms in particular
regard voluntary time away
from work with such suspicion?

9/3/02
My first legal job was
a nightmare and I walked after
six months. Now, four years later,
can I return to the law?

8/27/02
How can I crack the market
as a biotech/IP specialist?

8/20/02
Can you recommend a firm
to help me change careers?

8/13/02
How can I re-enter the job market
after taking time off for
a family illness or
to have a child?

8/6/02
What are the upsides
and downsides
of being a law librarian?

7/30/02
I am contemplating taking
an 80 percent paycut to go
to LA and try my hand
as an agent. Am I insane?

7/23/02
What are the pros and cons
of attending law school
if you don't intend
to practice law?

7/16/02
How can I oversome
my sub-par law school grades
and get a good job?

7/9/02
What can lawyers with wanderlust
who want to switch cities
(or continents) expect on the
job hunt?

7/2/02
How can Capital Hill experience
translate into employment
in New York City?

6/25/02
I'm afraid I'm going to be
stuck forever where I am. What's
the real truth about
"reinventing" your career?

6/18/02
I'm newly divorced and feeling
burned out. What are some
suggestions for a new occupation?

6/11/02
How can I get out of law
and become a management consultant?

6/4/02
I'm a patent lawyer looking
to switch specialties. How tough will it be?

5/28/02
After a six-year hiatus, I would like to return to practice, specializing in appellate work. How can I get my foot in the door?

5/21/02
I�m a second-year associate, but already a serious rainmaker. How do I get paid for it?

5/14/02
What�s the typical starting salary and commission income for an entry-level legal headhunter or temporary/contract placement professional?

4/23/02
How do I leverage my legal experience to serve on some boards, both not-for-profit and those of publicly-held companies?

4/16/02
What's working in-house really like?

4/9/02
I was a Yank trained as a lawyer in the UK. And you think you have it bad?

4/2/02
How can I get a job in public international law?

3/26/02
What's the skinny on becoming a temporary/contract attorney?

3/19/02
What kinds of jobs are available to a judicial clerk with a JD/MBA -- both inside and outside the law field?

3/12/02
How can I get a job as a pro bono coordinator at a major law firm?

3/5/02
How can a junior associate explain to a potential employer why they want to leave a large firm?

2/26/02
How does a person fresh out of law school start on an alternative career path?

2/19/02
Can an in-house position realistically lead to a non-legal job with the same company?

2/12/02
Is an English-trained lawyer at a disadvantage in getting a job with a firm in the US?

2/5/02
I�m a lawyer who�s thinking of becoming a court officer (Hey, times are tough). How can I find out about this career?

1/29/02
What's the best way to search for and land a job long distance?

1/22/02
I'm in politics; can I get a law firm job, given the state of the job market?

1/15/02
Can someone with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder function as a lawyer?

1/8/02
How can I become a journalist?

12/18/01
What kinds of jobs can litigation associates get outside of law firms?

12/11/01
What's the best way to ride out the current economic downturn?

12/4/01
Is a JD considered a doctorate?

11/27/01
Coming from a second-tier law school, what are my chances of getting a job at a major NYC law firm?

11/20/01
I failed the bar exam. How can I get a job while I wait to take it again?

11/13/01
Which legal jobs can be done at home?

11/6/01
How can I become an investment banker?

10/30/01
I've had five jobs in six years. How can I break the cycle?

10/23/01
How can I avoid making the wrong lateral move?

10/16/01
How can a mid-level associate get a job in human resources?

10/9/01
How can I get a job at a major NY firm without any summer associate experience?

10/2/01
If you have a JD but have not passed the bar exam, can you hold yourself out as an attorney or a lawyer?

9/25/01
How can a real estate lawyer move into the business of real estate?

9/11/01
I hate the law. How to I figure out what kind of non-law job to seek?

9/4/01
Is becoming a law librarian a bad career move for a JD with huge loans?

8/21/01
I've leaving a government job; how can I sell myself to the private sector?

8/14/01
How can I move into crisis public relations?

7/31/01
How do I research jobs at a federal agency, and what do I say when I call lawyers who work there?

7/24/01
How do I find a job in alternative dispute resolution?

7/17/01
I�m a first-year associate at a major New York firm, and I�m miserable. How do I know if I should leave the law?

7/10/01
How come I�m getting no response when I answer help wanted ads?

6/26/01
Do I have to tell prospective employers that I've been fired?

6/19/01
Should I list jobs on my resume in chronological order, if previous jobs I held are more relevant to the job I�m seeking?

6/12/01
If I'm leaving the law, but don't know what I want to do next, how can I network?

6/5/01
What are my chances, after six years of practicing in a large firm, of getting a job in government?

5/29/01
For lawyers switching jobs, what is the most efficient job search technique?

5/22/01
How do I network without my firm finding out I'm looking for a new job?

5/15/01
I'm sick of being a litigator. How can I switch to a new practice area?

5/8/01
Which books and web sites do you recommend for a lawyer looking to leave the practice of law?

5/1/01
If I want to leave the law, what should my resume say about my work experience?

4/24/01
I want to leave my firm to join a not-for-profit, but I can't get an interview. Am I doing something wrong?

4/17/01
I'm ready to leave the law. What kind of job can I get?