New York Lawyer
October 15, 2002

Q:
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 law grads fresh out of law school?

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A:

A couple of the earliest columns I wrote on alternative legal careers, April 17 and May 1, 2001, spoke to the issue of where ex-lawyers may turn to find a receptive market -- and also how to go about "reconfiguring" themselves for that market. Much of that commentary would pertain to your situation ... with some twists.

Most of the lawyers who make career shifts have actually been lawyers: they have practiced somewhere, somehow long enough to get a realistic perspective on what they are gaining or losing by making a transition away from law. Your situation is different, and may require some explaining to the job market. In short, regardless of where you seek employment, expect the job market to ask, in effect, "isn't this decision to bolt the profession a little rash? I mean, on the basis of one summer, is it prudent to chuck away a credential you've worked so hard to attain?"

Your questioners may have a point, although I'm not going to be so pompous as to suggest that you're not entitled to judge for yourself what is disillusioning and what isn't. However, in order to target a career path that doesn't represent the same negatives, I think you should do a very thorough diagnostic on your unsatisfying summer experience:

* What exactly was unpleasant? The work itself? The colleagues or culture? The demands and hours? The competitiveness and specialization? Your perceived prospects for advancement/partnership if you joined as an associate?

* How certain are you that you had a representative experience? While many large firms have a lot of things in common, are you sure your experience was so representative of large firm life that you're justified in tarring all firms with the same brush?

* How sure are you that the quality of life and the shape of your career wouldn't be satisfying in a smaller firm or a boutique? Is it clear to you that any and all modes and settings of legal practice would be unfulfilling?

* On the other hand, what if any, aspects of your experience were enjoyable or fulfilling? How can you avoid throwing the baby out with the bath?

If you do choose to leave the law at this juncture, understand that your opportunities for subsequent re-entry will be diminished by this early choice. This decision will not toast all later law-related options, but it certainly will crisp them up some with potential employers who think that people who go to a trade school should at least sample the trade before checking out.

To be sure, there are people who go to law school with no intention of ever practicing the law, and you may want to aver that this was your intention all along (it's not a great idea to burn bridges with the legal profession by reminding it of what a pit it can be). The rationale of these people is that legal schoolin' teaches superior analytical and communication skills (written and oral), persuasive ability and the capability for seeing the interrelationship of strategic thinking, tactical thinking and detail-oriented implementation. Your law school education also signals that you were smart enough to get admitted and perseverant enough to stick it out for your JD. In this regard, your legal education operates as a sort of super-liberal arts degree, putting you through a demanding regimen on how to think, how to negotiate, how to sniff danger and how to master huge hunks technical information on the fly (a "quick study"). These abilities are not irrelevant in the non-legal marketplace; they can represent value-added in almost any employment setting, from teaching and training through business management through all the roles in the value-driven not-for-profit center.

The "fresh out of law school" issue will plague you some, because although now better schooled than when you completed your undergraduate studies, you have no more life experience than someone fresh out of college. And if you think you can command a greater entry-level salary because of your legal degree, you may be disappointed. True, the job market generally pays a premium for a technical education ... but not if it's not being used. The good news: you can do anything you want ... probably better and with greater sophistication than those without your advanced degree. The bad news: like many liberal arts grads, you really are just a bunch of qualities in search of a career. The job market loves people with focus. Before you hit the bricks, I suggest you get a copy of the late Deborah Arron's fine book, "What to Do with a Law Degree." It's a good cook book, with thoughtful sections on objective-setting. This is a good time to read about objective-setting.

Sincerely,
Douglas B. Richardson
President, The Richardson Group