10 Jobs you can do with a Law Degree
In Australia approximately 15,000 law students graduate each year into an industry where only 66,000 solicitors in total are practicing. Therefore, competition for legal careers in today’s employment market is astoundingly high.
However non-legal career options and emerging jobs for new law graduates as well as established lawyers are on the rise. Below are 10 diverse career pathways for those wanting to take their hard-earned legal skills in another direction.
1. Journalism
Practicing lawyers and law graduates possess key skills that make them excellent journalists - high attention to detail, natural scepticism, writing skills and knowledge of Australia's complex political and legal system.
Famous Australian journalists who have law degrees under their belt include Waleed Aly, Andrew O’Keefe, Liz Jackson and Annabel Crabb.
2. Management Consulting
A law degree teaches you how to think critically and problem solve - some of the key skills required for becoming a management consultant. Top tier management consulting firms such as Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company encourage law graduates to apply to their annual graduate programs.
Practicing lawyers are also in high demand for management consulting firms as they have great experience working with corporate organisations and wealthy clients.
3. Human Resources
Lawyers and law graduates often make an easy transition to HR as they have the ability to apply employment laws and mitigate risks relating to employees’ health and safety.
4. Politics
Lawyers and law graduates transition easily into working in the world of politics as their skills for argumentation, advocacy and a critical understanding of Australia’s political system are very useful in Parliament.
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop both have law degrees.
5. Judge's Associate
The role of a judge’s associate, whilst still in the legal industry, allows you to develop your legal research skills in a different capacity to that of a lawyer. The additional benefit of this pathway is that the salary is often higher in comparison to that of graduate roles in law firms.
6. Wealth management + Investment Banking
Legal knowledge is incredibly helpful for wealth managers and investment bankers who want to find a way around banking laws and loopholes to deliver the best financial outcomes for clients and institutional investors.
Practicing lawyers easily transition into banking and finance as they have an innate understanding of the corporate world and know how to manage and bill time effectively.
7. Police Prosecutor
Not too far removed from the legal system, police prosecutors are tasked with investigating crimes and deciding whether or not the circumstances satisfy instigation of legal proceedings.
In the past, law graduates would have needed to spend three years in the police force to become a police prosecutor. However, since 2008, graduates in NSW have been able to apply for an Accelerated Prosecutors Recruitment Program.
8. Advocacy
The advocacy pathway enables law graduates to apply their argumentation, attention to detail, critical thinking skills and ability to influence decisions for causes they feel strongly about.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) often list positions online and is a great place for law graduates to start their search for a job in advocacy.
9. Consulting
Different from management consulting, the “Big Four” accounting firms - PWC, KPMG, Deloite and EY - have their own legal services arms.
As a lawyer or law graduate, moving into a role within a consulting or accounting firm enables you to expand your skillset and expertise beyond traditional legal firms.
10. Legal Recruitment
Legal recruitment is a great option that lawyers can easily transition into using their expansive knowledge of the legal industry, legal skills and utilising their professional contacts.