Legal Career Advice
September 2, 2013 10:03 AM Subscribe
I am looking for some career advice regarding search techniques and information about non-traditional legal jobs that I may be overlooking. I am interested in international law, environmental law, administrative law, and trade and investment law. I have work experience in international law and have also lived and studied abroad. Prior to law school I worked in finance for four years (my undergraduate degree is in international finance), I am located in the Northeast, and I am awaiting results from the bar exam which I took this past July.
I have browsed previous mefi questions, I have set up several informational interviews with contacts that work in my interested fields, I have updated my LinkedIn account, I have reached out to my network to inform them that I am currently searching for a job, and I am subscribed to job alerts from USA Jobs, PSJD, and a few philanthropic agencies.
During law school I worked as an RA for a professor for 2 years and also worked for an international NGO on international law. There was an opportunity to continue working for them after law school however it required relocating abroad and this was not feasible for several reasons.
I am interested in know what other areas or agencies I should consider in my job search. I enjoyed my administrative law course and I would be interested in working for an AA but are their sites other than USA Jobs that I should be looking into? Are there also non-traditional jobs in these areas that I could look into where a JD would be an asset? I am also open to non-legal jobs in these fields. What other search techniques should I be employing? I am open to relocating to the job anywhere in the Northeast.
Thank you for your advice!
I have browsed previous mefi questions, I have set up several informational interviews with contacts that work in my interested fields, I have updated my LinkedIn account, I have reached out to my network to inform them that I am currently searching for a job, and I am subscribed to job alerts from USA Jobs, PSJD, and a few philanthropic agencies.
During law school I worked as an RA for a professor for 2 years and also worked for an international NGO on international law. There was an opportunity to continue working for them after law school however it required relocating abroad and this was not feasible for several reasons.
I am interested in know what other areas or agencies I should consider in my job search. I enjoyed my administrative law course and I would be interested in working for an AA but are their sites other than USA Jobs that I should be looking into? Are there also non-traditional jobs in these areas that I could look into where a JD would be an asset? I am also open to non-legal jobs in these fields. What other search techniques should I be employing? I am open to relocating to the job anywhere in the Northeast.
Thank you for your advice!
Search colleges and universities for jobs involving compliance. Health care employers, too.
A large university in the city where I live has a job website that allows you to create custom job alerts: try large employers that have similar features on their employment websites, and create job alerts that are triggered by whatever words you think will work--I'm with MattD in that I really don't know what you mean by "non-traditional legal job."
I am unaware of any clearinghouse for all college/university jobs, and the very nature of "non-traditional" means that job alert services like lawcrossing wouldn't help, either, so you'd likely have to set up job alerts for every possible employer that has one, or actively scan their websites for job listings.
The real answer to this question is of course networking, so keep doing that as relentlessly as you possibly can.
posted by sock me amadeus at 3:49 PM on September 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
A large university in the city where I live has a job website that allows you to create custom job alerts: try large employers that have similar features on their employment websites, and create job alerts that are triggered by whatever words you think will work--I'm with MattD in that I really don't know what you mean by "non-traditional legal job."
I am unaware of any clearinghouse for all college/university jobs, and the very nature of "non-traditional" means that job alert services like lawcrossing wouldn't help, either, so you'd likely have to set up job alerts for every possible employer that has one, or actively scan their websites for job listings.
The real answer to this question is of course networking, so keep doing that as relentlessly as you possibly can.
posted by sock me amadeus at 3:49 PM on September 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you for these helpful answers!
Apologies on using such a vague term. My idea of a non-traditional legal job focuses more on policy making and analysis than litigation. I would be interested in jobs where, for instance, I could work either as an attorney on environmental law issues or as a project manager for environmental initiatives. Maybe this type of work is actually more traditional than I had thought.
The school is ranked between 70th-90th in the U.S. World News rankings and I graduated with a B+ GPA. I did not summer for a law firm; 1L summer I was an RA and 2L summer I went abroad to work at the international NGO. The finance job I held was for a NYC investment bank (not one of the “big” ones) where I was a senior finance analyst for two years. One of the main reasons I am looking towards more policy-based jobs is because I did not enjoy my work in finance.
I suppose the main reason I asked the question is that I have this unnerving feeling that I am overlooking something. I feel like I am either not looking in the right places or I am unaware of potential jobs that I could be a good fit for me.
posted by allthingsconsidered at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2013
Apologies on using such a vague term. My idea of a non-traditional legal job focuses more on policy making and analysis than litigation. I would be interested in jobs where, for instance, I could work either as an attorney on environmental law issues or as a project manager for environmental initiatives. Maybe this type of work is actually more traditional than I had thought.
The school is ranked between 70th-90th in the U.S. World News rankings and I graduated with a B+ GPA. I did not summer for a law firm; 1L summer I was an RA and 2L summer I went abroad to work at the international NGO. The finance job I held was for a NYC investment bank (not one of the “big” ones) where I was a senior finance analyst for two years. One of the main reasons I am looking towards more policy-based jobs is because I did not enjoy my work in finance.
I suppose the main reason I asked the question is that I have this unnerving feeling that I am overlooking something. I feel like I am either not looking in the right places or I am unaware of potential jobs that I could be a good fit for me.
posted by allthingsconsidered at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2013
I came in to recommend compliance. I graduated from law school in '04 and have been working in compliance (first life insurance/annuities and now healthcare) since '06. Inbox me for resources/questions.
posted by nubianinthedesert at 6:03 PM on September 2, 2013
posted by nubianinthedesert at 6:03 PM on September 2, 2013
State and local civil service postings and exam announcements. Compliance is a great idea with a finance background.
posted by MattD at 8:09 PM on September 2, 2013
posted by MattD at 8:09 PM on September 2, 2013
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What do you mean by "non-traditional" -- the areas of law you mentioned are very traditional and popular areas for young lawyers to seek and obtain work. Do you mean you want to be a lawyer inside a government agency or NGO, as opposed to a firm? Do you mean you want a non-legal policy or business job?
Give us more color on credentials. High-ranked law school? Good grades and/or law review? High-ranked undergrad? What was the finance job you had -- something that really jumps out as elite (investment banking for a bulge bracket, high-level budget planning for a big-name NGO?) It seems that you did not do a law firm summer associateship, is that right? Are your credentials Federal clerkship / DOJ Honors caliber?
Also, even without any clarification, if with no prior practice experience you obtained a job offer abroad in public international law -- well, basically, you corralled a unicorn. Advocacy and introductions from that NGO are going to be by far your most powerful resource -- nothing impresses legal employers like having gotten a job (or even a job offer) from another high-quality legal employer.
posted by MattD at 1:53 PM on September 2, 2013 [1 favorite]