4 Career Options When You’re a New Lawyer

4 Career Options When You’re a New Lawyer

Picture: Muhammad Rizwan

After years of hard work involving countless hours of study, your graduation day might have finally arrived. Now, you can officially call yourself a new lawyer and start your career in earnest. However, you may be yet to realize that you have more than one career option at your disposal. If you haven’t yet made a plan for what comes next, some of the following paths might be worth your exploration.

Staying With the Law Firm You Trained With

Part of the studying process involves training and working with a law firm such as the Law Offices of Steven M. Bishop. In such private law firms, you can find out what daily life as a lawyer is like to see whether it’s what you expected and want for your future.

Sometimes, there’s an option to remain with that law firm once you have officially graduated and become a qualified lawyer. This is a desirable position for many graduates since you already know the people you work with, their systems, and the legal environment. There’s often a sense of comfort in staying put.

Moving to a Different Law Firm

If the type of training you underwent at a law firm wasn’t what you see yourself doing for the rest of your legal career, moving to a different law firm might be a worthwhile option to consider. Many law firms advertise law graduate jobs, so you may not be short of options if you have the skills needed to perform your role to a high standard.

However, if you’ve realized that changing law firms is what you’d like to do early on, consider starting your job-hunting journey before graduating to make as many connections as possible.

Specializing in a Particular Area of Law

There are many different fields of law, such as family law, criminal law, bankruptcy law, and business law. Some areas might hold your interest more than others, and it’s essential to put plenty of thought into the type of lawyer you want to be.

As you reach the final stages of lawyer training, explore the many different options and compare them to your career goals. Some people prefer the thrill and satisfaction of criminal law, while others like the personal connection of personal injury law and environmental law.

You will likely need to make a decision about the area you’d like to qualify in before your studies finish, so avoid leaving this decision until the last minute.

Working As an In-House Lawyer

Some people take great pride in being able to help people from all walks of life, but that type of legal work isn’t for everyone. You might want to put your newfound skills to work in another way, such as by becoming the legal counsel of a business.

In such a role, you’re still able to practice law, but you’re looking after the legal needs of the organization you’re working for rather than the general public and other businesses.

Working in a private law firm is the ultimate goal for many newly-graduated lawyers, but it can be worth considering the many other options. Fortunately, you have various job opportunities at your disposal, such as those mentioned above.