A handful of us in law school are here because we’ve hit the pause button on a career that’ll be enhanced by legal training, which has the potential to open up some interesting career paths beyond the traditional degree-article-firm job trajectory. In my case, a suspended academic career with an accompanying consulting practice tied to law means putting myself back on the other side of the classroom so that I might morph my work into something that can only come from the training that comes with a legal education. It’ll be worth it, right?
A survey of colleagues over the years show some of the interesting hybrid careers that can fall out of putting a layer of law on top of what one has already had some success doing.
One friend has a doctorate in language acquisition and second language learning, and, bolstered by that training, she went into criminal law and now works to address the legal issues that arise owing to weaknesses in legal translation in the courtroom.
Two others came out of high tech and transitioned nicely into intellectual property, bringing their specialized and current knowledge of their fields to guide patent applications and mount pretty formidable infringement cases.
One went from psychology to law, and now does mental health advocacy, including helping agencies seek funding.
The value of these lawyers comes from spending years honing a craft that then informs their legal work with a depth that cannot otherwise be acquired.
Law, we now know as law students, touches on literally every aspect of life and legal issues will always spring up. So whatever it is you did in a past professional life, you can probably parlay that into a career that aims to solve the problems that are endemic in that area. I used to teach and I’d get students in my office with all kinds of career anxiety, so I got pretty good at spitballing ideas. Here’s a few:
- Were you a teacher? Teachers’ unions need your help, especially in provinces that keep defunding education. More on-the-ground work might see you representing individual teachers or schools in disputes.
- Were you in health sciences? This one would be full of opportunity. Health tech, recalls, epidemics, policy, no doubt in my mind that another Imperial Tobacco is right around the corner, what with all the vapers in the doorways.
- Maybe you come from social work? What can you and your expertise bring to some of the issues we need to be confronting in BC right now? Not a day goes by that we aren’t troubled by headlines regarding the homeless, the addicted, the mentally ill, housing crises and there are tons of legal issues arising all the time.
- Environmental sciences or activism? You won’t be out of work in this province because, pipelines. Environmental agencies and First Nations are going to need your expertise to help make their case.
(You’ve probably noticed that I’m rather social justice minded, so perhaps the business minded can weigh in with their own ideas down in the comments.)
While it seems like jumping ship and going into law is a surefire way to do a mid-life career change, I suspect the hybrid route is one that could have some obstacles. You’re not immune to the thinning articling market, for example. And while no one likes to think it the case, age discrimination is a thing, and might work against you if you’re out there looking for something entry.
But a nice byproduct of the metamorphosed career is being hooked into a field that already knows your name, and that can’t be bad for business.
Very interesting post Lorna. It is interesting to hear about the different ways law can meld with other careers. I agree that the first hurdle of articling seems to be the biggest hurdle against hybrid careers. Once past that hurdle though, I can see many opportunities opening up for hybrid careers. Another example that I am aware of is professional engineering and law, especially civil engineering. I *think* there are some law schools that offer dual degrees in JD and social working. I would love to see law schools, and the CBA (and provincial branches) promote these careers more.
Loved your post Lorna! I am excited to hear that these new hybrid model of jobs are being introduced in the market that combines other disciplines with the field of law. I think this trend is definitely a step towards the future of our profession, and it’s nice to see more jobs break away from the traditional model and also it’s a positive sign that the pool of jobs we can get into after law school is expanding (jobs jobs jobs, am I right?). As we are all well aware, law transcends into so many aspects of our lives (health, education, policy, sports, list goes on!), it only makes sense that there are different ways to combine our JD degree, with our past training, other careers, and disciplines.
Great post Lorna. I fully agree that law is a field of study that touches on and can be productively applied to so many other areas of life. I struggle to see how the attainment of a law degree at any point in one’s career would not be a hugely beneficial addition to one’s breadth of knowledge and expertise. I also agree that the insecurity of articling is a major barrier for people in your situation. Unfortunately it makes the whole pursuit into a giant leap of faith that only the extremely passionate, courageous, and/or determined are willing to take. Maybe if we could create an alternative, more secure route from graduation to the procurement of a law license more people who are mid-way through a non-law career and who see the value in going to law school but cannot bring themselves to take the risk will be enabled to do so. My best suggestion in this regard would be the establishment of a mandatory practicum term analogous to those required in the various medical professions.
Thanks for this post Lorna, it has most definitely been a very interesting read. The thoughts you have expressed, I believe weigh very heavily in the future of the legal profession. Countless times when speaking with legal professionals and picking their brains about how to succeed in today’s legal market, the answer if often the same. Establish a niche! Having a foundation in a profession, prior to entering the legal field is a great way to make yourself more valuable upon graduation.
As law students, we have learnt that there is no shortage of competent future lawyers, eagerly awaiting to break into this professional field. It is proving to become more and more difficult to find a way to “stand out” amongst our peers. Your post raises some serious awareness of perhaps the way future lawyers may be entering into the field and the benefits of establishing a practice prior to law school, rather than vice versa.