Off The Beaten Track:
Non-Legal Careers for LLB Holders!
We’ve heard the jokes and the quips- the good ones, the bad ones, and the downright cringe-worthy ones that all pop up the minute people hear you’re reading Law:
“Eh, you’re studying law? Then if I go to jail, you can bail me out!”
“Haha…yeah…sure uncle…”
“Oh, you’re studying Law? Can you help me with this issue I’m having?”
“Auntie, I’m still completing my Pre-U…”
“Ah, you let me know when you graduate, I have a case for you!”
“Um...thank you?”
Funnily enough, all these quips at Law students tend to focus on the act of practicing Law- and not much else.
Mention that you’re not keen on going into practice in the first place, and you’ll be met by a mix of horrified/ confused/ surprised questioning, the essence of which boils down to this;
“But if you don’t go into practice, what else can you DO?”
Well, turns out there are quite a few jobs for LLB holders who decided that practice doesn’t quite suit them! Let's take a look:
- Law Professor/ Academic: Sure everyone wants to be the next Harvey Specter or the next Mike Ross- but what about the next Annalise Keating (minus the murder bits). Law students (a.k.a future lawyers) need teachers. After all, someone's got to explain all the legal codes and legislation to students!
Beyond teaching and guiding the next generation of lawyers, law professors and academics play an important role in producing legal scholarship- providing a wealth of knowledge and a better understanding of areas of law that may remain unexplored otherwise.
- Mediator: This is a case of kind of similar, but not quite. A mediator is someone who works in alternate dispute resolution- a means of settling a dispute without bringing it to litigation. As a mediator, your job would be to help people and/or organisations negotiate and resolve issues, turning disputes into settlements.
While as a lawyer, you would be working for the best interests of your client alone- as a mediator, you would be an impartial third-party; your focus would be on encouraging communication and moving all parties towards a mutually beneficial agreement.
- Marketing Manager: If you’re someone with a knack for planning, and the ability to plot out short and long-term strategies, this may be the job for you!
Marketing managers work on developing marketing strategies for organisations- which is where your research and communication skills from your LLB would come in handy. Developing strategies includes studying industry trends, assessing demand and researching audiences and developing new plans and strategies to market products and services!
You could either specialise in a specific type of media (digital, print, audio visual) or you might find yourself handling a wide range of channels, while working with a diverse group of people.
- Compliance Officer: The name pretty much says it all- as a compliance officer, your job would be to ensure that companies follow (i.e. comply with) all applicable laws and regulations in their course of operations- with many often becoming industry experts in their chosen field.
Your job scope here would be to protect your organisation from risk, while ensuring it carries out its vision and mission. A legal background helps here because you will also need to monitor changes and developments within your area of specialisation- and develop new policies as and when necessary.
So, the next time someone asks you what you plan to do with an LLB if you’re not going into practice- here are some options you can consider while planning your way forward. Good Luck!
Related Topics:
Law
Built with Shorthand