There are few degrees that equip you for life like a law degree.

At its core, legal work focuses on untangling the inevitable complexities of life that often arise through everyday human interactions.

But legal training doesn’t commit you to a narrow career pathway – just because you study law does not mean that you are fated to be a lawyer. It’s a degree that opens up limitless career options and that prepares you to negotiate the challenges of life like a champion. Effective communication, strong problem-solving skills, thriving in pressure-cooker scenarios and the ability to engage in automatic risk assessments in any situation are just a handful of the enviable life skills you acquire with a law degree.

Well-placed cynicism

Law teaches you to look beyond the surface.

Lawyers can effortlessly identify the motivation behind actions of world leaders, factual deficiencies in news stories as well as the broader social impact in hidden political agendas.

Using methodical logic and reasoning, a law degree helps you think for yourself and dig deeper to uncover real issues. With sharpened analytical thinking, you become no longer happy to accept the status quo or satisfied in taking information fed to you by media, family, friends or colleagues at face value. 

Healthy narcissism

The more legal training you possess, the more you come to relish the sound of your own voice.  

You may even impress yourself with arguments you dream up on the run.

Since legal work often requires you to think on your feet, make inferences from complex facts and make snap decisions about a person’s character, you draw great comfort and satisfaction from knowing your own mind and trusting your judgement.

Effortless ability to express yourself 

A law degree teaches you how to have an opinion about everything.

Nobody argues with a lawyer. Not just because legal opinions are generally informed but also because lawyers know how to express ideas or facts using the correct terminology.

Having an informed opinion on any subject is also an exercise in personal empowerment. An understanding of your everyday rights means that you become unwilling to compromise your best interests under any circumstances. A boss who implements an unfair uniform policy or who turns a blind eye to sexual harassment, for example, can expect a strongly-worded letter from you to the Fair Work Ombudsman, or worse, a civil suit.

Problem solving

There is no problem that is unsolvable with a legal brain.

No matter the circumstances, life is about always having a solid exit strategy. Studying law expands your arsenal of life skills by giving you the ability to adapt to shifting landscapes, to work with available information, and to make watertight backup plans.

Experience an issue with your landlord? Take it to your state or territory rental board. Received an unfair parking fine because the sign was obscured? Appeal it to your local council. In any sticky situation, you can “MacGyver” your way to a solution with your mind. 

Futurist 

A law degree is essential if you want to minimise the risk of a legal snafu.

Lawyers have a nose for situations with the potential to escalate out of control.  

Humans are awkward, scared and fallible creatures that are prone to acting on impulse or raw emotion and making split-second errors in judgement. Legal training shines a high-intensity spotlight on those frailties, helping you to learn from others’ mistakes when negotiating your own life.

Mental fortitude under pressure

A law degree gives you a thick skin.

Although recent studies show that lawyer jokes have a comparable effect on the body to physical pain, for the most part, casual insults, pointed comments, eye rolls or derogatory comments from friends about “how lawyers are the worst” actually galvanise your emotional armour (and guess how fast those friends change their tune when they find themselves in legal strife?).

The ability to remain calm, focused, objective and controlled is a unique type of emotional intelligence that only comes from years of legal training. It’s a skill that is essential in navigating high-conflict personal or professional situations with ease.

Reading & understanding complex documents is a breeze

Applying for a British passport? Seeking a work visa in Canada? Want to know how Twitter’s new Privacy policy will affect you?

Allow me to dramatically skip to the important parts

Legal training creates an elaborate, almost labyrinthine, neural network that craves any opportunity to skim, analyse, digest and understand the content of a document under pressure.

Say goodbye to the days of being taken advantage of by organisations which slide unfavourable terms into the fine print of contracts.

More dateable than doctors

The law may not always be sexy but, according to a recent study by dating app, Happn, lawyers have managed to work their way onto most people’s “would date” list.

Because using Latin phrases to look smart is our modus operandi

In a study of 2.9 million users, being a lawyer was ranked as the most attractive profession among both sexes, even above doctors and engineers.

Career options

Employers look favourably on applicants who have a legal background.

If working overseas is on your bucket list, a law degree can open doors. Australian Volunteers International (AVI) and other government volunteer agencies are always looking to recruit qualified Australians to work in developing countries in a legitimate skill-sharing capacity. It might even be your dream role at an international human rights organisation.

Conclusion

Whatever the reason for studying law – whether for personal or professional development goals – the skills you acquire over the course of your degree are guaranteed to stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.

Congratulations!! After many years of hard work you have successfully completed your law degree.

The next matter for you to consider is: do you expect to have a long and productive career as a lawyer employed in a law firm?

Perhaps so, but, if not, maybe it would be of benefit for you to consider using your many skills in the pursuit of a career outside that of the traditional legal pathway of employment in a law firm.

More Than Law

The consideration of an alternative career path may be the result of the struggle to obtain any employment in a traditional law firm; or it could be that having started such a career you find that it no longer provides you with the satisfaction that you had thought that it would do so.

As many of you are aware, the current employment environment for lawyers is difficult and particularly so for young lawyers to get a start in their career. Of 12,000 law graduates produced each year, only 60,000 working lawyers exist in the entire country.

However, that does not mean that the learning that you have acquired is useless and that your options are forever closed because you have not obtained, or wish to continue in, employment in a law firm.

Skills To Pay The Bills

Among the many benefits that a law degree has provided to you is the ability to think in an analytical manner. This skill is central to the way problems are solved and issues are evaluated. These skills can be the building blocks on which you can develop a career outside employment in a traditional law firm.

The skills that you have acquired also ensure that, should you wish to do so, you have the intellectual capacity for continual learning in other disciplines. A law degree is a very good springboard that can launch your chosen career by helping you to develop skills in mediation, negotiation, problem solving and analytical skills.

The choices that you may wish to explore will need to be undertaken in a way that will fulfil what you are passionate about and believe is worth your while in investing your skills. It will be necessary for you to be patient and resilient in the face of potential disappointments when a job application that you have made does not even elicit a response. However, it is not the end of the world if that happens – it is important for you to keep your spirits up by continuing your quest to work in a way, and in areas, that you wish to do so. Your persistence will pay off.

How To Use A Law Degree In Any Field

As a law graduate, it is important to remember that you are a chameleon of careers.

Like a chameleon, holding a law degree gives you the training and skills to adapt to any field or professional environment. Websites such as Beyond Law are now exploring this theme by providing graduates and legal professionals with a platform to explore different career pathways.

Common alternatives to traditional firms include working as:

• an in-house lawyer for a large corporation (including banking and finance); and
• a lawyer employed in a large government department or agency, or a non-government organisation.

Government Law

Several Commonwealth Government Departments have large legal areas providing specialist legal services to their respective departments. For example, the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

The Australian Government Solicitor and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel also provide excellent career prospects for those who wish to work within the Government sphere of legal work, as does the Attorney-General’s Department.

If you are interested in military and international law, the armed forces and the Department of Defence also have specialist legal areas.

Policy Development

However, in addition to jobs that are specifically legal in nature, within government departments and agencies there are many legally qualified people employed in areas of policy development and service delivery across a myriad of interesting roles and responsibilities that are of great importance to our national life.

These opportunities enable the skills of the lawyer to be utilised but within an environment that is not what you may have envisaged on your graduation.

Graduate Programs

In an era where there have been reductions in employment in the Australian Public Service, there are many departments who have their own Graduate Program. These are conducted on an individual departmental basis and, in addition, several Government Agencies conduct their own program.

It is well worth looking at the relevant websites for those opportunities which will be for the year commencing in early 2018. These applications will need to be completed in early 2017, and if you are interested it is worthwhile regularly checking websites in January 2017.

While I realise that is some time away, if this is a path that you wish to pursue, it could be worth your time to properly investigate. Various government agencies have continued to invest in young graduates even in times of reduction in employment in other areas of the Australian Public Service.

Non-Ongoing Or Contract Employment

In addition, there are various temporary (3-6 month contract) positions within many Public Service agencies and government departments that are advertised from time to time. Placing your details on government Temporary Employment Registers is an effective way to secure temporary work and to gain experience.

Once you establish a proven track record as a temporarily-engaged staff member it is often easier to secure extended, long-term contracts. You will also have a foot-in-the-door and be in a better position to apply for permanent positions through internal recruitment rounds.

It is worth looking for these opportunities that still do arise, particularly if you are interested in expanding your horizon to employment outside that of legal practice. Remember to check websites of the various State and Territory governments for job opportunities that arise in their respective agencies.

Mediation

An example of how diverse the range of choice available to you is that mediation is a rapidly expanding area of work that has resulted in the development of the National Mediation Standards and accreditation for mediators.

Mediation is a profession in its own right, but accreditation can be sought, by way of example, through the Law Institute of Victoria. The National Mediation Standards are expected to commence on 1 July 2015.

There are also registered family dispute resolution practitioners accreditation through the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department that may be of interest to you.

Overseas Opportunities

It could be that you are interested in pursuing work opportunities overseas.

Those opportunities will be informed by the geographic location that you have an interest in, as well as the areas of work that you wish to undertake. The main thing is to appropriately research all of the options that may be available to you and that will be of benefit to you in developing your skills for the rest of your career.

Conclusion

These days having the backing of a professional degree doesn’t tie you down in a tedious job. It opens doors that allow you to use your skills in unique and interesting ways.

You may decide to use your degree for good by pursuing a rewarding position in the non-profit sector. Or you may decide to build a career in the public sector, either in legal or policy fields.

Increasingly, lawyers and recent graduates are adopting a radical approach to their careers and leaving traditional law firms to start online businesses or private firms. Others are gaining relevant experience before uprooting to chase exciting opportunities overseas or to work their way around the world by offering freelance legal services. 

The possibilities available to you are only limited by the breadth of your imagination.

What ways do you envisage using your law degree? Will you pursue a traditional private firm or forge an alternative pathway of your choosing? 

Further Information

• For information on Australian Government Graduate Programs visit: australia.gov.au
• For information on current Graduate Programs visit: APS Jobs.
• To search current Australian Public Service Jobs listings visit: APS Jobs.
• To search alternative legal pathways visit: Beyond Law.
• To search vacancies in the non-profit sector visit: Pro Bono Australia.
• To search jobs in the community and non-profit sector visit: Ethical Jobs.