<p>My S was asking me about the different types of careers in law. He has some interest in possibly pursuing law (interest, this week, that is) and wondered what else one can do in the field besides litigate. We actually have no attorneys in our family so I couldn't give him much info at all.</p>
<p>Any attorneys out there who care to elaborate about their fields?</p>
<p>Another question: If a student wanted to pursue law, does the nature of the undergraduate major matter?</p>
<p>Here is a great discussion from last year's forum's archives:
<a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/67198.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/67198.html</a></p>
<p>Here is another one:
<a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/78980.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/78980.html</a></p>
<p>I have spent my entire legal career in-house working for corporations. I started as a member of a 25 person legal staff for a major railroad (back before air transportation (only kidding)) and have worked my way up to a couple of successive (not necessarily successFUL) General Counsel positions. I had a business undergrad degree from Big State U and law degree from a top 3 school. I always wanted to work in-house because I wanted to be part of the business. Also, I couldn't stand the thought of billing time like you have to do in a law firm. I worked for some wonderful corporations, while there were still some of those out there. I'm beginning to think that those days are over. My last two companies (present one included) are pretty dysfunctional. I refer to a General Counsel post as sort of the Country Doctor of the legal profession. You have to know a little bit about everything so that you know when you have to call in the experts. I find that being part of senior management also requires patience and tact- perhaps more than I have at my current age.......
I would recommend that a young law grad spend a few years at a firm before going in-house. Employers seem to like that these days.</p>
<p>Oops, sorry, those opinions are the opinions of other people who participated last year, not mine!! Shoulda said that!</p>
<p>Here is another discussion on intellectual property law; a subject that interests me a lot (as a former engineer and a current techie):
<a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/66833.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/66833.html</a></p>
<p>Shameless plug time here twinmom: CC now has a Law School forum. Many of the different practice areas of law have been discussed already. Please look through the past threads, and ask any additional questions you like.</p>
<p>Thanks, concerneddad. I didn't even think to look there 'cause I did not know it was there.
(spending too much time on the parents' forum, I guess).</p>
<p>Thanks concerneddad. I always go directly to the Parents' Forum too. I'll check it out.</p>
<p>Achat: Thanks to you too for the links to the archived threads.</p>
<p>You are all welcome</p>
<p>You can do anything with a law degree. I have watched people go in and out of law firms to do many things. Of course there is the typical law firm gig, which can be anything from corporate law to tax law to wills and trusts to M & A. Several years at a large firm will prepare you for any number of jobs: in house attorney, investment banker, jury consultant, corporate executive, personal injury attorney in big class action cases or maybe just hang out a shingle. A law degree fine tunes critical thinking, which can be used for anything.</p>
<p>okay, how about us talking about lawyers we know who have pursued non-law careers? </p>
<p>A friend of mine left the practice of law maybe ten years ago. His first documentary, "Farmingville", received a special jury prize at Sundance and has won numerous film festival awards over the last few years....</p>
<p>A classmate of mine from Stanford runs an organic foods store in Alaska (and works part time as an administrative law judge having to do with fishing claims)....</p>
<p>A retired lawyer-friend of mine has become an accomplished watercolorist....</p>
<p>My brother moonlights from his international IP position at Agilent, teaching snowboarding at Lake Tahoe on the weekends.....</p>
<p>A recent feature in Stanford Lawyer is about a lawyer who is now the curator of a Native American museum affiliated with the Smithsonian....</p>
<p>I will come up with more soon, I am sure.</p>
<p>Any that have become professional dog handlers (he asks wi****lly)?</p>
<p>concerneddad....is that your wish? My "dog handler" (dog walker) told me recently the number of miles he walks per day (18 to 25). You can imagine that I quickly did some mental math on what that translated to in terms of income....just think....no malpractice insurance premiums!</p>
<p>OK patient, share those numbers, dog walking is right up my alley!</p>
<p>Well, not quite dog walking patient -- more like in dog shows.</p>