WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A LAW DEGREE BESIDES BECOME A LAWYER?
A law degree can lead to many careers outside traditional legal practice. Law graduates can work in government and policy, consulting, banking and finance, compliance, technology, business, human resources, journalism, marketing, advocacy and many other fields.
You can also stay close to the legal profession without practising as a lawyer, with growing opportunities in areas such as legal operations, legal technology and legal business.
That’s because studying law develops skills that transfer well beyond legal practice, from critical thinking and problem-solving to research, communication and negotiation.
So if becoming a solicitor or barrister isn’t for you, your law degree can still take you in plenty of different directions.
At a glance
You don’t have to become a lawyer just because you’ve studied law.
Alternative careers with a law degree include:
Your legal knowledge can be valuable, but so can the broader skills you’ve developed through studying law.
WHY CONSIDER A CAREER OUTSIDE LEGAL PRACTICE?
The traditional pathway from law school to private practice and eventually partnership is only one way to build a career.
You may discover that you’re more interested in technology, business, politics, social justice or another field. Perhaps you want to combine law with another area you’ve studied. Or you may simply realise that practising as a lawyer isn’t the career you want.
And that’s okay.
Legal knowledge can be useful in many different industries, while your ability to analyse information, solve problems, communicate clearly and understand complex issues can make your skills relevant to roles that aren’t specifically legal.
You might even find a career that combines both.
WHAT SKILLS DOES A LAW DEGREE GIVE YOU?
A law degree gives you more than knowledge of legislation and cases.
Throughout your studies, you’re also developing transferable skills that can be valuable across many different careers.
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Critical thinking
Analysing information and considering different sides of an issue.
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Research
Finding, assessing and interpreting complex information.
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Problem-solving
Working through complicated issues to identify practical solutions.
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Communication
Explaining complex information clearly in writing and conversation.
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Building an argument
Using evidence and reasoning to support a position.
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Negotiation
Understanding different perspectives and working towards an outcome.
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Attention to detail
Identifying important information and potential issues.
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Working with complex information
Understanding rules, regulations and detailed documents.
The career might change. Many of the underlying skills don’t.
WHAT ALTERNATIVE CAREERS CAN YOU PURSUE WITH A LAW DEGREE?
If you want to take your legal knowledge and skills into another field, there are plenty of options to explore.
Academia
Interested in teaching, research and exploring legal issues in greater depth?
A career in academia could involve teaching future law students, undertaking research, publishing your work and contributing to discussion about how the law develops.
Banking and finance
Legal knowledge can be useful across banking and financial services, particularly in roles involving regulation, governance, risk and compliance.
Your ability to interpret complex rules and understand commercial issues can also transfer well into the sector.
Consulting
Consultants help organisations solve problems, improve performance and make strategic decisions.
The analytical thinking, research and communication skills developed through studying law can be particularly useful when working through complex business or organisational challenges.
Contract administration
Contract administrators help organisations manage contractual obligations and commercial relationships.
Depending on the role, you might review contracts, coordinate negotiations, monitor obligations and help make sure projects or transactions stay on track.
Entrepreneurship
Got a business idea of your own?
Legal knowledge can be useful when navigating contracts, regulation, risk and negotiations, while the research and problem-solving skills developed through law can transfer to building a business.
You might even combine law, technology and entrepreneurship to develop new ways of delivering legal services.
Health services
The health sector is highly regulated and involves complex questions around governance, policy, privacy, risk and people’s rights.
A legal background can therefore be useful in roles involving healthcare regulation, policy, administration, compliance and governance.
Human resources and recruitment
People-focused but don’t necessarily want to practise law?
Human resources can involve workplace policy, employee relations, recruitment and organisational issues, while specialist legal recruiters work directly with law firms and legal professionals.
Knowledge of employment law and an understanding of legal workplaces can be particularly useful in these careers.
Journalism and writing
Law graduates are trained to research complicated issues, assess sources and communicate clearly.
Those skills can transfer to journalism, publishing, professional writing and other communications roles, particularly where you’re explaining legal, political or regulatory issues.
Negotiation and conflict resolution
If you enjoy resolving disagreements more than arguing them in court, you could explore mediation, negotiation and other forms of dispute resolution.
These careers draw on skills such as communication, listening, problem-solving and understanding different perspectives.
Family Dispute Resolution is one example of a related career that may appeal to people with a legal background, although practitioners do not have to be lawyers.
Not-for-profit
Not-for-profit organisations work across areas ranging from community development and environmental sustainability to social services and human rights.
Legal graduates can bring research, advocacy, policy, governance and communication skills to organisations working towards social or community outcomes.
Public interest advocacy
Interested in changing systems rather than advising individual clients?
Advocacy roles can involve researching issues, developing policy positions, preparing submissions, working with stakeholders and campaigning for broader social or legislative change.
Public relations, advertising and marketing
Law and marketing might seem like very different worlds, but some of the underlying skills overlap.
Legal graduates can bring strong research, writing and analytical skills, while an understanding of regulation and risk can be useful in highly regulated industries.
Within the legal profession itself, there are also careers in law firm marketing, business development, communications and client experience.
FOUR CAREER PATHS TO EXPLORE
Technology, business, operations and government are creating different ways to use your legal knowledge and skills. Take a closer look at four career paths, the roles available and the trends shaping each one.
Legal operations
Legal operations is all about helping legal teams work more effectively.
Rather than providing legal advice, legal operations professionals focus on how legal services are delivered. Depending on the role, you might improve processes, introduce new systems and technology, manage budgets and suppliers, analyse data or help teams find more efficient ways of working.
You’ll find legal operations roles in law firms and in-house legal teams, particularly within larger organisations.
- Legal Operations Coordinator
- Legal Operations Manager
- Practice Manager
A law degree isn’t always required, but understanding legal work and how lawyers operate can be a real advantage. This could be a good fit if you enjoy solving problems, improving processes and thinking about the bigger picture.
Legal teams are looking for ways to manage costs, streamline processes and deliver high-quality work more efficiently.
Clients increasingly expect transparency around costs, timelines and service, particularly when their own in-house teams use sophisticated systems and technology.
Automation, self-service tools and digital workflows are changing how some legal services are delivered, creating opportunities to rethink traditional processes.
Legal technology
Interested in both law and technology? You don’t necessarily have to choose between them.
Legal technology professionals help law firms and legal teams use technology to improve the way legal work is completed and delivered. You might help identify and implement new tools, improve workflows, manage legal knowledge or data, or support lawyers as they adopt new technology.
As AI and other technologies continue to change legal practice, people who understand both the law and how legal work actually happens can bring a valuable perspective.
- Legal Technologist
- Legal Technology Consultant
- Legal Data Analyst
- Legal Knowledge Manager
It’s an area worth exploring if you enjoy technology, innovation and finding smarter ways to solve problems.
AI and automation are changing tasks such as legal research, drafting, document review and contract analysis, creating new ways for legal teams to work.
Legal teams are using data to better understand matters, costs, clients and performance, helping them make more informed decisions.
Legal innovation goes beyond technology. Process improvement, design thinking and new ways of delivering legal services are also changing how legal teams work.
Legal business
Law firms provide legal services, but they’re also businesses. And like any other business, they need people who understand clients, markets and growth.
Legal business careers can include business development, marketing, communications, client relationships, market research and strategy. You might research new markets, help develop client relationships, prepare pitches and tenders, support major campaigns or help a firm understand where future opportunities lie.
A legal background can be particularly useful because you already understand the profession, legal terminology and the services you’re helping to communicate or develop.
- Business Development and Marketing Manager
- Client Relationship Manager
- PR Executive
- Client and Market Developer
- HR Operations Manager
If you’re commercially minded, enjoy working with people or like the strategic side of business, this can be a way to stay connected to law without practising it.
Clients increasingly expect legal services to be responsive, accessible and tailored to their needs, putting greater focus on client relationships and experience.
Competition means firms need to clearly communicate what makes them different, making brand, marketing and thought leadership increasingly important.
Market research and client data can help firms identify opportunities, understand their audiences and make more informed business decisions.
Government and politics
Law and government overlap in many ways, making government and politics a natural area to explore if you’re interested in policy, public issues and how decisions are made.
Your legal training can be useful in roles involving policy development, legislative review, regulation, research and public administration. Skills such as statutory interpretation, critical thinking and building evidence-based arguments can help you understand proposed policies and consider their potential legal and practical implications.
Depending on the role, you could work for a government department, regulator, parliamentary office, political organisation or other public body.
- Policy Officer
- Policy Analyst
- Parliamentary Researcher
- Political Adviser
- Government Relations Adviser
- Law Reform Officer
This could be a good fit if you enjoy analysing complex issues, considering different perspectives and contributing to decisions that affect communities.
Governments need people who can analyse complex information, weigh different perspectives and use evidence to inform policy and decision-making.
Developments in areas such as technology, privacy and sustainability continue to create new policy and regulatory questions for governments to navigate.
Changes in society, technology and business can create a need to review existing laws and consider new approaches, creating opportunities in policy, research and law reform.
WHICH ALTERNATIVE CAREER MIGHT SUIT YOU?
Not sure where to start? Think about what you actually enjoy doing.
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Technology and innovation
Legal technology, legal operations, data
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Business and strategy
Consulting, legal business, entrepreneurship
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Working with people
HR, recruitment, mediation, client relationships
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Research and writing
Policy, academia, journalism, advocacy
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Politics and public issues
Government, policy, law reform, public affairs
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Rules and detail
Compliance, risk, governance, contract administration
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Solving complex problems
Consulting, legal operations, banking and finance
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Social impact
Not-for-profit, advocacy, policy, community organisations
You don’t have to find a career that perfectly matches every interest or strength. Think of this as a starting point for exploring what’s out there.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR NEXT CAREER?
You don’t need to have the answer immediately.
Start by thinking about what you enjoy about law and what you don’t.
Love research but dislike the idea of client work?
Policy or academia might appeal.
Enjoy commercial problems but don’t want to practise?
Consulting, banking or legal operations could be worth exploring.
Love working with people and resolving disagreements?
HR, recruitment or mediation might suit you.
Then start investigating.
Browse job ads to see what different roles actually involve. Talk to people already doing the work. Look for internships, volunteering or entry-level opportunities that let you test an area in practice.
And don’t assume choosing one path means choosing it forever. Your legal training can give you a foundation that travels with you as your career changes.
STILL EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS?
Discover where a legal career could take you, compare different areas of law, or find out what working as a lawyer is actually like.
