Life after law school can be an exciting time as you look forward to your new career. There are plenty of opportunities available to those with a JD. Some avenues to consider include practicing law at a firm; specializing as an attorney in a field like patents, contracts, immigration (and many more); working as general counsel in-house at a corporation; or even pursuing a career in government.
The path you choose depends on the type of law you studied, your interests, and your past experiences. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for lawyers in 2024 was $151,160 annually.
Once you find your first post-law school gig, you will also likely have to start thinking about repaying any law school student loans.
Key Points
• Career paths after law school include working at a law firm, clerking for a judge, pursuing an advanced degree, or transitioning into non-legal careers like politics, journalism, or lobbying.
• Law school graduates often carry significant student loan debt, with an average of $130,000, making repayment strategies a key financial priority.
• Making interest payments while still in school can help reduce total loan costs and prevent interest from accruing.
• Budgeting effectively post-graduation can help balance savings, emergency funds, credit card payments, and student loan repayment.
• Refinancing law school loans may lower interest rates and simplify payments, but it removes access to federal benefits like income-driven repayment and loan forgiveness programs.
Finding Jobs After Law School
After getting a law degree, what to do really depends on why you decided to go to law school in the first place. Did you have dreams of working at a major law firm, becoming a public defender, or going solo with your own practice?
Maybe you’ve decided you no longer want to practice law and would rather apply your new skills to a relevant career or continue to further your education. If you are considering what to do after law school, you can start by examining what workplace environment you find the most exciting and attainable.
Landing at a Law Firm
A law firm is an obvious choice for where to work after getting your JD. But the size, location, and culture of the law firm can greatly impact your experience and job satisfaction. Attorneys working at smaller firms may offer stronger partnership prospects than larger law firms. However, depending on location, the pay could be comparatively lower, and your training may come in the form of on-the-job experience.
While the path to promotion may be longer at a larger firm, they may have more resources and a higher salary. Depending on your preferences and career interests, a major law firm with a big name might be a better fit to help you find your specialty.
Considering a Clerkship
A clerkship is an important career milestone for many attorneys. Usually taking place under the guidance of a certain judge, a clerkship allows law school graduates to see the inner workings of the legal system. Many are considered prestigious resume boosters and offer valuable first-hand experience working under a judge and a leg up on networking from the start.
There are federal and state court clerkships, but federal opportunities like with Supreme Court or circuit court judges can be more difficult to secure because of their prestige. However, state clerkships can also be beneficial, especially if you plan on practicing in the local area.
Getting an Advanced Degree
If you have a desire to specialize in a specific field of law, staying in school to get a post-JD degree is another avenue to consider after getting a law degree.
You might want to pursue this type of degree after having some relevant work experience, which can help you first figure out what particular field of law you want to study. These specialty degrees include Air and Space Law, Sports Law, Global Food Law, Cannabis Law, and more.
Alternative Careers Outside Law
Pivoting after law school to a different career is another option to consider when looking at jobs. If you, like many, have graduated with six-figures worth of student loan debt, you’ll obviously want to find a steady job so you can make regular student loan payments.
Other jobs that may fit with the skill set you curated in law school may include political advisor, journalist, lobbyist, and teacher.
Tackling Law School Debt
Depending on your earning potential and chosen career path, it might make sense for you to aggressively pay off your law school debt in 10 years or less.
Another option is to try to maximize your law school loan forgiveness opportunities.
In order to make your degree count towards your personal and professional goals, figuring out how to approach your debt is a key part of what to do after law school.
Ready to tackle your law school debt?
Refinancing your student loans
could help you pay it off faster.
Making Payments While Still in School
While the government does not require you to make payments on most federal student loans while still in school, you could consider paying the amount of student loan interest that builds up each month to help keep your student loan debt from growing.
Whether you need to pick up a side hustle or prioritize how much you save, making at least interest-only payments on your student loans while still in school can help reduce the amount of interest that will accrue on your student loans. This can ultimately reduce the amount of interest that accrues and help set you up for success after law school.
Sticking to Budget Basics
After your law degree, it can be wise to take stock of your budget and work to balance your goals for savings, emergency funds, credit card payments, and student loans. The average student loan debt from law school currently sits at $130,000, so you’ll want to prioritize making a plan to get these paid off as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Ultimately, you’ll likely want to pick a student loan repayment plan that works for your personal budget, no matter what jobs after law school you are considering. You may decide to pay down debt while also building up a basic emergency fund as part of your financial foundation.
Recommended: How Much Should Be in Your Emergency Fund?
Refinancing Law School Loans
Refinancing your law school loans means that a private lender will issue one new loan that pays off your existing federal and/or private student loans. This new loan comes with new terms, ideally with a lower interest rate or shorter repayment period. Instead of paying multiple student loans, such as from undergraduate and graduate school, there is only one new loan to pay off.
While there are many advantages to student loan refinancing, be aware that refinancing federal loans means that you will not be able to take advantage of benefits like income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. So it may not make sense if you are taking advantage of one of these benefits or plan to in the future.
The Takeaway
Life after law school can mean something different for everyone. Whether you pursue a private practice, family law at a small firm, or corporate law at a large one, there are many career opportunities to pursue as you pay off your student loan debt.
Looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Refinancing may be one way to do it — by extending your loan term, getting a lower interest rate than what you currently have, or both. (Please note that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal forgiveness and protections. Also, lengthening your loan term may mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.) SoFi student loan refinancing offers flexible terms that fit your budget.
FAQ
What is the next step after graduating law school?
There are many career opportunities available after graduating law school, including joining a law firm, doing a clerkship with a state or federal judge, getting an advanced degree to specialize in a specific type of law, or switching to a different career in which you can use the skills you learned in law school, such as a teacher, a political advisor, or a lobbyist.
What jobs can you get if you graduate law school?
Jobs you can get after you graduate law school include working at a small or large law firm, becoming a clerk to a state or federal judge, landing a position as in-house counsel at a corporation, or working for the government or a nonprofit. To help decide which path is right for you, consider your interests and career goals.
What field of law pays the most?
Typically, the highest-paid lawyers specialize in such areas as corporate law, tax law, intellectual property law, medical malpractice, and entertainment law.
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