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What Do I Do With My Law Degree? Overcoming Legal Job Market Saturation

The oversaturation of the legal job market is causing many hopeful law students to take a hard look at their career plans. J.D. advantage jobs are one solution for recent law graduates - a temporary move for some, a permanent career choice for others.

Published August 21, 2017 This content is archived.

What’s a J.D. advantage job?

If you’re wondering what you can do with a law degree in a highly competitive market, consider this path. It’s any career in which having a J.D. degree gives you a leg up. These careers do not require you to pass the bar exam or have an active law license.

For example, those in the medical or academic fields may specialize in litigation, compliance, or risk management. The roles may be non-law, or may involve an element of law practice. As J.D. advantage jobs aren’t an official sector, they’re incredibly varied across industries.

List of J.D. Advantage Jobs

The most common industries that offer these jobs are business, government, public interest, and academia.

Corporate contracts administrator
Alternative dispute resolution specialist - mediator, arbitrator
Government regulatory analyst
FBI agent
Accountant
Personnel or human resources
Investment banks
Management consulting
Compliance work for business and industry
Law firm professional development
Law school career services offices, admissions offices, or other law school administrative offices
Legal temp
Fed, state, local executive/administration
State legislative
Policy/advocacy

Over two-thirds of J.D. Advantage jobs were reported as full-time and lasting at least a year. This figure varied by sector, from just 39% in academia to 79% in business.

Obviously, if you’re considering a J.D. advantage job, it’s best to start your search within your area of expertise or study. While your degree gives you an advantage, it will not guarantee employment in these industries.

That said, looking beyond the legal field for employment is a smart move for any lawyer struggling with market oversaturation. Here are the most common non-law jobs for J.D. graduates.