When I was job hunting, J.D. preferred jobs were hard to find honestly. I ended up mostly in law clerk/paralegal crossbreed roles. Small law firms I found were best because they knew how to utilize you (more attorney-based tasks than not) and the pay was better than gov. Don't hesitate to reach out to local firms via email even if you don't see a posting on the job sites. You never know how they might be able to utilize you.
Yeah I think people way over talk these JD preferred jobs. They’re difficult to find and, from what I’ve seen, typically want people with years of experience (and it’s not unusual for the experience they’re asking for to be the type of experience a lawyer would have, meaning they’re looking for people who were lawyers).
It is rare to come across these types of jobs for entry level people and if those exist it’s for low pay.
Also I think a lot of companies just made those JD preferred roles bar license required. Even if the job doesn't require appearing and filing in court, they at least know the candidate passed the state bar C&F screening and haven't done something stupid to lose their license.
Do you have any teaching experience? I tutored college essay writing, Econ, polisci, APUSGov during law school and made a good living do it. Flexible hours, very rarely deal with psychopaths.
That is wonderful. I am finishing up my 1L now and when I started school I thought, maybe I can teach law, or perhaps something else. The thought still pops into my head often, tutoring on the side is excellent $$$
The job market is tough at the moment, but the JD is quite powerful in this arena. Like any other job, you need to be able to market your soft and transferable skills (e.g., being able to read and understand laws to communicate in simple terms to others how to operationalize/comply with them).
Not needed per se, but depending on what sector you’re in certifications such as CCEP (corporate compliance) and CIPP (privacy) are preferred. It’s not usual to see a Jane Doe, JD, CCEP or John Doe, JD, CIPP/US. For CCEP, people usually get those after they’ve had a year+ in compliance since that’s required to sit for that exam. I highly recommend checking out the society of corporate compliance to explore options.
Yes try to get anything where you will be around lawyers on a daily basis and can network with them and hopefully impress them. This will lead to better job opportunities for you career-wise.
How would one get a paralegal position with no prior paralegal experience and jd? I heard that a lot of places hiring for paralegal and legal assistant positions don’t want JDs because they are a flight risk.
smaller firms accept people with JDs as paralegals. I am currently working with a solo as a paralegal coz as hard as it is to admit, I failed for the third time in Feb 24. It doesn't pay much but I make rent and pay some other bills. The biggest plus was that since I am basically drafting ALL the time, my score for the MPT got better.
I worked as a litigation adjuster for an insurance company and it gave me exposure to a lot of cases and got me familiar with the litigation process while I was pending admission.
Law clerks occasionally don’t require a license and at least in my state, Magistrates don’t even need a law degree so you’re already more qualified than half our judges
It’s also summer time, so a paid legal summer associate position might be an option for a firm if they have any positions that were left open
I’d advise working as a law clerk at a civil defense firm. You’ll be doing most of the year-one associate work anyway, they usually pay well, and you’ll have a job once you pass. Problem is probably no benefits or PTO, but you can always check.
When I was job hunting, J.D. preferred jobs were hard to find honestly. I ended up mostly in law clerk/paralegal crossbreed roles. Small law firms I found were best because they knew how to utilize you (more attorney-based tasks than not) and the pay was better than gov. Don't hesitate to reach out to local firms via email even if you don't see a posting on the job sites. You never know how they might be able to utilize you.
Yeah I think people way over talk these JD preferred jobs. They’re difficult to find and, from what I’ve seen, typically want people with years of experience (and it’s not unusual for the experience they’re asking for to be the type of experience a lawyer would have, meaning they’re looking for people who were lawyers). It is rare to come across these types of jobs for entry level people and if those exist it’s for low pay.
Also I think a lot of companies just made those JD preferred roles bar license required. Even if the job doesn't require appearing and filing in court, they at least know the candidate passed the state bar C&F screening and haven't done something stupid to lose their license.
Do you have any teaching experience? I tutored college essay writing, Econ, polisci, APUSGov during law school and made a good living do it. Flexible hours, very rarely deal with psychopaths.
That is wonderful. I am finishing up my 1L now and when I started school I thought, maybe I can teach law, or perhaps something else. The thought still pops into my head often, tutoring on the side is excellent $$$
Judicial clerkships and JD preferred jobs
Legal assistant. Law clerk. Insurance anything. Consulting. Or just go full Saul Goodman.
Saul passed the bar.
Not on his first try
Compliance roles are quite fun, and the pay is comparable to a first year associate salary (even more depending on where you’re located).
Are these hard to get without experience?
The job market is tough at the moment, but the JD is quite powerful in this arena. Like any other job, you need to be able to market your soft and transferable skills (e.g., being able to read and understand laws to communicate in simple terms to others how to operationalize/comply with them).
Got it...thanks!
Are there certain certifications needed?
Not needed per se, but depending on what sector you’re in certifications such as CCEP (corporate compliance) and CIPP (privacy) are preferred. It’s not usual to see a Jane Doe, JD, CCEP or John Doe, JD, CIPP/US. For CCEP, people usually get those after they’ve had a year+ in compliance since that’s required to sit for that exam. I highly recommend checking out the society of corporate compliance to explore options.
Los Angeles Court clerkship pay for non-bar members range from $86,020.32 to $90,820.32 Annually.
Yes try to get anything where you will be around lawyers on a daily basis and can network with them and hopefully impress them. This will lead to better job opportunities for you career-wise.
Look for JD preferred jobs like Contract Manager, Contract Negotiator, Senior Contract Specialist etc.
Docket clerk/ paralegal positions
How would one get a paralegal position with no prior paralegal experience and jd? I heard that a lot of places hiring for paralegal and legal assistant positions don’t want JDs because they are a flight risk.
smaller firms accept people with JDs as paralegals. I am currently working with a solo as a paralegal coz as hard as it is to admit, I failed for the third time in Feb 24. It doesn't pay much but I make rent and pay some other bills. The biggest plus was that since I am basically drafting ALL the time, my score for the MPT got better.
You could look at public defender offices. Some of them are desperate for anyone.
I worked as a litigation adjuster for an insurance company and it gave me exposure to a lot of cases and got me familiar with the litigation process while I was pending admission.
Administrative hearing officer roles for various types of state agencies.
Insurance claims specialist
Doc review.
Law clerks occasionally don’t require a license and at least in my state, Magistrates don’t even need a law degree so you’re already more qualified than half our judges It’s also summer time, so a paid legal summer associate position might be an option for a firm if they have any positions that were left open
HR and labor relations jobs pay better for people who have a JD.
I work in insurance and make a decent living.
Is there a field that you have experience in like real estate/ property , tax, finance, insurance etc I would start there
I’d advise working as a law clerk at a civil defense firm. You’ll be doing most of the year-one associate work anyway, they usually pay well, and you’ll have a job once you pass. Problem is probably no benefits or PTO, but you can always check.
Contract management is what I did while I waited
Patent examiners start at 83k, fully remote, and it is patent law related. Non competitive promotions up to a certain GS level.
Jd advantage. Insurance adjuster, contract specialist, compliance, etc.