Using That J.D. to Your Advantage

The recession put extreme pressure on the legal marketplace, not only decreasing employment opportunities with traditional law firms but also giving rise to new career options for lawyers. Attorneys seeking employment in the new economy must think outside the box to maximize their career opportunities as lawyers find employment in situations where a J.D. is “preferred” or an “advantage” rather than required.

Over the past couple decades, traditional law firms adopted increasingly businesslike models and behaviors to survive. This includes hiring burgeoning ranks of executive and management professionals so former lawyers and legally trained managers now handle operations, finance, marketing, human resources and recruiting, training and development, diversity, litigation support, conflicts or risk management and so on. Some lawyers serve as general counsel to their firms, rather than handling outside clients. As more law firms offer alternative billing arrangements rather than adhering strictly to the billable hour fee model, many have added pricing professionals.