5 alternative law careers: What to do if you don’t want to be a lawyer?

An education in law isn’t supposed to bind you to one career choice. It should be an enabler

A career in law is one of the most respectable ones in India. With the largest Constitution in the world, India is known as a ‘Lawyer’s paradise’. Law is the foundation our society is built on. To live in a society with the rule of law is one of the most powerful privileges that we owe our ancestors for. Lawyers have represented the best of our society in many ways, bringing their unique, logical perspective into many careers.

As a legal professional, there are a plethora of career opportunities available. One can be a litigator, legal analyst at a big firm, or work as an apprentice for an already established lawyer. While the standard career choices are well known, there needs to be more emphasis on the less-considered career options. An education in law isn’t supposed to bind you to one career choice. It should be an enabler. Hence, here are a few exciting, unconventional career options explained below:

Politics: Across the globe, some of the best politicians have often been lawyers. India is no exception. In the historic legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. BR Ambedkar who led our constituent assembly, our history is rich with the influence of lawyers. There is, of course a deep connection between politics and law, perhaps best demonstrated by the notion that parliamentarians are by definition, lawmakers. Politicians who are trained in law are better at establishing it. They would understand the need to pass legislation that are high in efficacy, regardless of their populist perception. In contemporary times, leaders like Shri Kapil Sibal, the late Shri Arun Jaitley, are some of the many lawyers who have carried the torch of legal prowess into parliament.

Legal writer and content creator: If writing is your passion, you can combine that with your education to become a journalist, a content creator, or writer. In a country like India, where a lot of people don’t have access to legal knowledge, educating the public about laws that apply to them, their civil rights, their legal compliance obligations is both a rewarding and an exciting career.

Policy Analyst: A policy analyst needs to be sharp, calculative, and visionary. They’re the knowledge base behind the decisions that a leader makes. As a policy analyst, you’ll be responsible for assisting the leadership in analysing the efficacy and impact of recommendations, make sense of statistical data, and suggest changes. As government steps up to regulate many new industries, over the next decade the job of a policy analyst will be indispensable to our growth as a nation.

Entrepreneur: A lot of lawyers find themselves donning the cloak of an entrepreneur. It makes sense if you consider that there are a lot of common skills that both lawyers and entrepreneurs possess. Some of them include confidence, leadership, research skills, foresight, problem solving abilities, and much more.

Teaching: The CLAT exams are taken by 60 thousand students every year. In addition to this, there are a lot of other competitive exams that students apply for, such as GGSIPU, DU LLB, LSAT, AILET, etc. A significant number of them attend external coaching before applying. Many young lawyers will have stories of teachers who inspired them. If mentoring young minds is something that interests you, you can try your hand at teaching.

As we have established, there’s a lot you can do with a law degree that strays off the trail. In addition to having a good legal education, you also need a myriad skills, which can be developed through a robust individual development program. At UPES School of Law, the campus life is vibrant with debates, problem solving competitions, seminars, conferences, and opportunities for you to find your passion. You can only build a career if you identify your strengths and weaknesses at an early stage. UPES School of Law aims to strengthen the backbone of our democracy: the legal system.