Jobs for Graduates

EdgarAllenPoo

Following on from the trainee solicitor thread and the points raised there I'm just wondering what other viable options a law graduate has other than traditional legal roots.

Realistically is the only option a legal exec job or clerk?

Tom Young

Plenty of other jobs. Like compliance officer, regulatory affairs junior, company secretarial work, in-house counsel (Litigation, Contracts, Facilities, HR, Corporate), semi-state etc. Lecturing and education (if you have the marks to do that).

hada

depending on the type of law degree you have, you may be eligible to go into tax, accounting, economics.

dats_right

hada wrote: »

depending on the type of law degree you have, you may be eligible to go into tax, accounting, economics.

From bad to worse!! Met plenty of accountants who made the switch to law, but never known anybody or even heard of somebody leaving law to become an accountant (i'm sure it has happened but just not all that often). But, it takes all sorts I suppose. Oh and what different types of law degrees are there?

To be honest, if one wasn't considering a career in law (solicitor or barrister) as a law graduate- I think you would be completely mad to consider legal exec, secretarial or clerking! [as to be honest most of these jobs aren't considered graduate in nature]. I would really only consider such a role as a means to an end e.g. a training contract, or maybe experience whilst doing further study/exams etc.

Off the top of my head outside the orthodoxy of legal practice, I would consider other graduate type careers in the various graduate programmes in commercial/retail/investment banking, stockbroking, third secretary in Dept. Foreign Affairs (or Trainee Diplomat if they call it that now), AO or EO in civil service- could lead you into numerous different potentially very rewarding and interesting areas, management/graduate programmes in retail/industry/commerce, European Commission internship, post grad conversion dips in anything from journalism to business, sales, recruitment, internship/traineeship at major international organisation like the UN, etc., academia, the point is that there are a almost unlimitless opportunities and avenues open to graduates of sufficient calibre.

hada

dats_right wrote: »

From bad to worse!! Met plenty of accountants who made the switch to law, but never known anybody or even heard of somebody leaving law to become an accountant (i'm sure it has happened but just not all that often). But, it takes all sorts I suppose. Oh and what different types of law degrees are there?

I wouldn't say that - I can think of at least 5 people I know personally who have started in law and moved into areas of tax/accounting. (maybe you should take a look at any of the big 5 commercial law firms application forms where it invariably will have a section asking if you would consider doing tax as a possibility once in the firm...)

Law degrees such as, corporate law - NUIG, law & accounting and law and european studies - UL, business & legal studies - UCD, not to mention taking the legal science arts route and combining it with, say, Economics or Maths; these will all give you the necessary grounding to go on and spread your wings out of the purely legal sector into areas I have mentioned already (and many more than that actually)

NoQuarter

this may sound very materialistic(it is) but where is all the money???

dats_right

hada wrote: »

(maybe you should take a look at any of the big 5 commercial law firms application forms where it invariably will have a section asking if you would consider doing tax as a possibility once in the firm...)

That proves it, of course you're right! I never thought of that and undoubtedly everybody answers yes too. Amazing!

And the question whether you would sell your mother to benefit the firm and secure the super-duper, high octane, all-nighter, cross-border, mega deal? Equally everybody answers truthfully to that one.

Or indeed, the part where prospective trainees explain why they want to work for such a unique, dynamic, vibrant firm and why their working culture, organisation and training sets them apart and is so different than the identical equivalents in the other top firms!

Point is that application forms are hardly evidence of anything, well except the amount of brown-nosing and sucking up a prospective trainee must do to even get considered for the top firms.

Re cross qualification, I was more thinking of qualified lawyers and accountants (I know the question referred to graduates but there you go!). Point taken about the more hybrid type courses though.