Your career in law will be your very own and unlike anyone else’s. There are an endless number of things you can do with your JD, and what you do with your degree is entirely up to you.

Working With a Law Firm

More than half of law school graduates start their careers by practicing law for private law firms of many different sizes. What sets law firms apart from other organizations is that they are private, for-profit organizations, usually set up as partnerships, that exist for the sole purpose of providing legal services to individuals and corporations. Law firms can be small, medium, large, or very large, and the culture and atmosphere of a firm may vary based on size and other factors.

But there are many other ways to practice law besides being part of a law firm.

Working in the Public Sector

As many as a third of all law school graduates will start their legal careers by practicing law in the public sector. Public sector legal careers include those with governments, courts and the judiciary, the military, and public interest and nonprofit organizations.

Law Careers With Businesses

More than 10 percent of all law school graduates take jobs with businesses, working for companies or corporations — sometimes as practicing lawyers for those companies, but often in non-lawyering roles, yet still in roles where their legal education has played a significant role in preparing them for those jobs.

Shaping Your Career

You may feel pressure to find a particular job after law school or to seek a certain salary, but the truth is that there are almost infinite ways to shape your law career. Doing that, though, will take some work. No one will hand you a job at the end of law school, and no one can make career decisions for you. You will have to take an active hand in steering your career from your earliest days in law school, and you will have to take responsibility for ensuring that you find a law career path that is rewarding and personally fulfilling.

We’re here to help you do that! Check out the I Am The Law podcast to learn more about a variety of law careers, or watch our on-demand Planning Your Legal Career Today webinar for tips on how to get started.