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May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
In Tough Job Market, Law Grads Use J.D.s for Nonlegal Work
By
Menachem Wecker
When big firm jobs are scarce, how position seekers get creative about their careers
JewishWorldReview.com | (USNWR)
Among the alumni ranks of the
University of Texas--Austin's School of Law are cartoonists, service dog trainers, and wind farm employees, which might explain why it has a
Non-Practicing Advisory Council
within its alumni association.
"We have a significant percentage (some think maybe up to one third) of alumni in nontraditional careers," says Tim Kubatzky, the school's executive director of development. "There is no single path that takes them there, and many have spent at least some part of their careers in law firms or practicing solo or serving as corporate counsel."
According to Kubatzky, the movement amongst J.D.s toward nontraditional jobs is not a new development. "The current economic situation has prompted more law school graduates to be creative in using their legal educations," he says.
But according to a recent post by Staci Zaretsky, an editor of Above the Law, morale in law school career services offices is at an "all-time low." The post cites an Alternative Careers Handbook published by the University of Arizona's
James E. Rogers College of Law, which mentions "Fidel Castro, dictator" as an example of a prominent J.D. working in a nonlegal profession.
"I was being a little snarky in my piece considering the fact that, according to NALP [the Association for Legal Career Professionals], only 68.4 percent of 2010 grads were able to land jobs requiring bar passage," Zaretsky says. "I can only assume that law school career services offices are feeling the effects of the employment rates."
Many law school career services departments address alternative or nontraditional careers on their websites, and a Google search for "career" and "outside of the legal profession" restricted to .edu websites yields nearly 65,000 hits. Some of those departments, like that of the Virginia Beach-based, connect alternative careers for attorneys to the economy.
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"As the legal profession has become increasingly more demanding and entry-level hiring more competitive, many law students are considering other alternatives," according to the
Regent website.
Typically, 10 percent of
Yale Law School
alumni work in a business setting five years after graduating, according to a 64-page Lawyers in Business guide the school publishes. And, jobs in management consulting, investment banking, and venture capital can earn young associates annuals salaries of $100,000 to $300,000, the guide states.
According to employment statistics on Drake University's
School of Law
website, 16 percent of the Des Moines, Iowa, school's alumni work in business fields nine months after graduation, and the website of the Boston University
School of Law
says 17 percent of its 2009 graduates working in law and business began their careers in academia and while 6 percent worked in business.
Sometimes, a school's relationship with a nonlegal employer can create opportunities for students, according to Sandra Mans, assistant dean of the career center at
Albany Law School
. A large financial services firm started by an alumnus hires one to four Albany graduates each year, she says, and 68 alumni currently work at the company.
"Other recent graduates are pursuing accounting firms, legislative positions, investor services, publishing houses, compliance and claims jobs, and court analyst roles," Mans says. "Salaries at these positions range from $43,000 to $105,000."
Milan Dalal, who holds a J.D. from
Boston College Law School, landed a job at a prominent Boston law firm, where he says starting annual salaries are $160,000--well above the high end of Mans's range. But he left the firm after a year to accept a job as legislative director ($76,000 annual salary) in the office of Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.).
Many Capitol Hill staffers are J.D.s, according to Dalal, who says his position fulfills his passion for public service and offers him the perspective of "literally writing the laws that others will then apply." Though annual salaries for jobs such as his could start at $60,000 for J.D.s, Dalal encourages aspiring public servants to earn a J.D., because he says it can help people rise more quickly through the ranks of seniority.
Vada Dillawn, principal and founder of the Austin, Texas-based firm Dillawn & Clark PR, says she was surprised to find that public relations was a field where "the skills of advocacy, creative story telling, and good writing skills rule."
Dillawn, who holds a J.D. from
South Texas College's law school, says her legal background helps her navigate copyright and patent law topics and advise a Malaysian client on U.S. trademark law. And she's also found the field to be profitable.
"Billing rates per hour start at $125 and go up, which is very comparable to billing rates for new attorneys in Texas," she says.
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