{"id":109244,"date":"2025-02-25T17:43:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T01:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/02\/25\/the-great-escape-lawyers-are-the-hidden-talent-pool-in-plain-sight-for-nonlegal-roles\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T17:43:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T01:43:31","slug":"the-great-escape-lawyers-are-the-hidden-talent-pool-in-plain-sight-for-nonlegal-roles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/02\/25\/the-great-escape-lawyers-are-the-hidden-talent-pool-in-plain-sight-for-nonlegal-roles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Escape: Lawyers Are \u2018The Hidden Talent Pool\u2019 In Plain Sight For Nonlegal Roles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ed. note<\/u>: This is the second in a series of articles by our friends Neil Handwerker and Kimberly Fine of ex judicata<\/a>, who will be writing about lawyers interested in transitioning to nonlegal careers.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the big idea?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have now reached 100,000 unique users on exjudicata.com.\u00a0 A testament to the rapidly growing number of lawyers and law students interested in, if not transitioning to nonlegal careers right away, at least exploring what alternatives are open to them besides practicing law.\u00a0 Which leads to an idea so big it is hard to conceptualize.<\/p>\n

What kind of career alternatives are available to lawyers and law students?\u00a0Everything. <\/strong>Save those occupations requiring specific schooling and credentialing. For example: brain surgeon, CPA, licensed plumber.<\/p>\n

Last year, ex judicata had the pleasure of interviewing Patty Roberts, the Dean of St. Mary\u2019s Law School.\u00a0 For those unfamiliar, Dean Roberts is one of the most innovative legal educators in America.\u00a0 Her law school is at the forefront of making a legal education available to underrepresented communities. Though having a live curriculum, St. Mary\u2019s was also the first law school in the nation to make available a fully remote JD program accredited by the ABA.\u00a0 Dean Roberts told ex judicata:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe question is not what can you do with a law degree, it is what can\u2019t you do with a law degree.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And readers of this column will know that last month we quoted Kellye Testy, CEO of the American Association of Law Schools, who is broadcasting this message loud and clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cA JD is a degree in complex problem-solving.\u00a0 And if there is one thing every business needs more of, it is complex problem-solvers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anecdotally, most know it is not unusual to see in the biography of a successful business executive that they are also lawyers by training.<\/p>\n

So, if lawyers can do most everything, why is it so, so difficult to leave law and find a nonlegal career leveraging the JD skill set which includes analytical thinking, ability to manage huge amounts of data, speaking\/writing and presenting persuasively, issue spotting, problem-solving, etc.?<\/p>\n

No defined paths.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you ask 100 lawyers now in successful business careers how they got there, you may well get 100 different answers.\u00a0 So, it is not as if a lawyer wakes up and decides to leave a law firm to become, say, a talent agent and here is where and how to apply.<\/p>\n

Substitute pretty much any nonlegal occupation.\u00a0 Even careers that are deemed to be close to the practice of law like investment banking or risk management.\u00a0 There are no set pathways.<\/p>\n

Corporate America not focused on hiring JDs for nonlegal jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day ex judicata launched as a company, we were present with a tradeshow booth at SHRM\u2019s annual convention.\u00a0 For the uninitiated, this is the Society for Human Resource Management.\u00a0 About 25,000 hiring authorities descended on Las Vegas.\u00a0 We figured we would go to the belly of the beast.<\/p>\n

What better place to take our message which we distilled down to hire JDs because they are:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hidden Talent Pool\u201d in plain sight<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Signage at Ex Judicata\u2019s tradeshow booth at SHRM annual convention<\/strong> (heads not actual employees of ex judicata)<\/p>\n

In addition to manning the booth, we also tirelessly networked with sponsors, speakers and attendees.\u00a0 In talking about placing lawyers in nonlegal<\/em> jobs, we may as well have been talking about recruiting people from Atlantis.\u00a0 There was very little understanding of what we were saying.\u00a0 There was some recognition of lawyers being hired for jobs in compliance.\u00a0 Compliance has been a harbor for non-practicing JDs for some time.<\/p>\n

As many of you may know, certain employers, like the Big 4 accounting firms and management consulting firms, have been hiring lawyers for nonlegal jobs for decades.\u00a0For many kinds of jobs.\u00a0Yet even here, the roles are not marked.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the case where, say, a Big 4 firm places an ad on a job board for an investigative services role and it is marketed to JDs.\u00a0We wish that were the case because we want these kinds of positions posted on ex judicata\u2019s job board. The only one where all the opportunities are nonlegal jobs for lawyers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s somewhat surprising that Corporate America is not actively seeking lawyers for non-practicing roles in that more than 70 of the Fortune 500<\/em> Chief Human Resources Officers have law degrees, and that the senior ranks of HR departments of many large companies have lawyers in nonpracticing roles. If they don\u2019t know how versatile that a law degree is, who does?<\/p>\n

If all else fails, audit!<\/strong><\/p>\n

We hope to be able to get a Fortune 500 company, or two, to audit their workforce to see how many employees hold JD degrees outside the law department<\/em>. The results could be quite eye-opening.\u00a0 Word would then spread with more and more companies doing similar research until defined paths might become apparent.\u00a0 For example, perhaps Proctor & Gamble discovers four former practicing lawyers are actually in Brand Management.\u00a0 Suddenly, a new path is defined.<\/p>\n

Law schools need to get on board<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few law schools have companies interviewing students on campus for nonlegal jobs upon graduation.\u00a0 Certain elite schools do get some management consulting firms.\u00a0 But these are extremely limited cases.\u00a0 Ex judicata is spending considerable time networking with law schools to have a banner linking back to our site on the career services and\/or alumni portals of the law school.\u00a0 To date, we\u2019ve signed up 70 ABA-accredited law schools.<\/p>\n

And then there is the ABA<\/strong><\/p>\n

We quote from our last Above the Law<\/strong> article:<\/p>\n

\n

The ABA has been slow to get onboard.\u00a0 All you really need to know is that the lead article<\/em> Nine Non-Legal Jobs You Can (Really, Truly) Do with a Law Degree <\/em><\/a>on the ABA\u2019s<\/em> Alternative Career site spells \u201cnonlegal\u201d wrong.\u00a0 The most up-to-date piece under \u201clatest resources\u201d is dated October 4, 2023<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lawyers heal thyself<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawyers who want to move to business should be advocating on their own behalf to help get the ball moving.\u00a0 This means making everyone in their ecosystem aware they want to find a nonlegal job.<\/p>\n

The good news<\/strong><\/p>\n

More and more attention is being paid to those who want to pursue an alternative path.\u00a0 Here comes the gratuitous mention of AI.\u00a0 Some of the heat and hot water can be traced to the belief that AI will so dramatically reduce entry-level legal positions that alternatives must be found.\u00a0 That is a more advanced discussion for another day. In the meantime, at ex judicata, the majority of our time is spent networking with talent executives as to why they should hire JDs for nonlegal jobs.\u00a0 And it is working.<\/p>\n

\n

Neil Handwerker and Kimberly Fine are the co-founders of ex judicata<\/a>, a website providing information, resources, webinars, coaching, money management, and inspirational content for lawyers and law students interested in moving to nonlegal careers.\u00a0 This is their second startup together. Feel free to email<\/a>\u00a0them with any questions or suggestions or connect with them on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post The Great Escape: Lawyers Are \u2018The Hidden Talent Pool\u2019 In Plain Sight For Nonlegal Roles<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ed. note<\/u>: This is the second in a series of articles by our friends Neil Handwerker and Kimberly Fine of ex judicata<\/a>, who will be writing about lawyers interested in transitioning to nonlegal careers.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the big idea?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have now reached 100,000 unique users on exjudicata.com.\u00a0 A testament to the rapidly growing number of lawyers and law students interested in, if not transitioning to nonlegal careers right away, at least exploring what alternatives are open to them besides practicing law.\u00a0 Which leads to an idea so big it is hard to conceptualize.<\/p>\n

What kind of career alternatives are available to lawyers and law students?\u00a0Everything. <\/strong>Save those occupations requiring specific schooling and credentialing. For example: brain surgeon, CPA, licensed plumber.<\/p>\n

Last year, ex judicata had the pleasure of interviewing Patty Roberts, the Dean of St. Mary\u2019s Law School.\u00a0 For those unfamiliar, Dean Roberts is one of the most innovative legal educators in America.\u00a0 Her law school is at the forefront of making a legal education available to underrepresented communities. Though having a live curriculum, St. Mary\u2019s was also the first law school in the nation to make available a fully remote JD program accredited by the ABA.\u00a0 Dean Roberts told ex judicata:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe question is not what can you do with a law degree, it is what can\u2019t you do with a law degree.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And readers of this column will know that last month we quoted Kellye Testy, CEO of the American Association of Law Schools, who is broadcasting this message loud and clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cA JD is a degree in complex problem-solving.\u00a0 And if there is one thing every business needs more of, it is complex problem-solvers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anecdotally, most know it is not unusual to see in the biography of a successful business executive that they are also lawyers by training.<\/p>\n

So, if lawyers can do most everything, why is it so, so difficult to leave law and find a nonlegal career leveraging the JD skill set which includes analytical thinking, ability to manage huge amounts of data, speaking\/writing and presenting persuasively, issue spotting, problem-solving, etc.?<\/p>\n

No defined paths.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you ask 100 lawyers now in successful business careers how they got there, you may well get 100 different answers.\u00a0 So, it is not as if a lawyer wakes up and decides to leave a law firm to become, say, a talent agent and here is where and how to apply.<\/p>\n

Substitute pretty much any nonlegal occupation.\u00a0 Even careers that are deemed to be close to the practice of law like investment banking or risk management.\u00a0 There are no set pathways.<\/p>\n

Corporate America not focused on hiring JDs for nonlegal jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day ex judicata launched as a company, we were present with a tradeshow booth at SHRM\u2019s annual convention.\u00a0 For the uninitiated, this is the Society for Human Resource Management.\u00a0 About 25,000 hiring authorities descended on Las Vegas.\u00a0 We figured we would go to the belly of the beast.<\/p>\n

What better place to take our message which we distilled down to hire JDs because they are:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hidden Talent Pool\u201d in plain sight<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Signage at Ex Judicata\u2019s tradeshow booth at SHRM annual convention<\/strong> (heads not actual employees of ex judicata)<\/p>\n

In addition to manning the booth, we also tirelessly networked with sponsors, speakers and attendees.\u00a0 In talking about placing lawyers in nonlegal<\/em> jobs, we may as well have been talking about recruiting people from Atlantis.\u00a0 There was very little understanding of what we were saying.\u00a0 There was some recognition of lawyers being hired for jobs in compliance.\u00a0 Compliance has been a harbor for non-practicing JDs for some time.<\/p>\n

As many of you may know, certain employers, like the Big 4 accounting firms and management consulting firms, have been hiring lawyers for nonlegal jobs for decades.\u00a0For many kinds of jobs.\u00a0Yet even here, the roles are not marked.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the case where, say, a Big 4 firm places an ad on a job board for an investigative services role and it is marketed to JDs.\u00a0We wish that were the case because we want these kinds of positions posted on ex judicata\u2019s job board. The only one where all the opportunities are nonlegal jobs for lawyers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s somewhat surprising that Corporate America is not actively seeking lawyers for non-practicing roles in that more than 70 of the Fortune 500<\/em> Chief Human Resources Officers have law degrees, and that the senior ranks of HR departments of many large companies have lawyers in nonpracticing roles. If they don\u2019t know how versatile that a law degree is, who does?<\/p>\n

If all else fails, audit!<\/strong><\/p>\n

We hope to be able to get a Fortune 500 company, or two, to audit their workforce to see how many employees hold JD degrees outside the law department<\/em>. The results could be quite eye-opening.\u00a0 Word would then spread with more and more companies doing similar research until defined paths might become apparent.\u00a0 For example, perhaps Proctor & Gamble discovers four former practicing lawyers are actually in Brand Management.\u00a0 Suddenly, a new path is defined.<\/p>\n

Law schools need to get on board<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few law schools have companies interviewing students on campus for nonlegal jobs upon graduation.\u00a0 Certain elite schools do get some management consulting firms.\u00a0 But these are extremely limited cases.\u00a0 Ex judicata is spending considerable time networking with law schools to have a banner linking back to our site on the career services and\/or alumni portals of the law school.\u00a0 To date, we\u2019ve signed up 70 ABA-accredited law schools.<\/p>\n

And then there is the ABA<\/strong><\/p>\n

We quote from our last Above the Law<\/strong> article:<\/p>\n

\n

The ABA has been slow to get onboard.\u00a0 All you really need to know is that the lead article<\/em> Nine Non-Legal Jobs You Can (Really, Truly) Do with a Law Degree <\/em><\/a>on the ABA\u2019s<\/em> Alternative Career site spells \u201cnonlegal\u201d wrong.\u00a0 The most up-to-date piece under \u201clatest resources\u201d is dated October 4, 2023<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lawyers heal thyself<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawyers who want to move to business should be advocating on their own behalf to help get the ball moving.\u00a0 This means making everyone in their ecosystem aware they want to find a nonlegal job.<\/p>\n

The good news<\/strong><\/p>\n

More and more attention is being paid to those who want to pursue an alternative path.\u00a0 Here comes the gratuitous mention of AI.\u00a0 Some of the heat and hot water can be traced to the belief that AI will so dramatically reduce entry-level legal positions that alternatives must be found.\u00a0 That is a more advanced discussion for another day. In the meantime, at ex judicata, the majority of our time is spent networking with talent executives as to why they should hire JDs for nonlegal jobs.\u00a0 And it is working.<\/p>\n

\n

Neil Handwerker and Kimberly Fine are the co-founders of ex judicata<\/a>, a website providing information, resources, webinars, coaching, money management, and inspirational content for lawyers and law students interested in moving to nonlegal careers.\u00a0 This is their second startup together. Feel free to email<\/a>\u00a0them with any questions or suggestions or connect with them on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed. note: This is the second in a series of articles by our friends Neil Handwerker and Kimberly Fine of ex judicata, who will be writing about lawyers interested in transitioning to nonlegal careers. What is the big idea? We have now reached 100,000 unique users on exjudicata.com.\u00a0 A testament to the rapidly growing number […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":109245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-1-niwGMX.jpeg?fit=398%2C299&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}