I got into law basically because I didn't know what else to do. I knew that I wanted to make money and do something that used my mind and my sense of language. A legal career seemed like the perfect way to do this. Lawyers make a ton of money, are fairly well-respected, and are extremely powerful in our society. Unfortunately, I didn't think about the amount of work that I would have to do. Unless you find one of the alternative careers for lawyers, being an attorney means working long days, every week of the year. You make a lot of though, but you barely have time to spend it.

I was only in the field for a couple of years before started looking at alternative careers for lawyers. I did pretty well in corporate law at first. I was advancing quickly, I won most of my cases, and I had the respect of all the senior members of the firm. Nonetheless, I simply was not happy. Despite the expensive meals, the fancy vacations, and the luxurious apartments, I wasn't living the life for me. What's the point of having all those great things if you have no time to enjoy yourself? To me, it seemed like a waste of time. I wanted to look at alternative careers for lawyers because I wanted something that would make me feel proud of myself. I wanted a job which allowed me to be under less stress, while making a difference and still living at a reasonable standard of living. I did not mind taking a pay cut as long as I could work on something that I loved.

The most common alternative career for a lawyer is to work in the Nonprofit sector. There are not-for-profit lawyers at pretty much every level of advocacy. Some of them work as advocates for the poor, taking cases for very little pay in order to help give adequate legal representation to those who can't afford it. Others' work setting policy for large outfits, helping to protect and safeguard the environment, defend workers rights, or do some other noble task. And then of course, there are the lobbyists ñ the lawyers who work on behalf of political interests in Washington. Although these are not the same sorts of stress-free alternative careers for lawyers, they still let you make a difference. In those jobs, you can really argue on behalf of a cause you believe in if you get picked up by the right company.

I ended up getting employed with a civil rights organization based in Washington states. I help activists, drug users, teens, minorities, and other people whose rights are frequently violated by society to defend themselves and know what legal recourse they have. It doesn't pay that well, and it certainly isn't as high profile, but I really feel a lot better about what I'm doing.