The 2015 CAO statistics in Ireland show an increase in first preference for law. The 12.8% increase reflects a renewed confidence in a profession badly hit by the recession. This is a good sign, but it made me think; do people know what can come from studying law?

Law professionals are defined as those who study, develop and apply the law- a broad definition to say the least. Maybe some people want to be flashy corporate lawyers like Harvey Spector or passionate litigators like Alicia Florrick. But for a lot of legal professionals, what they end up doing with their qualification is dictated by what they trained in. They have ‘fallen’ into their role blissfully unaware of the options that are available to them. So, what can you do once you qualify? The answer is; anything! The skills you obtain from studying and practicing law are invaluable and transferable into almost any industry. But for the sake of this article, here are 5 options to consider:

1. You can stay in practice: simply meaning, you can stay in the firm you trained in or move to another law firm. These involve small, mid-sized and large firms ranging from the small criminal defence firm to one of the ‘Big 6’ multinational corporate firms. Within practice, you can become a ‘jack of all trades’ lawyer or specialise in a particular department such as Banking or Healthcare. With more corporations coming to Ireland, commercial property and corporate solicitors are always in demand. Additionally, those well experienced in litigation and the judicial process are a great asset to any legal firm. Practice presents the advantages of being among like-minded people and progressing to Partner Level, where salaries can be very high and the work challenging. However, hours can be long and the pressure of time billing and fee earning can create tension. Sometimes people crave a more commercial environment. Which brings us to our next option;
2. You can go ‘in house’:this is one of the more popular choices I have seen since working as a legal recruiter. In-house seems to be the antidote to the long hours and Work/Life balance issues faced in private practice. As a member of an in-house legal team you can enjoy the support of others in the legal department while constantly learning and evolving commercially through your colleagues in different fields. You are the “go-to” person for anything relating to the legalities of running a business from HR issues to marketing initiatives. This can be very exciting; you are supporting a business venture and the environment can be one of innovation, excitement and creativity. I would suggest having a few years PQE under your belt before looking at this option as generally they require a minimum of 2 years.
3. You can go into Compliance: In keeping with in-house roles, Compliance has more recently become a hot focus for legal departments. For one thing, it’s a fast track into an in-house position; meaning you do not have to have PQE years under your belt to enter into this role. What you do need is usually to be ACOI qualified; the Professional Certificate and Professional Diploma in Compliance are offered jointly by the Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland (ACOI). If you’re interested in learning a lot about the business side, you’ll get plenty of that in compliance, which involves a little bit of law and a lot of working with and advising business clients. Having a legal qualification is not always a necessity but it has been shown that qualified lawyers who are compliance officers tend to be favoured for advancement opportunities because much of compliance relies on an understanding of laws and regulations. In this, you can get a chance to work in exciting companies you are interested in.
4. You can become a Company Secretary: In the light of economic developments in recent years stakeholders of companies, particularly in the financial services sector, are increasingly concerned with the conduct of the affairs of the company. As such, and with the Companies Act 2014 coming into practice this summer, the role of the Company Secretary has emerged as one of the key governance professionals within an organisation. You are the spokesperson for the company and responsible for developing and implementing processes to promote good corporate governance. This role offers a varied workload, huge responsibility and a great salary- Perfect for those wanting to leave their stamp on an organisation.
5. You can become a professional Mediator: The publication of the Mediation Bill 2013 means that mediation is going to become a part of the litigation landscape and thus, a demand for mediators will increase dramatically. Mediation, as defined by the draft Mediation Bill, is a “viable, effective and efficient alternative to court proceedings”. The aim is to reduce legal costs and speed up the resolution of disputes (and relieving the Courts). The bill imposes a duty on solicitors and barristers to inform their clients, prior to the instigation of court proceedings, of the possibility of using mediation as an alternative method of dispute resolution. As a result; some larger firms might even look into hiring mediators or training their own solicitors in mediation to be a ‘one stop shop’ for their clients. I would suggest gaining a Certificate with the Mediators Institute of Ireland to take you a step above the rest.

To put it simply, there are more options than staying where you trained. I wish someone had enlightened me about the endless possibilities there are for the legally minded. You have invaluable skills that you have had to adopt simply to get through studying and training in law and they are transferable to almost any discipline. I went into recruitment and so did my colleague Rosie. I met someone who became a DJ after qualifying, another became a photographer. To put it simply, obtaining your legal qualification will never be a waste- the hard part is over. Figuring out what you can do with it is where the fun starts!