What is the best job to have while in law school?

Asked by: Stanford Armstrong  |  Last update: January 14, 2026
Score: 4.2/5 (43 votes)

Library Assistant You'll likely spend a lot of time in the library as a law student, so why not get used to it and gain valuable experience along the way? You'll develop essential research and organizational skills, vital for law school and your future legal practice.

What jobs look best on a law school application?

Here are five great jobs for a gap year to strengthen your candidacy before law school:
  • Paralegal or legal assistant.
  • Research or policy analyst.
  • Teaching.
  • Community work.
  • Working for a startup.

Should I have a job while in law school?

Overall, my advice would be to hold off on finding employment until at least your second semester of law school. In your second or third year, your schedule will have more flexibility, and you'll have a better sense of how to manage your time and responsibilities in law school.

How do people make money while in law school?

It's possible to work while pursuing a law degree. Some of the top law student jobs include freelancing, tutoring, and being a teaching assistant. Consider the pros and cons when deciding to work while pursuing your law degree.

Which is best job for law graduates?

Career After LLB in India – Top LLB Career Options
  • Legal Advisor. ...
  • Judiciary. ...
  • Teaching. ...
  • Private Companies. ...
  • Writer Of Law Books /Reports /Journalist. ...
  • Legal Analyst. ...
  • Legal Researcher. ...
  • LLM. If you want to study further law, you can choose to study LLM.

Job Options After Law School.

43 related questions found

Which law degree has highest salary?

Ans: Corporate law and international law often offer the highest salaries.

What branch of law pays the most?

Highest-Paid Types of Lawyers
  • Trial lawyer: $134,000.
  • Tax attorney: $122,000.
  • Corporate lawyer: $115,000.
  • Medical lawyer: $113,000.
  • Real estate lawyer: $98,000.
  • Family lawyer: $93,000.
  • Criminal defense lawyer: $86,000.
  • Immigration lawyer: $83,000.

How do you afford to live while in law school?

Loans and scholarships are the only way to get money while you're in law school. Lots of law students will hold a job of some kind while they are in school. The key to having a job while in law school is to find one that is high-pay/low-hour. Working for your school is often a great option.

Is law school financially worth it?

Key Takeaways

Law school can be a path to a lucrative career—but it can also lead to significant debts. The average law school graduate debt is $160,000, while the starting annual salary is much less.

What is a side hustle for a law student?

Lawyers can offer legal services, consulting, or freelance writing for extra income. Sell legal forms, start a niche blog, or create online courses for passive earnings. Bar exam tutoring and virtual assistant roles utilize legal skills in flexible ways.

Can I go to law school and work full-time?

Even though the American Bar Association (ABA) dropped their 20 hour a week work limit for full-time law students, many law schools themselves typically limit how many hours a law student can work per week, making it impossible for a professional to keep a full-time job while also attending law school.

Is it hard to find a job after law school?

Many law students and graduated law students struggle to find a job after law school. It is no secret that the legal job market is at an all-time low. Law students and new lawyers compete for the few jobs that have openings.

Can I have a life in law school?

You can actually have a life while in law school. You can go to the gym, go to bed at a normal hour, spend time with your kids, cook meals, see a movie. During exams, this won't be true. But during the semester, you can and need to have a life, for the sake of your sanity.

What is the best job for a law student?

Best Jobs for Pre-Law Students
  1. Paralegal. A paralegal is to a lawyer, as a nurse is to a doctor. ...
  2. Tutor or Teaching Abroad. ...
  3. Office Administration. ...
  4. Sales Representatives. ...
  5. Legal Assistant. ...
  6. Retail Worker. ...
  7. Roles in Start-Up Companies. ...
  8. Ski Instructor.

What does Harvard look for in law school applicants?

As a general guideline, most admitted applicants demonstrate potential for success in law school through an exceptional undergraduate academic record, standardized test scores in the top percentiles, and substantial accomplishments in work or extracurricular activities; however, no one of these aspects of an ...

Should I get a job while in law school?

It's uncommon for full-time law students to take a job during the school year, according to Marcia Pennington Shannon, the assistant dean of the office of career strategy at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Shannon recommends at least waiting until the end of your first year of law school before ...

What is the dropout rate for law school?

The 2023 law school attrition rate was 3.8 percent, varying across demographics and institutions. This article delves into the types of attrition, the schools with the highest rates, and the impact of these rates on student choices and institutional policies.

Is law school harder than med school?

Each path demands extensive education and a commitment to rigorous training before becoming a qualified professional. Although both law and medical schools present their unique challenges, it's generally accepted that medical school demands a higher level of intense coursework and thorough training.

How hard is the bar exam?

The bar exam is hard. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult challenges you ever embark on. You must memorize numerous laws and consume a lot of knowledge to answer questions correctly. For many, it feels like trying to hold sand in your hands, knowing that you'll inevitably lose much of it.

What does the average person pay for law school?

The average cost of private law school tuition in the US is $53,034 a year. Public in-state tuition is $29,610 a year, and out-of-state tuition is $42,754 a year.

Does FAFSA pay for law school?

While FAFSA can provide you access to various federal student aid programs, getting full financial aid only through FAFSA is rare. Many law schools also offer scholarships and institutional aid, so it's advisable to explore multiple funding sources to cover the cost of law school.

What are Tier 3 law schools?

Tier 3 Law schools are generally all of the other law schools that USNews takes the effort to individually rank. These tend to change year over year quite a bit. The best way to determine an actual list is to look at the USNews rankings for any law school that is ranked better than the bottom mass grouping.

What field of law is most in demand?

Which Legal Fields Are in Demand?
  • Intellectual property law. ...
  • Family law. ...
  • Immigration & naturalization law. ...
  • Real estate law. ...
  • Contract management. ...
  • Compliance. ...
  • Labor and employment. ...
  • Corporate transactions. Also known as mergers and acquisitions, or M&A, this work navigates the buying and selling of companies and their assets.

Which type of lawyer is the richest?

As of 2024, the top five highest paid types of lawyers are:
  • Patent Attorneys.
  • Intellectual property (IP) Attorneys.
  • Trial Lawyers.
  • Tax Attorneys.
  • Corporate Lawyers.

Which law has highest salary?

11 of the highest-paying lawyers
  • Civil litigation attorney. ...
  • Real estate attorney. ...
  • Intellectual property attorney. ...
  • Bankruptcy lawyer. ...
  • Family lawyer. ...
  • Tax attorney. ...
  • Corporate attorney. ...
  • Patent attorney.