Career opportunities for those with J.D. abound
From practicing maritime law with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree to overseeing health care regulation with a Master of Laws degree, the opportunities for law students are boundless.
And the opportunities in Houston include many locations, including University of Houston Law Center and South Texas College of Law.
“Law school graduates can pursue careers as practicing lawyers, but the variation in what lawyers do is enormous. Lawyers may practice in private law firms, in corporations as in-house counsel or in government agencies. They may focus on dispute resolution or transactional work, or a mix of both,” said Alicia Cramer, assistant dean of Admissions at the South Texas College of Law.
Those wanting to legally practice law must earn their J.D. This program is generally a three-year, full-time program — though part-time programs are available. It culminates with the bar exam, and after passing, you can practice law in the United States.
The areas of law a student may pursue is seemingly inex- haustible. Areas include environmental law, civil law, litigation, military law, oil and gas law, media law, transportation law and sports law – and that’s only a handful of practice areas. However, a legal career isn’t the only option for a grad.
“Law school graduates may pursue non-legal careers where their broad knowledge of the law and procedure are beneficial. To be successful in the current job market, it is often essential to incorporate knowledge and perspectives from a variety of professional and academic fields. This is especially true when it comes to the law, and an understanding of basic legal principles is necessary across a wide variety of careers,” Cramer said.
For this reason, a number of professionals may seek to advance their careers with the knowledge and skills acquired with a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree, which is an advanced law certification typically earned after completion of a one-year, full-time program — though, again, part-time programs are available. While it doesn’t qualify lawyers to sit for the bar exam, it does give LL.M-holders global credentials who wish to incorporate legal study into their skill set. A J.D. degree also may serve the same purpose for those wanting to round out their resume.
“A law degree may be beneficial for someone working as a landman in the oil and gas industry or in compliance and legal risk management or in human resources,” Cramer said. “Law school graduates also may pursue careers in advance-
ment as planned-giving fundraisers, in education, in health care administration and in investment fields as financial advisors. Lawyers often work as sports agents, journalists and real estate brokers,” Cramer said.
LL.M students often may choose a specific course of study as well. The University of Houston Law Center, for example, offers students five LL.Mprogram areas: Environment, energy and natural resources; intellectual property and information law; international law; tax law; and foreign scholars.
While U.S. students must earn the J.D. in order to sit for the bar, foreign-educated lawyers are able to sit for the bar exam after completing an LL.M program.
“For licensed, foreigneducated lawyers, taking the LL.M makes them eligible to take the Texas bar exam after completing a U.S. LL.M program accredited by the American Bar Association, such as that offered by the University of Houston Law Center. Any student who earned a law degree outside of the United States is required to take Introduction to American Law and Lawyering Skills and Strategies during their first semester in the LL.M program,” said Leonard M. Baynes, dean and professor of law at University of Houston Law Center.
Which path a student takes to study law — whether it’s a J.D. degree or LL.M certification, and whether it’s part-time or full-time — will affect how flexible the program is with a student’s existing schedule and how long the program takes to complete.
“Part-time J.D. students take a reduced course load and can take 10 to 11 academic credits per semester in contrast to the full-time students, who can take 15 to 16 credits per semester. The part-time students can accelerate their graduation date by taking courses during the summer,” Baynes said. “During the firstyear curriculum, we offer required classes to part-time students at night, which will allow the students to pursue full-time employment. We have very few requirements for upper-level classes; only Professional Responsibility and upper-level writing course are required. These courses also are offered at night.”