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Career Paths - Career Services Administration
The Official Guide to Legal Specialties, Lisa Abrams NALP/BarBri, 2000. Based on interviews with 130 lawyers from a wide
variety of practice settings in both the private and public sector,
this book is packed with information on what day-to-day practice is
like in 30 specialty areas.
The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers, Valerie A. Fontaine NALP, 2006. Legal search consultant Valerie Fontaine shares proven
secrets for success for lawyers at all stages of their careers - whether
they want to conduct a successful job search or position themselves for
success in their current organizations.
Choosing Small, Choosing Smart: Job Search Strategies for Lawyers in the Small Firm Market, Donna Gerson Revised 2nd edition, NALP, 2005. An experienced career counselor offers comprehensive information on career paths for lawyers who choose practice in a small firm; job search advice and tips for succeeding at a small firm are also featured in this book.
The Lawyer's Career Management Handbook: Your Bridge to a Satisfying Career, Marcia Pennington Shannon, Managing Editor West, 2010. This handbook provides an impressive 600+ pages of career advice edited by Marcia Pennington Shannon of Shannon & Manch LLP, with contributions from a number of Shannon & Manch staffers, most with extensive prior experience as NALP members. The book begins with 10 chapters addressing "Who Am I?" and continues with 19 chapters on job searching for both private sector and public service jobs, 17 chapters on success on the job, and three closing chapters on broader topics of success in life. Extensive examples and checklists (from self-assessment exercises to sample resumes) are provided, and the book ends with extensive resource lists.
Solo By Choice 2011-2012: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be, Carolyn Elefant
Solo By Choice: The Companion Guide, Carolyn Elefant
How to Start and Build a Law Practice, 5th Edition, Jay Foonberg American
Bar Association, 2004. With each new
edition, this popular primer on establishing a law practice keeps
getting bigger. Weighing in at more than 600 pages, the Fifth Edition
adds yet more content to a resource already considered a classic in its
field. The book is organized into nine basic sections, each with
numerous chapters: Getting Started, Getting Located, Getting Equipped, Getting Clients, Setting Fees, Managing the Law Office, Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Resources and Advice, and Quality of Life. The checklists, business plan template, sample forms and letters, and other illustrations add tremendously to the usefulness of this basic primer.
The Independence Track: How to Succeed as a Freelance Attorney, Marina Modlin At a time when solo firms and temp agencies have garnered most of the coverage, this book discusses an alternative career path that is likely much more feasible for most recent law graduates. Author Marina Modlin recounts how she came to work as a full-time, self-employed freelance attorney for two years and learned how to practice a dozen different types of law, how to network, and how to run a company. Ultimately, Modlin established a solo practice, but this book focuses on what it means to work as a self-employed attorney, including how to get work, how to establish a business infrastrucure, and how to do the work. Her advice is wide-ranging and extremely readable. She's honest about the hard work and life choices involved without being condescending. Her book is an excellent and much-needed resource for anyone considering becoming a freelance attorney.
The Road to Independence: 101 Women's Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, 2011. At once
inspirational and practical, this book is a collection of 101 letters
from women who have created their own law firms, either as solo
practitioners or with others. Brimming with business-savvy tips for
starting and growing a practice, the letters also address the larger
themes of becoming a business woman, choosing a practice area true to
one's passion, and controlling not only one's days but one's destiny.
The Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering: What Every Lawyer and Law Firm Needs to Know about Temporary Legal Services, 3rd Edition, Deborah Arron and Deborah Guyol DecisionBooks, 2003. This book is an excellent resource for the increasing numbers of law students and lawyers who are considering contract lawyering.
The Legal Career Guide: From Law Student to Lawyer, Gary Munneke ABA Law Practice Management Section, 2002. This guide offers step-by-step advice on planning a law career, executing a job search, and moving into the legal market.
Going In-House: A Guide for Law Students and Recent Graduates, Donna Gerson NALP, Updated 2003. This 32-page booklet discusses the opportunities available in corporate legal departments, including the advantages and disadvantages of in-house practice.
Should You Really Be a Lawyer? — The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School, Deborah Schneider and Gary Belsky DecisionBooks, 2004. This book is divided into three sections: (1) Should You Really Go to Law School? (2) Should You Really Stay in Law School? and (3) Should You Really Practice Law? It is thus covers the gamut from pre-law decisions to consideration of private practice versus an alternative career.
The Lawyer's Toolkit, American Bar Association General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm Section, 2006 For lawyers starting their own practice, this kit bundles four ABA resources (also available separately): The Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law by Edward Poll; Letters for Lawyers: Essential Communications for Clients, Prospects, and Others by Thomas E. Kane; How to Capture and Keep Clients, Jennifer J. Rose, Editor (audio CDs); and Exercise Your Options I: Evaluating, Selecting and Budgeting Case Management Software (audio CDs and course material). Career Paths in Law — Specific See Public Service for careers in public service.
The Official Guide to Legal Specialties, Lisa Abrams NALP/BarBri, 2000. Based on interviews with 130 lawyers from a wide variety of practice settings in both the private and public sector, this book is packed with information on what day-to-day practice is like in 30 specialty areas.
Careers in Health Law and Life Sciences American Health Lawyers Association and NALP, 2010. This 16-page booklet-style brochure provides an overview for law students and lawyers considering a career in health law, offering an introduction to the field; descriptions of the various health law practice settings; the answers to frequently asked questions on preparing for a career in health law; and selected online resources. Types of health law practices addressed include a wide variety of settings, from large to small firms to government agencies, corporations, healthcare provider organizations, capital financing organizations, and more. FAQs include advice on skills needed for the field of health law, course preparation, whether an advanced degree such as an LLM is helpful, job search resources, and transitioning from a private law practice to a governmental position.
Careers in International Law, 3rd Edition, Salli A. Swartz, Editor American Bar Association, ABA Career Series, 2008. Rather than being a single explanation of career paths in international law, this volume suggests some of the breadth, variety, and substance of the field by presenting chapters by lawyers in the field.
Careers in Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice, Prof. James T. O'Reilly, Editor American Bar Association, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice, 2010. This book begins with an explanation of what administrative law is (and isn't) and then explores the wide variety of career paths possible within the field, as well as the skill sets and preparation needed for careers in administrative law. Seventeen veteran administrative law practitioners then share advice on what they think someone considering their career field should know. The veteran practitioners include an environmental practitioner, an immigration lawyer, an election lawyer, a municipal administrative lawyer, a product safety lawyer, an association lawyer, and additional widely varied types of practitioners. NALP member Sean Rhiney of the University of Cincinnati College of Law contributed a chapter sharing a career counselor's perspective on the field.
Careers in Criminal Law, Ellen Brotman, Editor American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, 2010. This book is designed not only to explain opportunities and career paths in criminal law but also to give readers insights into the type of person who will do well in a career in criminal law. The book is organized into five parts: Part I focuses on traditional criminal defense, including public defending, white collar criminal defense, big firm practice, solo practice, and appellate and post-conviction advocacy. Part II shifts the focus to those who prosecute in state, federal, and juvenile courts. Part III describes the journeys of three judges in very different venues, and Part IV explores careers related to prisoner advocacy and re-entry. Finally, Part V presents accounts of several careers in criminal law that defy categorization.
Careers in Animal Law, Yolanda Eisenstein American Bar Association, 2011. This book explains the varied career paths and practice settings possible in one of the fastest growing legal disciplines. Animal law is concerned with protecting and improving the lives of animals through city ordinances, state and federal laws, international treaties, and cases that impact animals. This book is for law students interested in animal law as well as seasoned lawyers seeking a new direction. It will help readers gain an overview of the field from a practicing animal lawyer and professor of animal law; forge a successful animal law career whether in a law firm, government agency, corporation, nonprofit organization, or in solo practice; learn career tips from a series of animal-lawyer profiles; and understand evolving trends in legislation, litigation, and academia that will change the face of animal law in decades to come.
The Practice of Consumer Law, Second Edition National Consumer Law Center/National Association of Consumer Advocates, 2006. Beginning with an overview of the practice of consumer law, this book presents a series of essays that offer an in-depth look at various aspects of the work of consumer lawyers. Career Services Administration
Law School Career Services Survey, NALP This biennial survey provides information on salaries, education levels, and job responsibilities of career services professionals as well as information on career services offices.
Perspectives on Career Services, NALP 2004. More than 30 NALP members share their expertise and perspectives on the constituencies of the career services office; skills and strategies for success; the annual calendar; programming; career fairs; marketing; and legal and ethical issues. This book is directed particularly to those new to the field, but seasoned veterans will also find that their colleagues' perspectives will spark new ideas.
Counseling Basics for Legal Career Professionals NALP, 2004. Because increasing numbers are entering career services with legal experience but no training in counseling, a NALP committee prepared this pamphlet, which offers a basic introduction to counseling techniques and explains the difference between "counseling" and "advising." For additional information and handouts on career services administration, see the Professional Resources > Career Services section of the NALP website.   
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