Law graduates who hold JD Advantage positions work for a variety of employer types, including federal, state, and local government, nonprofit organizations, corporations of all sizes, and regulated businesses. JD Advantage jobs include various business settings, such as accounting, banking, finance, employment, entertainment or sports management, environment, insurance, labor relations, management consulting real estate, and venture capital. JD Advantage jobs include positions in a wide variety of areas, such as:

• AI Governance
• Compliance and Ethics
• Contract/Vendor/Procurement Management
• Corporate Governance/Responsibility/Sustainability
• Data Privacy/Security
• Government Affairs/Relations
• Human Resources/Benefits
• Insurance/Risk Management
• Intellectual Property, Technology, and Licensing
• Legal Operations, Innovations, and Technology
• Regulatory Affairs

JD advantage jobs tend to be around 13.9% of jobs taken by new law school graduates and continue to be a sizeable share of jobs in the entry-level legal market. They are generally high quality (measured by full-time and long-term indicators) and tend to be with business, industry, and governmental employers.

While there are many paths to JD Advantage jobs, often, to optimize chances of a meaningful JD Advantage law career, law students should consider actively practicing law for a time. Having practice experience, and thus transferable skills, will provide more value to a JD Advantage position in the long term. If you are very interested in staying marketable as an attorney, you should still work on building your legal skill set and your reputation as a lawyer even after you’ve obtained a JD Advantage job. Whenever you can, continue to network with lawyers, be active in bar associations, write articles (even co-authored with a more senior attorney) or give presentations, and build relationships that may result in jobs, career development, business development, or other opportunities down the line. A JD Advantage job doesn’t have to mean closing the door on a law firm or in-house future; it can in fact open that door, and many others.

Whether you intend to take the bar exam or not, law school equips you with skills that many employers find highly desirable and transfer to other industries. Some of those skills include: 

• Effectively identify problems 
• Analyze arguments and issues, evaluate effective and realistic approaches to problems, and formulate conclusions and advice 
• Research the law to identify issues and derive solutions 
• Orally communicate issues in an articulate manner consistent with issue and audience being addressed 
• Listen actively to understand what is being said both directly and indirectly
• Persuade others of position and win support
• Ask relevant questions to obtain needed information
• Negotiate to resolve disputes 
• Present complex material to business leadership 
• Analyze and assess appropriate risk mitigation 
• Maintain core knowledge of the substantive area 
• Prevent or manage conflict

When considering a JD advantage job, one of the most important considerations is how the job will affect your future marketability when (or if) you want to pursue law firm, in-house, or other attorney careers. Take the time to consider questions like: 

• Will the job build your technical skillset? Will it build your legal expertise?
• Does it develop your understanding of the macro and micro issues facing law firm clients? Their individual internal concerns, functions, and operations? Their clients?
• Does it develop your soft skills—critical thinking, research, document and factual analysis, client management, ability to communicate clearly with a variety of audiences?
• Does it help your eventual business and client development? Build your credibility and relationships?
• Will the job align with your family goals and responsibilities?
• Do you have the required competencies to perform the job?
• Do you have a joint degree and want to be more business/entrepreneurial focused?

The American Bar Association, under their Alternative Legal Careers section, also has articles and webinars available to help you identify your skills and strengths to set you down a career path that will satisfy you.

An additional step in deciding if a JD Advantage job is right for you is to consider the competencies and transferable skills you possess that align with the specific JD Advantage job you are targeting. Many JD Advantage employers look for a variety and combination of competencies from the following list:

• Prior educational and work experience required by specific position including JD and other associated degrees (i.e., sciences and others)
• Ability to study and understand legal and other key documents, rules, and regulations 
• Ability to gather, evaluate, organize, manage, and collate information in a variety of formats
• Ability to stay current with changes in rules, legislation, and guidelines 
• Ability to analyze complicated information, processes, and data
• Ability to negotiate and interact with regulatory authorities
• Ability to provide advice about rules, regulations, policies, practices, and systems to constituencies
• Ability to assess risk from both business and legal perspectives  
• Ability to make recommendations about and ensure compliance with regulations set by regulatory authorities
• An appreciation for and understanding of the legal services market
• Ability to understand the applicable industry and business 
• Ability to respond discretely and effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints
• Ability to make effective and persuasive presentations on controversial or complex topics to all levels of management

If you lack certain proficiencies, acquire them through pro bono work, volunteering, taking on leadership roles in professional organizations, and taking relevant courses to better align yourself with what is required.