Before deciding whether law school is the right path, students should take time to explore the legal profession, learn about legal careers, understand the realities of law school, and connect with practicing attorneys. Researching the profession helps students make informed decisions and develop meaningful professional goals.
Create your FREE Pre-Law Job Seeker Account
Hire Law is a pre-law job and internship board. University of Alabama students can create their FREE Job Seeker Account at hirelawstudentjobs.com.
- Click “School-Wide Access”
- Select “Pre-Law: School-Wide Access Portal”
- Click “Create My Account”
- Use Crimson email address when creating the account
- In the “Subscription Type/Organization” field, select “University of Alabama”
Lawyers advise clients, research legal issues, draft documents, negotiate agreements, advocate in court, and help individuals and organizations navigate complex legal matters.
Common Responsibilities
- Legal research and analysis
- Writing briefs, memos, and contracts
- Client counseling
- Negotiation and mediation
- Litigation and courtroom advocacy
- Transactional work and business advising
- Public service and policy work
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Many lawyers gain experience and practice in a variety of legal fields. Some lawyers specialize in certain areas. Examples include Business & Corporate Law, Civil Rights, Criminal Law, Education Law, Employment & Labor Law, Environmental Law, Family Law, Health Law, Immigration Law, Intellectual Property (IP) Law, International Law, Real Estate Law, Sports & Entertainment Law, and more.
The major job sectors for laywers include:
- Private Practice
- Government
- Business
- Judicial Clerk
- Public Interest
- Education
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Salaries can vary widely depending on the type of law practice, size of the firm, location, and other factors. Private Practice, which is what most lawyers do, offers the highest salaries. Most entry-level lawyers will start between $70,000 – $120,000. A smaller portion of entry-level lawyers for “Big Law” positions will start at entry-level salaries over $200,000. These are just entry-level salaries. As lawyers gain more experience, they can earn well above these ranges.
Class of 2025 – Distribution of Reported Full-Time Salaries
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Informational Interviews
Research lawyers in your own network and surrounding area. For example, you may have a family member or other connection who either works in a legal career or knows someone who does. You may also look specifically for lawyers who graduated from the University of Alabama (both the law school and the main campus). Connect with practicing attorneys to learn more about what they do. Politely ask if you could set up a call, brief meeting, or meet over coffee. Ask thoughtful questions (e.g., what does a typical day look like in your practice?). Listen to their advice (but also, take it with a grain of salt).
Seek Out Shadowing Opportunities
Some lawyers may be willing and able to let you shadow them for a time to see what their work consists of each day. Shadowing provides an opportunity to learn about the profession while also meeting legal professionals and building your network.
Legal Internships and Other Experiences
While gaining legal internship or other legal work experience can be helpful, you do not need legal experience on your resume to go to law school. However, legal experience is a great way to learn more about the field, explore your interests, and show your commitment to the profession. Opportunities to shadow, intern, volunteer, etc., may be available at law firms, courthouses, legal aid organizations, government offices and agencies, advocacy organizations, non-profit organizations, and more.
Most law firms reserve “internships” for current law students, but there are still opportunities for undergraduates to gain experience if they put the work in to the search process. Unlike many traditional internships, many legal intern positions for undergraduates are not posted or widely advertised. Students often find out about opportunities through family, their professional network, reaching out directly to firms and other organizations, or through finding opportunities on job boards such as Handshake, HireLaw, Indeed, LinkedIn, and more. Students may also do “cold outreach” by reaching out to law firms to ask about opportunities for internships, volunteering, and so forth. Students should have an updated resume and list of references ready. Be sure that any “legal intern” position is for undergraduates and not current law students. Some legal internships may not have the words “law” or “legal” in the title, so read each position description carefully.
Consider gaining experience and developing skills in internships with non-profit organizations (Idealist.org), government agencies (USAjobs.gov), and other companies and organizations. Again, legal experience is not necessary before law school, so students can pursue a variety of opportunities to gain valuable work experience and develop their skills.