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Best Jobs For Former Attorneys [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on:

Best Jobs for Former Attorneys in 2026

In 2026, the landscape for attorneys has transformed significantly, with many professionals reassessing their career paths. The legal profession continues to face challenges, prompting numerous attorneys to explore new opportunities beyond traditional roles.

Despite a stable number of enrollments in law schools, the allure of becoming an attorney has diminished, leading to a notable decline in applications to the field. This shift raises an important question:

What career paths are former attorneys pursuing now?

To find out, we analyzed the resumes of former attorneys, sifting through thousands of entries to identify the top 100 jobs they transitioned into after leaving their legal careers.

Below is a snapshot of the ten most common jobs for former attorneys:

  1. Contract Attorney (Overview)

  2. Associate Attorney (Overview)

  3. General Counsel (Overview)

  4. Associate (Overview)

  5. Attorney/Owner (Overview)

  6. Staff Attorney (Overview)

  7. Attorney At Law (Overview)

  8. Legal Assistant (Overview)

  9. Adjunct Professor (Overview)

  10. Principal (Overview)

While these roles may seem predictable for former attorneys, they reflect the diverse skills that legal professionals bring to various sectors. However, there are also some surprising and compelling career shifts worth noting.

Here are some intriguing job titles that former attorneys are taking on:

  1. General Counsel Jobs (Overview)

  2. Associate Jobs (Overview)

  3. Legal Assistant Jobs (Overview)

  4. Adjunct Professor Jobs (Overview)

  5. Owner Jobs (Overview)

  6. Principal Jobs (Overview)

  7. Consultant Jobs (Overview)

  8. Solo Practitioner Jobs (Overview)

  9. Partner Jobs (Overview)

  10. Law Clerk Jobs (Overview)

While some positions may appeal more than others based on personal interests and goals, they all demonstrate the versatility of a legal background.

How We Identified the Most Common Jobs for Former Attorneys

Using data from a comprehensive database of over 7 million resumes, we focused on entries that included “attorney” in their work history. We then analyzed which job titles appeared most frequently following their legal careers, ranking them accordingly.

To highlight unique job positions, we further filtered our list to include roles that:

  • Appeared in fewer than 1% of all new job entries
  • Were not included in the top 100 most common job titles in our dataset

This methodology provided a clear picture of the evolving career landscape for former attorneys, which you can explore in detail below.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs of Former Attorneys

Rank Job Title %
1 Contract Attorney 3.69%
2 Associate Attorney 3.3%
3 General Counsel 1.96%
4 Associate 1.86%
5 Attorney/Owner 1.42%
6 Staff Attorney 1.33%
7 Attorney At Law 1.11%
8 Legal Assistant 1.09%
9 Adjunct Professor 1.05%
10 Principal 0.99%
11 Owner 0.99%
12 Consultant 0.98%
13 Solo Practitioner 0.98%
14 Paralegal 0.98%
15 Partner 0.94%
16 Document Review Attorney 0.86%
17 Law Clerk 0.85%
18 Vice President 0.81%
19 Administrative Assistant 0.79%
20 Senior Counselor 0.76%
21 Legal Counsel 0.75%
22 Litigation Attorney 0.73%
23 Corporate Counsel 0.69%
24 Assistant General Counsel 0.67%
25 Housing Counselor 0.62%
26 Senior Attorney 0.59%
27 Associate General Counsel 0.58%
28 Executive Director 0.53%
29 President 0.52%
30 Office Manager 0.52%
31 Internship 0.52%
32 Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner 0.5%
33 Sales Associate 0.47%
34 Project Attorney 0.45%
35 Director 0.45%
36 Project Manager 0.44%
37 Volunteer 0.42%
38 Legal Consultant 0.41%
39 Trial Attorney 0.41%
40 Senior Vice President 0.39%
41 Contracts Manager 0.39%
42 Hearing Officer 0.39%
43 Customer Service Representative 0.36%
44 Managing Partner 0.36%
45 Substitute Teacher 0.36%
46 Chief Executive Officer 0.35%
47 Teacher 0.35%
48 Human Resources Coordinator 0.35%
49 Analyst 0.34%
50 Document Reviewer 0.34%
51 Administrative Law Judge 0.34%
52 Legal Extern 0.31%
53 Assistant Attorney General 0.31%
54 Manager 0.3%
55 Mediator 0.29%
56 Senior Associate 0.29%
57 Assistant District Attorney 0.29%
58 Registered Nurse 0.28%
59 Compliance Officer 0.28%
60 Real Estate Attorney 0.27%
61 Legal Secretary 0.27%
62 Program Manager 0.27%
63 Business Developer 0.25%
64 Instructor 0.25%
65 Associate Counsel 0.25%
66 Board Member 0.24%
67 Contracts Specialist 0.24%
68 Adjunct Faculty 0.24%
69 Writer And Editor 0.24%
70 Assistant Director 0.23%
71 Judge 0.23%
72 Founder 0.23%
73 Litigation Associate 0.23%
74 Managing Member 0.23%
75 Compliance Analyst 0.22%
76 Case Manager 0.22%
77 Assistant Vice President 0.22%
78 Receptionist 0.21%
79 Contracts Administrator 0.21%
80 Compliance Manager 0.21%
81 Office Assistant 0.21%
82 Chief Operating Officer 0.21%
83 Compliance Specialist 0.21%
84 Sales Representative 0.19%
85 Landman 0.18%
86 Assistant Manager 0.18%
87 Senior Manager 0.18%
88 Senior Analyst 0.18%
89 Assistant Public Defender 0.18%
90 Director Of Human Resources 0.18%
91 Corporate Secretary 0.17%
92 Server 0.17%
93 Account Manager 0.17%
94 Business Consultant 0.17%
95 Adjunct Professor Of Law 0.17%
96 Program Director 0.17%
97 Lawyer 0.16%
98 Legal Analyst 0.16%
99 Editor 0.16%
100 Adjunct Instructor 0.16%

As the job market continues to evolve, former attorneys are finding a variety of fulfilling opportunities that leverage their legal knowledge and skills. Whether transitioning into roles within education, corporate governance, or consultancy, the future is bright for those adapting to new paths. For more insights into career transitions and job opportunities, explore the detailed list above, which highlights the most common careers for former attorneys.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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