When you think about working in the legal field, your mind is probably dominated by thoughts of lawyers, judges or paralegals sitting in courtrooms debating a case. These careers can seem intimidating to some because they require advanced education and lots of years of practice before people start to see upward motion in their careers. There are, however, plenty of other positions in the legal field that don’t require much special education and can even allow you to make your own hours.
Notary Public
Becoming a notary public is as simple as passing your state’s notary test and submitting an application for a license. Just because the process is simple doesn’t mean the test is. You’ll have to learn a few key legal procedures to become a notary, such as signing over property and who counts as a viable witness.
Once you’re licensed and have secured your notary supplies, you can start working for a law firm, bank, independent business or even for yourself. Notaries are needed for a variety of services so there’s always work to be found in this field.
Court Reporters
Also called stenographers, court reporters are the people you see sitting next to the judge’s bench typing away as legal proceedings take place. In some cases where recordings are allowed in the courtroom, court reports are responsible for transcribing the tapes and sending them back to the attornies and judge within a certain time frame.
This job is great for someone with superb listening and typing skills. In most states, you can make your own schedule and decide how much work you’ll take on during any given week. This gives a ton of flexibility to create the right work/life balance.
Data Coder
If you’re interested in the law field and the IT field, you might consider becoming a data coder. This role is mainly data entry for courthouses and law firms, but you’ll need a working knowledge of both legal principles and practices and IT troubleshooting and systems management. It’s a great career for people with a computer science background or a law specialization without interest in litigation.
Of course, you can always aim to be an attorney, a mediator, or even a judge if you set your mind to it. But keep in mind you don’t have to start in these positions. There are plenty of careers in the legal field to fit every aspiration and education.