r/JDpreferred

I got laid off at the end of March from the private family law firm I was working at since graduating from a highly ranked law school, and I failed the Bar on my first try by 1 point (269 in a 270 jurisdiction) in April. Since then, I've been looking for jobs, but it's been bleak. The thing is, I don't even think I want to practice law, at least not in a client-facing manner at a firm. I'm still taking the Bar because a good amount of this knowledge is fresh-ish in my mind, so I'd rather just take it now while I have that advantage and not 5 years down the line when I decide I want to take it and have to start all over.

I've mostly been looking at like JD-advantage-ish jobs, but I'm finding these are excruciatingly hard to get. When I was bouncing between family law internships and clerkships throughout law school, it was really easy because my resume was chock-full of that stuff, but trying to find a compliance or analyst position is proving to be a pain in the ass.

Does anyone have any tips? I tried using that website this subreddit advertises, but I don't exactly want to pay up.

I was wondering if anyone has ever OE’d in a JD preferred job. this is essentially working multiple remote jobs at once. there are threads about it. But, they are mostly coding type jobs and the such. just curious the industr/job types. maybe considering it. Thoughts?

I graduated law school in 2024 and have not passed the bar. i have taken it a couple times and have been unsuccessful and think it is time to pivot. Since I have graduated I have been a law clerk but it is not a sustainable position and I need something salaried that I can build a career off of. I have applied to what seems like 1000 positions and do not know what to do anymore. I have barely even heard back from anyone nor have i gotten any interviews. I have also tried recruiting companies and it seems like I keep getting ghosted. I am looking to see if anyone has been in a similar position and has been successful in finding a job, if anyone has any tips, or knows of any job openings it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I’m looking for advice on finding a JD preferred job. For context, I passed the bar and currently work in litigation but realized I don’t want to do this long term. I really enjoy contract drafting and negotiation (and have experience from law school with internships in this area). I’m also currently studying for my CIPP/US certification. I’m hoping to transition to a contracts manager role, but am having trouble finding any that pay decent. Are there any specific job boards/companies I should look at (currently using LinkedIn & Indeed). Thank you in advance for any advice!!!

Hi! I’ve posted in here recently about wanting to transition from litigation to transactional practice. I graduated in May 2025, passed the bar, and have been working in a niche litigation field. During law school, my coursework and internships focused primarily on contracts. Does anyone have any advice on making this transition as an early career attorney? I’m perfectly happy doing a contracts manager role for a while as well - I just want to get more experience drafting and negotiating commercial or tech contracts. I would love to eventually transition to in house counsel down the line if it’s a possibility. I’m having a hard time getting interviews for any position (contract manager or jr in house counsel). Does anyone have any advice on getting experience with contracts while in a litigation role (conferences, volunteering, etc - anything to help my resume stand out). Thank you for any and all advice. I feel so lost and am scared of getting stuck in an area of law that I don’t enjoy.

so i graduated in may 2024, took the Bar twice & passed in feb 2025. the issue is i haven't been able to secure a job since graduating. & i know having a license plays a huge part in the job search, but i've come up short (& not even receiving a reply) for fellowships, entry-level positions where you have time to obtain licensure, etc.

I really just want to know how to pivot from this position because i feel stuck (and a little helpless)! i thought my extracurriculars would help (law review, leadership positions, academic publication), but it hasn't. I even got my masters at the same time as my JD, because i thought it'd help make me more competitive. I'm waiting to be admitted to a jdx, but it's been months & things are still processing. if anyone has any advice, my ears are open. thx in advance

Has anyone managed to find a position doing real estate transactions or working at a title company? How did you get your foot in the door? I almost never seen any vacancies for these positions. Thanks. 

I've passed the bar but haven't cleared character and fitness (it's been over two years) and I'm tired of waiting to be licensed so I can land a better paying role. I'm currently in a legal adjacent role (project specialist dealing with class action claims issues) but I need a job that pays better and has benefits. I have experience in bankruptcy, litigation (federal and state), some immigration, and I've done a corporate counsel externship. How can I better position myself for compliance or contracts roles, roles at banks, etc? What is the best strategy? Where should I apply, how should I tweak my resume? What are some roles I can apply for that will get my foot in the door?

Taking a poll for high school project please respond yes / no ?

Anyone have any ideas on how handle this. I graduated from a law school ranked in the 50s in 2023 but have not taken the bar. I have been a contract specialist and contract manager making about 100k. Recently I have been interviewed by jobs for corporate counsel so long as I pass the bar but I didn’t get that job. Once my current job knew I wanted to take the bar, all of the sudden everything I did at work was wrong and it lead to a situation where I now no longer work there and am just studying for the bar. I’d obviously like to pass the upcoming bar and get a contracts counsel job if possible but now unsure how to get back into jd preferred if I was not successful with the bar. I’ve also had 3 jobs in the past 3 years as I left for more money each time.

I graduated law school in 2025, and I feel like my post-grad path has been more reactive than intentional.

Right after graduation, I went through some difficult personal circumstances (had a huge mental breakdown that led to a serious mental illness diagnosis that’s lifelong) and failed the bar (i was attending a partial hospitalization program that summer). I was gonna retake in february but i ultimately postponed because i felt i didn’t have a clear handle on my moods to study correctly. Because of that, I decided to postpone and take the July bar instead of rushing into another attempt.

At the same time, I needed a job and accepted a Contracts Manager role at a large company. It’s somewhat legal-adjacent — I review and negotiate vendor agreements and MSAs — but it sits between procurement and legal rather than being a true in-house counsel role.

When I took it, the understanding was that I’d spend about two years in this role and then transition fully under legal. But now I’m realizing that path isn’t clearly defined.

I don’t know:

what that transition would actually look like

what kind of work I’d be doing

or if the timeline is even real (even though my boss has reiterated it to me)

That uncertainty is what’s stressing me out.

On one hand, this job gives me stability, decent pay, and flexibility while I study for the July bar. On the other, I’m worried I’m pigeonholing myself into a contracts/procurement track and drifting away from a traditional legal path.

I’ve thought about jumping to a law firm, but realistically that would mean studying for the bar while working long hours, which doesn’t seem strategic.

I’ve also thought about jumping ship after the bar to a guaranteed attorney role and make less money but that makes me feel shitty because it was a procurement exec that stuck their neck out for me here and there’s also the possibility of this leading to in-house counsel.

I think what’s bothering me most is that I took this job out of necessity after a setback, and now I’m trying to figure out how to make it an intentional step forward.

I’m thinking that once i’m licensed, maybe i could ask the General Counsel what my transition in a year to legal would be like and whether the scope of my responsibilities would change. i’d likely straight up ask if there is a path for me to be in house counsel at the company.

TL;DR: Failed the bar, postponed to July, took a Contracts Manager role for stability. Now worried I’m getting stuck in a hybrid role without a clear path to legal.

I have been searching for a jd preffered job since the February bar exam. I have come to the conclusion that maybe im not getting any movement is because my resume says i have only been a clerk or intern. I am not sure what else it could be. I have applied to well over 50 jobs. i have maybe heard back from 2. where are we applying for jobs? am i missing something?

Any other LLM grads, I know it’s JD not LLM preferred, who passed the bar still struggling to land an attorney/counsel or adjacent role. I keep getting rejected, often in the final rounds when I even make it that far. Starting to feel pretty stuck—would appreciate hearing others’ experiences, especially what location you’re in, what practice area you’re targeting, and what actually helped you land your role.