I Finished Law School… and Didn’t Become a Lawyer

When I graduated law school, I thought I’d feel proud.
I thought doors would open.
I thought I’d finally get to breathe.

But what really happened?

I walked across the stage, collected my degree… and then found myself completely lost.

“So… are you a lawyer now?”

This question came at me from every direction — friends, family, even strangers.

And every time, I’d feel that little knot in my stomach tighten.

Because no — I wasn’t a lawyer. I had no job lined up, no clear next step, and no idea what I was doing with the degree I’d worked so hard for.

The truth they don’t tell you

Law school is hard. But finishing law school without a clear path? That’s a different kind of hard.

I applied for internships, grad roles, anything even remotely legal-adjacent — and got rejection after rejection. I felt like I was watching all my effort dissolve into nothing.

On top of that, I was a solo mum. I didn’t have the luxury of time or unpaid opportunities. I needed money. I needed stability. I needed a plan.

And for a while, I genuinely thought I’d wasted my degree.

Finding my way — the long way around

I ended up in a government role that wasn’t technically “legal,” but gave me something even more valuable:

Experience
A steady income
Insight into how systems work — and who they leave behind

I slowly realised that my law degree wasn’t wasted. It was just going to be used differently.

It gave me the tools to think critically, advocate clearly, and navigate complex systems — skills I use every single day, even if I’m not in court wearing a gown.

**Your degree doesn’t define you — you do**

Finishing law school and not becoming a lawyer doesn’t make you a failure. It doesn’t mean you weren’t good enough.

It means your journey is just different — and that’s okay.

Some of us take longer. Some of us take detours. Some of us create our own paths where none seemed to exist.

To the grads who feel stuck

If you’re reading this and feeling like you don’t know where to go next, you’re not alone.

It’s okay to grieve the version of success you thought you were heading toward. But don’t let that stop you from recognising what you did achieve.

You finished. You made it. You’ve got options, even if they don’t look like what you expected.

You don’t have to become a lawyer to be valuable.
You don’t have to fit someone else’s idea of what a law graduate should look like.

You just have to keep showing up for yourself, for your future, for your story.

This is still success. It’s just shaped differently.

— Meighan | Legally Mum