Legal and other roles
There are many other ways to transition to employment in the NFP sector: this includes legal roles, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR – although note this is usually in for-profit organisations), graphic design, operations and technical assistance. There are many more roles which are not listed here which could be recruited for by NFPs too, so it is worth digging deeper and conducting further research.
Lawyers and legal roles
Lawyers and legal roles are always in demand in a range of organisation types and sizes. Roles in the community legal sector typically offer a lower salary compared to commercial law firms, and some of the most in-demand positions are located outside of urban centres. If candidates are willing to travel to remote or regional areas, or overseas, they are more likely to secure a job in the community legal sector given the shortages in these locations. As always though, there is still competition and candidates need to display a genuine interest in the focus area or field of the organisation they wish to work for, and often demonstrable volunteer or work experience in the area, in order to be competitive.
Transitioning as a lawyer to the NFP sector, or entering it as a new or early-career legal professional, is possible through legal assistant-type roles which generally don’t require much experience. Working as a legal role in a major INGO or multilateral requires significantly more experience than a comparative role in a small or medium-sized NGO.
Skills may include:
- Legal drafting and legal writing

- Analytical skills including case and matter analysis
- Interpersonal skills, good communication and relationship-building skills
- Attention to detail
Duties for legal roles may include:
- Providing legal advice, assistance, representation and casework to clients and professionals by telephone or face-to-face

- Drafting applications and legal documentation under legal policies and international conventions
- Conducting internal and external referrals for clients
- Managing clients and a case load
- Liaising with stakeholders and working with community partners
- Preparing legal information resources
- Providing training and information to professionals, government stakeholders, NGOs, community workers and community members
Relevant experience may include:
- A bachelor’s and/or masters in law and admission as a lawyer

- Legal assistant roles may hire newly qualified graduates but most legal roles require 3+ years of professional post-admission experience, often in a specific area (e.g. family law) and with a demonstrated understanding of community/NFP law
