Employers
Mutual funds lawyers work for large mutual fund complexes (Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price, etc.), mutual fund supermarkets (Charles Schwab), securities broker-dealers and financial planners (Capital Group), and smaller fund companies. Others are employed by law firms that provide contracted services to these employers.
Lawyers also work for the Securities & Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management and Division of Enforcement to investigate possible violations of federal securities laws by mutual fund companies and other investment firms, and prosecute the commission’s civil suits in federal courts.
Opportunities are best in large U.S. cities, but there are mutual fund legal jobs throughout the world. For example, K&L Gates, which employs approximately 2,000 lawyers and policy professionals, has offices in many U.S. cities as well as in London, England; Munich, Germany; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; and other international cities.
Starting Out
You’ll need a few years of experience before most mutual fund companies will hire you. Many aspiring mutual fund lawyers first work for three to five years at a major law firm (ideally, one that provides services to mutual fund firms), a large bank, or other major financial employer. Working at a government regulator such as the Securities & Exchange Commission can also provide good experience. If you’re attending an American Bar Association (ABA)–accredited school, the ABA automatically enrolls you as a student member. There are many membership benefits, including access to Student Lawyer, which provides information on the job-search and legal practice areas; access to the ABA Job Board; opportunities to connect with lawyers and learn about specialized areas of law through ABA sections, divisions, and forums; and access to its Free Career Advice Series of monthly webinars on career-related topics such as the art of job interviewing and using social media effectively. Other job-search strategies include using social networking sites (such as LinkedIn), volunteering with legal aid associations, joining professional associations and utilizing their career development resources, using the services of recruiters, and attending industry conferences.
- Arbitrators
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Corporate Lawyers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Criminal Lawyers
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Environmental Lawyers
- Family Lawyers
- Financial Quantitative Analysts
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Judges
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Legal Secretaries
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Mutual Fund Accountants and Auditors
- Mutual Fund Analysts
- Mutual Fund Compliance Professionals
- Mutual Fund Financial Managers
- Mutual Fund Marketing Specialists
- Mutual Fund Portfolio Managers
- Mutual Fund Risk Managers
- Mutual Fund Wholesalers
- Paralegals
- Patent Agents
- Patent Lawyers
- Polygraph Examiners
- Process Servers
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Space Lawyers
- Tax Attorneys
