Law School Degrees, What Else Are They Good For?

There are many uses for a law degree (a Juris Doctorate, to be more specific), and many different people choose to work in the legal field for a wide range of reasons. Popular in local news, criminal law is a frequent topic when cases are sometimes decided on evidentiary hearings alone. Most people have heard of family law attorneys since people frequently come to know someone who is involved in a divorce or child custody issue. High-powered attorneys for large corporations such as banks and pharmaceutical companies have not only gotten time in the news, but have been depicted in a variety of film and television projects. There is a subset of corporate attorneys, however, who deal with business-related legal issues for small- to mid-sized businesses. These business lawyers are vital to growing companies because they provide legal expertise on issues such as compliance with local, state & federal laws, potential human resources issues and other operational matters. One example of a multi-faceted business lawyer is attorney Joshua Just, who started his career in the legal field eventually opening his own law practice and then used his knowledge of business and law to pursue several entrepreneurial ventures of his own.

After earning his law degree, attorney Joshua Just worked in the legal field for more than 20 years building his own law firm from the ground up. While successfully navigating the sometimes-labyrinthine system of New York courts as well as the federal court circuit, Joshua Just grew his firm to eventually employ 20 employees. As an attorney, Joshua Just worked with a wide variety of cases including civil tort litigation, medical malpractice, contracts and corporate law. This was the beginning of attorney Joshua Just learning the delicate balance between the law and business as a company owner. As the managing partner of his firm, Joshua Just put his law degree and undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania including Wharton school classes in marketing and management to good use by managing the firm’s operations, helping craft marketing and business development strategies and mentoring other attorneys at the firm in preparation for their own cases.

For anyone interested in finance and investments, New York City is one of the best places in the world to find opportunities, and attorney Joshua Just was no exception. After years of building his own law firm into a solid business, Mr. Just found several investment opportunities to catch his interest, which is how Charter Investments came to fruition in 2006. As president and found of Charter Investments, attorney Joshua Just focused on finding great business ideas and then providing the funding to help get them up and running. Providing funding to optimize profitability by streamlining corporate structure and operations, Joshua Just made it his business to help other businesses grow.

In his latest business venture, attorney Joshua Just has narrowed his focus to that of business and legal consultant for TransPerfect Global, which is the world’s largest provider of language services and legal related products. As an attorney, Joshua Just manages the company’s contracts and dispute resolution issues with customers, consults on E-discovery procedures and aids in deal negotiations. As a business owner/entrepreneur, Mr. Just also advises on high-level projects as well as consulting on client and technology solution problems.

There are many different ways to use a law degree, but attorney Joshua Just seems to have come up with a seamless blend of both the law and business in his various ventures. In his case, expertise in both the legal field and business development/investments have served him well. His extensive and hard-earned knowledge in either field serves to help him grow in the other.