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[Truean]

I am considering trying to go back into statistics. I did a TON of that stuff in college and won competitive scholarships no one else qualified for in years. An old and notoriously grouchy math professor demanded to know "why you didn't major in MATH!??" upon reading my competitive study. I did econ, among other things.

I would imagine being a lawyer who communicates well would help, but perhaps some recruiters don't. They might not see the connection between law and stats. They're wrong, because I can actually explain it incredibly well in plain English with superb public speaking skills and an intense knowledge of real world business and real life.

So I'm typing out a request to people here on 12 bay. I'm asking about possibly changing to this career field of numbers (changing back to it). I'm not as up to date on the software (though I remember how to use it from before). SAS, SPSS, Excel, etc. Modeling? Etc?

Tips? Advice? Please, anything would be helpful.

[wierd]

How old are you?

if under 20, go for it. (doubtful with career in law.)
If over 20, I would suggest submitting some statistics research or novel math papers to some reputable journals FIRST.  In academia, the truism is "publish or perish" and this is true in mathematics as well.

With a career background in law, perhaps a statistical study on a controversial legal topic, say on copyright infringement. Perhaps on criminality and recidivism, which might be another-- but is probably done to death already. Perhaps on the efficacy of the RIAA's statutory damages theory on reducing piracy, or maybe on the derived ideal MSRP of commonly monopolised intellectual properties.

Something that aligns with your combined background and skillset that you could make a good, edgy, and interesting paper to get exposure with.  No need to try something fields medal worthy like the reiman hypothesis-- just something that is both compelling and controversial to modern economic theory, that you can slamdunk.

Get published, THEN seek academic research postings.

[Truean]

One thing I forgot to be clear about, my mistake.

I meant working for a company or industry: not in academia.

[wierd]

Short of getting hired by an outfit like Gartner, or as a glorified accountant for a fortune 500, I cant think of a way that would be superior as a job prospect than practicing law.

[mainiac]

There are some fields of law where stats is a big help, no?  Could you try to get a position in such a firm?

[Killgoth]

You can become an actuary just by passing a bunch of tests without having to go back to school. I don't really know much about it other than that the tests are tough, but if you enjoy statistics and time series then it should at least be a fun kind of challenging. As a bonus, being a lawyer and actuary might combine to equal a higher than average pay for either individual field.

[nullBolt]

You can become an actuary just by passing a bunch of tests without having to go back to school. I don't really know much about it other than that the tests are tough, but if you enjoy statistics and time series then it should at least be a fun kind of challenging. As a bonus, being a lawyer and actuary might combine to equal a higher than average pay for either individual field.

About to say this myself. Actuaries can also make a small fortune if they're good.

[Truean]

I am curious about this.

Do you have any information about these tests/requirements? Especially if you have any personal/practical experience, that would be much appreciated.

[nullBolt]

I am curious about this.

Do you have any information about these tests/requirements? Especially if you have any personal/practical experience, that would be much appreciated.

No personal experience but I know someone trying to become an actuary. If you don't know what it is, an actuary determines the likelihood of something going bad for a particular situation. They mainly deal with insurance firms and advise them on what the likelihood of a particular situation is and how much they need to charge to ensure they make a profit.

Keep in mind this is only for British actuarism. You need a hard science, mathematics or economics degree at Master's level and then you can become an apprentice actuary at an actuary firm. After that, you can start to take actuary tests which are basically hyper-advanced statistics. After eight (I think) tests, you are a fully qualified actuary.

[Killgoth]

http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/  This seems to be a solid forum.  It has been a while since I have been on that forum (I once considered being an actuary), but I know they used to have recruiters from different companies post there.  Another thing that is important to note is that there are several types of actuary with different job requirements  (I think all forms of actuary share the first two tests, and then branch out with different tests after that for specializations).

Also, apparently there are different requirements in the UK than in the US.  In the US I don't think you actually have to have a certain degree in order to qualify--you only have to pass the tests, but different companies may have different preferences.  Since you are a lawyer (I have no idea what specialty or focus), that has the potential to be a big bonus in your favor.  I would definitely check out the above forum as they also have different sub forums for countries other than the US.

Also here is the link to the base website of the forum I linked above (I have not looked over the various links on the front page, but they look helpful):  http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/

Here is a link to a subsection of another good website that specifically details education questions:  http://www.beanactuary.org/study/?fa=education-faqs