Top 8 famous people who went to law school

There are many people who go to law school but don’t practice law.  A law degree can train you to think critically and can open up doors that you may never have imagined. While the traditional route for a law degree is to go on to practice law, there are many other opportunities that can be pursued with a law degree. A law degree can prepare you for many careers in the legal field, such as legal research, legal writing, advocacy, consulting, legal technology, and legal journalism. Additionally, a law degree provides valuable knowledge and skills that can be applied to a wide range of non-legal fields, such as business, finance, public policy, and public administration. A law degree can provide you with the knowledge and skills to be successful in any field and open up a variety of potential career paths. 

It can be fun to learn who has a law degree and whether or not they’re practicing law. Here, we’ll explore some famous people who went to law school, some who are utilizing their legal education more than others.

Gerard Butler

Gerald Butler spent two years at an Edinburgh legal company working as a trainee attorney. He was one week away from passing the bar when he was let go. Butler admits that the degree has been helpful in his own run-ins with the authorities, even though he didn’t quite pass. Interestingly enough, he was the president of the law society at the University of Glasgow and graduated with honors in 1992.

Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer worked as a campaign assistant for Robert Kennedy in 1968 after graduating from Northwestern with a law degree. After Kennedy was killed, Springer joined a Cincinnati legal firm. Are you curious how that transitioned into a career in scandal journalism? He did, however, get active in local politics and a minor celebrity, which led to him being given a radio show in the 1980s. The situation then grew worse.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is best known as the 44th President of the United States. Before his presidency, he built a career rooted in the legal field, serving as an Illinois state senator and later as a U.S. Senator representing Illinois, and working as a civil rights lawyer. It’s common for a U.S. senator to have a law degree, and Obama was no exception. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, where he made history as the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. This achievement gained international attention and inspired him to write his autobiography, Dreams from My Father.

Shortly after earning his law degree, Obama passed the Illinois State Bar Association that following December. His legal expertise shaped much of his early career. From 1992 to 2004, he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School, equipping future legal professionals with an understanding of the U.S. Constitution. At the same time, he worked as a civil rights lawyer, using his skills to advocate for social justice and equality.

Obama’s experience in the legal field extended to his work as a community organizer. His role involved mobilizing individuals to address challenges within their communities, a task that often intersected with legal advocacy and policy-making. His background as a community organizer, law professor, and civil rights attorney helped prepare him for the complexities of a political career and ultimately, the presidency.

Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Noel Kardashian, a media personality, American socialite, and businesswoman, first gained fame as Paris Hilton’s stylist and friend. Inspired by her late father, Robert Kardashian, a renowned lawyer who represented O.J. Simpson, Kim aspires to practice law. She began an apprenticeship with a San Francisco law firm in 2018 instead of enrolling in a traditional law school program. In 2021, she passed California’s “baby bar” exam after 3 previous attempts.

She has become a powerful advocate for prison reform, helping to free prisoners from unjust sentences. Despite managing multiple businesses, including a shapewear line and a cosmetics brand, raising four children, and maintaining a busy filming schedule, Kim seeks to find the time to continue with her law studies. However it was reported in November 2024, Kim had to make the decision to push back her bar exam from early 2025 to sometime in 2026.

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson, an Australian actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer, was born Melanie Elizabeth Wilson. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, she began her acting career by playing Toula in the SBS comedy series Pizza. She later appeared on the sketch comedy show The Wedge. Wilson initially had ambitions for a career in law or politics before landing roles in blockbuster films like the Pitch Perfect series and Isn’t It Romantic. Before becoming a well-known movie starlet, Wilson earned a B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales. While battling malaria in Africa as a young adult, Rebel believed she experienced a hallucination in which she won an Oscar. This vision led her to pursue a career in acting rather than practicing law.

Gemma Chan (actress)

Gemma Chan, a native of London, is an accomplished actress. She attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls before studying law at Worcester College, Oxford. Despite earning her law degree, Chan ultimately decided to pursue a career in acting. Her performance in Marvel’s Eternals was widely praised, further cementing her reputation after her breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians. Reflecting on her academic background, Chan noted that the demanding nature of her legal studies surprisingly helped her transition to acting. Her ability to memorize approximately 2,000 legal cases sharpened her skills for quickly learning scripts. Given the analytical nature of studying law, Chan found it invaluable for understanding contracts and enhancing her communication skills throughout her career.

John Cleese (Monty Python)

One of the most iconic figures in comedy history, John Cleese, holds a law degree from the University of Cambridge in England. However, he never pursued a legal career or stepped into a courtroom to argue a case. Instead, Cleese channeled his wit and creativity into co-founding Monty Python with his writing partner, Graham Chapman, whom he met during their time at Cambridge.

Although Cleese jokes that he might have made an excellent barrister in another life, his time at Cambridge seems to have shaped his career in unexpected ways. His legal education may have also influenced his strong commitment to social causes. For example, Cleese is a passionate supporter of Amnesty International and co-founded the Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1976—a series of benefit performances that raised funds for Amnesty’s fight for human rights.

Steve Young

Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, wasn’t just focused on football during his NFL career. During the 1994 football season, while ultimately leading his team to victory in Super Bowl XXIX, he also graduated from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Despite earning his law degree, Young prioritized his football career and later transitioned into broadcasting and business after retiring from the NFL in 1999. While he hasn’t practiced law professionally, he acquired the knowledge that helped him become a successful entrepreneur. Steve appeared in a 2011 BYU advertisement, proudly noting that he earned his law degree from the university while adding a humorous, lighthearted quip about lawyers.

There you have it—8 famous people who have attended law school. This highlights the many reasons people choose to pursue a legal education, some of which are more evident than others based on the individuals on this list.