So I'm a lawyer - been practicing about 10 years and am not very happy with my current job. Which has gotten me thinking that I really don't think I want to be a lawyer anymore. But I don't know what to do from here. Any former lawyer bees out there that can share their experiences?
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I don't know how helpful I really am, but ace you thought about consulting? What is it about your job you don't like? The field itself or hours, etc.?
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@lemong: I worked with a guy whose wife was a lawyer. He told me she hated her job and became a paralegal instead. Was odd to me, I would imagine it was hard work getting a law degree and then a big pay cut with the change but not sure. I think she enjoyed the actual work a lot more once she transitioned. He himself was a career changer, former IRS accountant turned airline pilot.
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Fellow lawyer here - I know a few people that have transitioned out of practice into legal headhunting. It can be a super competitive field to break into, depending on your market, but the folks I know love it.
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What type of law do you practice? What don't you like about your job?
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@Bluebonnet, @Eko - I'm mostly a litigator. I worked for a court for 5 years and loved it, but was termed out last year. I currently am working for a public entity. The work is OK, but it doesn't get me excited. I don't really feel invested in my work - and I want to. Maybe I need to transition to a non-profit or something...I like working with and helping others. I don't feel like I'm doing that right now.
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@lemong: do you hope to keep a similar schedule and pay?
My husband does a lot of GAL work if you wanted to stay in law--tough work at times, but it can be very rewarding.
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My dad has been a lawyer his entire career and wishes he would have done something else- he decided to open up a private practice at sixty one years old so he can focus on the type of work he actually enjoys doing. He has also gotten a lot of enjoyment out of his part time gig- teaching! He has been an adjunct law professor at smaller law schools (because you don't have to be published or famous), political science undergrad classes, and has even gone abroad to teach U.S. Law in Germany (and they paid for him to travel there!!).
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Not to sound flippant, but you can transition to anything! It just depends on whether you want to stay in the same realm. There's so much need for good attorneys for low income people, like help with housing court/dealing with rental issues. My friend has been a public defender for many years. It's a tough job that most people do only for a few years before they transition to something less stressful/more lucrative, so it's so important to have more experienced attorneys who want to be there long term. But, especially if you didn't mind going back to school, you could do anything!
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@Chuckles: Yes! Are you interested in public health? Environmental health and occupational safety needs lots of lawyers.
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@lemong: Fellow lawyer here! Are there any law schools by you? Most of the people who work at the law school in my town have JDs, even for the jobs that don't require one - like admissions, career counseling, development, etc.
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Fellow lawyer here who also went through these same thoughts a few years ago. I actually ended up changing jobs but staying in the same field and it turned out it's not law I didn't like, but my actual job and the environment. Just something to think about.
Also, does HR interest you? A lot of HR directors have JDs. I also have friends who work in city planning (compliance) and public policy fields.
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Not sure if you're interested in teaching, but one of my friends works at a huge firm and has started teaching at the nearby community college at nights. He eventually hopes to transition to a full-time teaching career.
Also, HR is a great idea. My husband is in HR and there are many people in his field with law degrees who get into the compliance areas of HR.
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. It's very helpful to have people tell me that I can make this transition - whether it's out of my current job or into a new field.
I have applied for an interviewed for an adjunct position at a local law school. But the community college suggestion is a great idea! HR is a good idea too! I need to start thinking outside the box and start applying.
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I'm a public defender and I'm happy to answer any questions you have if that's something you're thinking about!
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@lemong: Have you thought about going back to the court house and looking for a career law clerk position?
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i would suggest checking the local law schools near you and seeing if any have clinic programs. clinics are a great way to help people and they may value practical experience (which you have) over academia experience, as opposed to trying to teach a course.
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I'm a lawyer who transitioned out of law. Now, I'm, looking to transition again. I can share my experience.
I'm in a pretty stressful field right now, with a young family, and a DH who has a demanding career. If I really liked my job, I'd put up with it, but I don't so I'm trying to see what my options are. I've talked to some lawyers who have transitioned, and some of them have gone into recruiting, or consulting, like someone mentioned, and others have gone into HR. They've all mentioned that its taken some time, and steps and that its not easy because your only experience is in law. This has been my experience as well, but and I'm just trying to cast a wide net to see what I can catch.
I feel like I'm going through some existential dilemma.
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I have a friend who worked in state government as a legislative aide, and then did public affairs for a large nonprofit. There are a lot of things you can do!
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I was a practicing attorney for much less time than you.
When I left practicing I went into government in a non-legal role. I do more legislative work/government relations but for a government agency. I had a very specific niche practice specialty, and the work I do now is in that same world. I’m just not the lawyer anymore.
I have had other job besides this one, but again in the same industry that I practiced in, so I’ve used the knowledge I gained practicing.
I did a lot of networking, and it helped to transition to something where I could show some background knowledge.
I don’t think I’ll be in my current job for a long time, but I don’t miss legal practice.
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Thanks everyone! @agold - yes, I would love to be a career clerk, but the opportunities are very few, and if there is an opening, are very competitive. I loved working for a court and would love to do it again.
It sounds like I'm going to have to do a lot of networking and talking to people to find the right transition. It's hard because I do have 2 small kids, and don't want to commute a long way (currently I commute almost 3 hours a day). I realize that it will take time to figure this out and that I need to be patient, but it's hard for this Type A personality to do that. And it's hard to think about job stuff when I don't have a lot of bandwith for personal stuff.
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