The Complete Lawyer

4. What skills do you enjoy using? Your skills are what you have learned in life through schools, on the job training, CLEs, etc. Unlike your natural abilities, which are set by the time you are about 14-years-old and will not change, your skills can continue to be nurtured and developed. For example, if you have practiced in-house, you have developed some of the same skills that are required in non-lawyer jobs: business acumen, management skills and industry expertise. If you really enjoy those aspects of the job, it’s important to keep them in mind when looking at options.

Skills exercise: Read “Pay Attention to Your Skills and Interests” for more information on skills; it also contains a great exercise you can do.

Knowing what skills you most enjoy will also give you some ideas of where to look for other careers. Your legal experience can transfer very well to the communications fields, including creative and technical writing, contracting, reporting, training, editing, writing novels, publishing, and public relations. There are also many positions in the business world for which lawyers’ skills can be of value; these include director, analyst, human resources, and the compliance area. Lawyers can also transfer their skills into real estate development or become an agent or a broker. Many lawyers who want to be their own boss start their own businesses. You can also consider using your teaching or training skills; if it’s counseling you enjoy, consider becoming a psychologist, corporate coach, or career counselor.

5. Get ideas from others. Find a core group of trusted friends (not your colleagues or your family) with whom you can talk about your ideas and interests. Share with them what you have learned about your interests, abilities, skills and what is most important to you and see if they can help brainstorm some additional options. Ask them if there are any careers or jobs that come to mind. Tapping into the fresh perspectives and experiences of other people can give you some new insights.

6. Additional Resources. If after doing the exercises you still do not have many ideas for other careers, look at some general resource books and online websites that survey other fields in detail.[4] Take a look at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to see what fields are estimated to grow over the next 10 years, as well as specific jobs to see if any interest you. You can consult the career services offices at both your law school and college. Continue to keep your eyes and ears open at social events for lawyers who are in other careers or when you’re with other people whose jobs sound interesting and worth exploring.

How Do I Leave Behind My Big Paycheck?

Financial considerations always arise when transitioning out of the law. Remember, though, that it may not be the case that moving into another career will mean a pay cut. A substantial number of non-legal positions pay very acceptable salaries.[5] And if a position you decide to seek does pay less initially, it may offer the potential for you to earn more as you progress. Sometimes changing careers does entail reduced earnings, prestige and control while you take the time to develop new expertise. On the other hand, your new work may build on your previous experience, and pay more than you expect. You may also be able to supplement your income with contract legal work while you are learning a new trade or building a new business, which is what I did.

Consider, too, that you may not need to make as much money as you earned as an attorney. There’s always a trade-off: your income may diminish, but your satisfaction may increase. Because you’re doing what you want to do, you’ll feel as if your life is richer and more fulfilled in ways that can more than compensate for a lower salary. Don’t let your assumptions and fears stop you from investigating what may be open to you.

If I’m Not A Lawyer, Who Am I?

You may also start to experience some stress when you think about changing your working identity. The idea of not being a lawyer anymore can cause fear and anxiety. If that gremlin voice in your head says, (as mine did), “Are you crazy? You can’t not be a lawyer! What will everyone think?” replace it with an image of yourself in a career that brings you joy and satisfaction instead of stress and heartburn.

Once you’re created your list of exciting new options to consider, don’t get overwhelmed by your fear of the unknown. It’s normal to feel confused and not know what to do next—chances are you have never gone through this process before, and it couldn’t be more different from the structured 1-2-3 approach to finding a job after law school.

On the other hand, don’t get stuck analyzing and daydreaming, a phase we career coaches call “analysis paralysis.” After you have picked three to five interesting career options you want to explore, start investigating them. My next article will explain how to do that. In the meantime, feel guided by your dreams more than your fears. Focus less on what is going on around you and more on what your life could be. Rev up your creative side. As George Eliot wrote, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

RESOURCES

1. Books with examples of non-law careers to consider:

• Arron, Deborah, What Can You Do With a Law Degree?: A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law, 5th Edition (Niche Press 2003)

• Greenberg, Hindi, The Lawyer’s Career Change Handbook: More Than 300 Things You Can Do With a Law Degree, Updated and Revised (HarperCollins 1998)

• Munneke, Gary; Henslee, William; and Wayen, Ellen, Nonlegal Careers for Lawyers, Fifth Edition (ABA Press 2006)

• Parker, Monica R., The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law (Sphinx Publishing 2008)

• Arron, Deborah, Running from the Law: Why Good Lawyers Are Getting Out of the Legal Profession, 3rd Edition (Niche Press 2003)

2. Information on Abilities Assessments:

• McDonald, Ph.D. Bob, and Hutcheson, Don E., Don’t Waste Your Talent: The 8 Critical Steps To Discovering What You Do Best (Longstreet Press 2000) contains a self test that you can take to give you an informal idea of your abilities.

• The Highlands Ability Battery is the gold standard assessment for testing abilities and comes in an online version, CD version or paper and pencil form. Contact the Highlands Company or me directly (I am a licensed Highlands affiliate) to obtain the assessment and the two-hour feedback.

3. Rath, Tom, StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths (Gallup Press 2007).

4. Internet research for non-law careers and job listings:

• Try searching in Google with the terms “alternative careers for lawyers.” You will get a variety of websites including a number of law school career services websites that contain a wealth of information.
• Changing Course
• Monster has an extensive job listing that is searchable by geographic area and field.
• Yahoo’s HotJobs.
• America’s Job Bank,
• USAJobs, for federal employment opportunities,
• Executive Openings.
• Wet Feet
• Vault Reports
• The Occupational Outlook Handbook, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a wonderful research tool for insight into different careers. It gives information about different careers such as the nature of the work, the working conditions, the requirements for entry into the field, etc.
• Developed for the U.S. Department of Labor, the O*NET system is also a great source of occupational information.
• Riley Guide
• JobStar. This site has information about what kind of training or education is required, salaries, working environments, what’s hot and what’s not. Some have personal stories from people working in the field including how they found their current position and what advice they would give.

5. Salary information:

• Government salaries
• Payscale
• Vault
• Salary

6. Other good books on career-change:

• Barkley, Nella, and Sandburg, Eric, Crystal-Barkley Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career (Workman Publishing 1995)

• Lore, Nicholas, The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success (Fireside 1998)

• Sher, Barbara, and Gottlieb, Annie, Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want, 2nd Edition (Ballantine Books 2003)

• Tieger, Paul D., and Barron, Barbara, Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type, 4th Edition (Little, Brown and Company 2007)