- Henry Ford
An extremely bright and accomplished woman attorney recently explained to me why it was impossible for her to do anything but practice law at this point in her life. Having worked in both government and private settings, she was certain she had a clear idea of what her chosen profession entailed and had concluded that no area of the law would hold her interest. She had a very clear sense of personal priorities and knew she wanted family to come before work. She did not apologize for her unwillingness to work a 60-80 hour week.
But her remaining law school debt loomed largely before her. And furthermore, she just couldn't imagine not being a lawyer -- not after having invested so much time, money and hard work in her field.
Essentially, she believed she was trapped -- that she had no options except to continue doing the work she was trained to do and to remain forever dissatisfied.
In my experience, this is a fate to which many lawyers believe they are doomed. But the fact is that dissatisfied attorneys can find rewarding work both within and outside of the legal world. I've worked with lawyers who are now teachers, writers, marketing executives, entrepreneurs, lobbyists, private investigators, legal career counselors, mediators, and psychologists, to name only a few. I've also seen attorneys transform their lives by changing practice areas, moving from a large to a small firm, transitioning into academics, and choosing alternative work arrangements.
But before you can make a change, you have to believe that you can.
I will review each of the myths underlying this attorney's arguments and offer what I believe is a more realistic appraisal of the situation.
