1. Get yourself in good financial shape.
When law students or lawyers tell me that they’re interested in an alternative career and ask me for one piece of advice, I often quip, “Marry rich.”
It’s a joke, but there’s a grain of truth to it. Very few alternative careers will pay you as handsomely as practicing law—especially since you work in Biglaw, and especially when you’re just starting out in a new field. In 2006, my first full year as a blogger/writer, I earned less than $50,000. That’s less than what I earned as a law clerk or an assistant U.S. attorney, and far less than what I earned in 2002, my last full year at Wachtell Lipton (more than $270,000, in case you were wondering—I looked up my earnings history on the Social Security website, which can be fun to do).
I don’t know your financial situation—you mentioned student loans, but I don’t know if you have a mortgage, a spouse or kids to support, elderly parents who need help—so I’ll speak in generalities. What I’d recommend is that while you figure out what to do next, get your financial affairs in order. Pay off as much of your educational debt as possible, don’t on additional debt (like a mortgage), and save as much as you can.
When you’re working long hours in a stressful Biglaw job, it’s only natural to want to “treat yourself” when not toiling away—with gourmet meals at high-end restaurants, lavish vacations, and designer clothes. If you’re seriously thinking about leaving the law, though, do your best to avoid these temptations—and try to put yourself in a situation where you can get by with a modest income, or maybe even no income, for an extended period of time.
2. Figure out what you want to do next.
This is easier said than done, but there are multiple things you can try. For example, you can certainly take a career-aptitude test, which can be easily found online; I didn’t do this myself, but I have met others who found it helpful.
My path out of the law was fairly common: I had a hobby or side hustle that gained traction. I started a blog, it garnered traffic and notice, and that gave me the confidence to think that I could quit the law and make it as a writer. (It also helped that I had no student loans, plus savings from my years as a lawyer—see point #1, supra.)
So… just try stuff! If you’re interested in journalism, look into doing some freelance work (consistent with your firm’s policies about outside writing). If you enjoy baking, experiment with recipes on the weekends; maybe you’ll make treats for family and friends, and it will expand from there. If you aspire to a career as an artist, start taking some classes or producing some art, and see where it takes you.
If you want to become a novelist, join a fiction-writing workshop or begin working on a manuscript. Follow in the footsteps of Helen Wan, author of The Partner Track, and Allison Leotta, author of the Anna Curtis series of novels. They worked on novels while juggling demanding jobs as a corporate lawyer and federal prosecutor, respectively—and after encountering success, they became full-time writers.
You might say, “I bill 2500 hours a year—I don’t have time for hobbies!” I worked at Wachtell, so I feel your pain.
You might have to transition to a less time-consuming legal job—one that allows you to explore outside interests, as a way station en route to leaving the law entirely. That’s one reason I went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey: it offered better work-life balance than the S.D.N.Y. and E.D.N.Y., and I could focus on appellate work—which gave me ample control over my schedule.
3. Get some help.
In my recent podcast interview of Bryan Garner, the world’s leading legal lexicographer, his response to my closing question about advice was to remember these words: ”I need your help.” And don’t be afraid to use them.
Bryan’s wise advice definitely applies in the context of careers. If you don’t even know where to begin in thinking about your next act, there are professionals who are well-equipped to guide you.
It could be beneficial to speak with a career coach. Two coaches with expertise in the legal space specifically are Jordana Confino, a Yale Law grad and lawyer turned coach and consultant, and Keira Chassman, LCSW, who works as both a clinical therapist and legal recruiter. And I know there are many other excellent coaches; Keira and Jordana just happen to be two coaches I was in contact with recently (Jordana as a podcast guest). Feel free to mention other coaches in the comments to this post.
There are also online resources specifically aimed at lawyers who are thinking of moving on from the law. For example, check out the websites of Leave Law Behind and Ex Judicata—both of which also offer coaching, if you’re interested.
4. Don’t burn bridges as you leave the law.
During my time at Above the Law, I enjoyed reading and writing about bridge-burning departure memos. But while they might be fun to read—and fun to write, in the moment—they could turn out to be professionally problematic if you try to return to the law.
And yes, it might very well happen. Careers are long. If you’re disillusioned about practicing law right now and eager to leave, you might find the idea of returning to be impossible to imagine. But you might leave the law and discover that the grass on the other side is not, in fact, greener. You might change as a person, or your personal circumstances might evolve, in ways that could make returning the right decision.
Almost two decades removed from practice, I have no plans to return to the law—and I don’t know that anyone would have me if I did.¹ But I’ve met lawyers who have returned to practicing after leaving for careers in journalism, finance, and the entertainment industry, among other fields. And when they did, their good relationships and reputations in the legal community were enormously helpful.
So that’s my advice for lawyers who are thinking of making their great escape. Readers, anything you’d like to add?
1
But I still keep my New York law license active—mainly to keep my mom honest when she tells people, “My son is a lawyer.”
I hope you agree that this read was worthy of your time and attention. If you cannot focus on it now, stick it in a place that is easily accessible if the situation presents itself at a later time.
I am particularly pleased with inclusion of the last point about not burning bridges as you leave the law. Too often, we give in to the moment, and say and do things that come back to bite us later. So, take this advice very seriously.
Good luck considering your options. A law degree can open many doors!
