alt.legal -- New Year, New You

If you're thinking about switching jobs or even leaving the legal profession entirely, here are some helpful resources.

It being Yom Kippur, the Jewish “Day of Atonement,” when many of us are reflecting on the year behind us and vowing to change in the one ahead (more kale, fewer gummy bears in 5776!), the time seems right to talk about resources for those of you hoping to make career moves.

If you want to leave law, or at least your current law firm job, there is no reason to go at it alone. Let my struggles out of the law be your teacher. Here is my very unofficial, unscientific Get Out of Law Cheat Sheet:

Career Counselors

Eileen Wolkstein – Eileen offers comprehensive career counseling and has been a life-saver for several attorneys I know.

Lauren Pearlman of Pearlman Career Counseling – Lauren, a former Biglaw attorney herself, knows from whence she speaks.

Kate Neville – Kate, also a JD herself, founded Neville Career Consulting specifically to help attorneys navigate career changes.

Books (all links are affiliate links)

Sponsored

Life After Law, by Liz Brown – Inspiring stories of lawyers who’ve left law for fulfilling second careers.

Lawyer Interrupted, by Amy Impellizzeri – A guide for a successful break-up with the law that allows for the possibility of reconciling. (You can read more in my interview with Amy.)

Finding Bliss, by Deborah Epstein Henry, Suzie Scanlon Rabinowitz, and Garry Berger – A study in innovations that improve outcomes for lawyers and clients.

What Can You Do with a Law Degree, by Dr. Larry Richard and Tanya Hanson – Advice on how to achieve a happy career either in or outside of the law.

Leading the Life You Want, by Stewart Friedman – Learn from Wharton professor and expert on how to better harmonize work and life.

Sponsored

Websites

Above the Law – Obv.

J.D. Careers Out There – Don’t have time for informational interviewing while slaving over that brief? No problem, Marc Luber has put it all online for you.

Leave Law Behind – Casey Berman’s site is dedicated helping disgruntled lawyers find alternative careers.

Liz Brown, JD – The author of Life After Law provides useful tips and information on her blog.

But I do have a law degree – An honest, and often hilarious, account of leaving law after having children.

To Keep in Mind….

It cheers me up to remember that before they went on to be famous for second careers, Henri Matisse, John Cleese, Geraldo Rivera and Rebel Wilson went to law school.

This is my last official column for alt.legal. It’s been my pleasure writing for ATL and I hope Joe Borstein and Ed Sohn will let me pop back in from time to time. Please continue to reach out to me with questions and thoughts about leaving law and alternative legal careers.

Earlier: alt.legal: From Esquire To Intern — My Life After Law
alt.legal: Conscious Uncoupling . . . With Your Law Firm


Leigh McMullan Abramson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Town & Country, Real Simple, and Tablet Magazine. She attended Penn Law before working for several years in Biglaw and clerking in the Southern District of New York. Leigh is currently toiling away on a novel set in — you guessed it — a law firm. She can be reached at leigh.mcmullan@gmail.com.