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The Language Of Change: Transitioning From Law To Business

I assumed that transitioning to business after practicing law would be pretty seamless. I was a successful attorney in a large DC based law firm.

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I assumed that transitioning to business after practicing law would be pretty seamless. I was a successful attorney in a large DC based law firm. I had attended business school and had prior business experience, As I found out, however, the transition was not as straightforward as anticipated, due in large part to my initial immersion in the legal industry’s communication and formality protocols.

Business environments speak a different language.  Just as a traveler would not expect to express himself in the same manner in Sao Paulo as in New York, a JD should expect a similar type of contrast when transitioning to a business work environment.  Engaging with a business or an entrepreneurial venture regarding a business-oriented job requires a different language.

In looking back on this after making the transition, the contrast was apparent during my time spent concurrently in law school and in business school. In law school, formality was largely a foundational principle that was associated with many interactions.  Professors were usually addressed as Professor X rather than via their first name.  A certain level of formality was expected in interactions.  That same formality applies in engagements in the legal work environment, especially when interacting with the court system.  In a legal environment, the boundaries are expected to be understood and respected.

In contrast, business schools largely deviate from that model of formality.  Professors are often addressed by their first name, both inside and outside of the classroom. It is much more common in an MBA program to socialize with a professor during school gatherings.  In the work environment, businesses often expect their top innovators to break down pre-existing barriers and push beyond existing boundaries.

This was reinforced during the panels I have facilitated where thought leaders that hold JDs have spoken to large audiences about their successful transition to non-legal work environments.  They had to learn the different ground rules that applied in business environments and were not taught in law school.

For instance, one panel member noted an example of communicating in a limiting manner (legal world) versus a manner that inspires more openness to possibilities that exist (business world). For example, when discussing whether or not to attend a networking event, the lawyer may say “you should only go to this event if…”  In the same situation, the businessperson may phrase the same thought as “there are a number of potential benefits of going to this event, and let’s talk about the reasons why we might consider going…”

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In summary, changing your mindset is critical to make the transition with a JD to a non-legal career. In future installments in this series, we will discuss concrete steps necessary to make the transition and be best positioned to obtain a business career.  We will also discuss networking, highlighting the skills that are most likely to result in a non-legal job, and thriving in a non-legal environment, where the ground rules are very different than in law firm and other legal work environments.  The opportunities to transition with a JD to non-legal careers are endless.  The key success factors include understanding the very different expectations and setting yourself up to thrive in the different environments.

Jonathan Sutter, a JD/MBA from Duke, BBA from Emory and former attorney that successfully transitioned to an executive role in a technology company, is founder of Empowered Thought Leadership, a company dedicated to promoting thought leadership.  Jonathan’s business includes coaching JDs and practicing attorneys on transitioning to non-legal careers based on extensive research regarding best practices in making the transition.

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