Do you hate working as a lawyer?

Do you hate working as a lawyer? Are you an unhappy lawyer who wants to leave the law, but isn’t sure what to do next? Do your family and friends think you’re crazy for wanting to leave the law, or are you too afraid to tell them you don’t want to be a lawyer? The Former Lawyer Podcast is for you! Each week, host Sarah Cottrell interviews a different former lawyer who has left the law behind. Hear inspiring stories about how these former lawyers are thriving and found their way to careers and lives they love.

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23 Mar

Why Lawyers Think Feelings Are Optional and What It Costs Them [TFLP301]

Lawyers who are unhappy at work often tell themselves they’ll feel things later. When they retire, maybe. The sense is that feeling the full weight of what’s happening would make it impossible to keep functioning, so the feelings get pushed down and the grinding continues. The problem is that feelings aren’t actually optional. The physical sensations that come with emotional…

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16 Mar

Why High-Achieving Lawyers Stay in Jobs That Are Hurting Them [TFLP300]

Being good at your job and being in the right job are not the same thing. For lawyers who are high achievers, that distinction can be almost impossible to see when every external signal, strong reviews, steady advancement, a reputation for getting things done, is telling you that you must be in the right place. That disconnect often has roots…

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9 Mar

The Perfectionist Trap That Makes It Hard to Leave Law [TFLP299]

Lawyers are, as a group, highly responsible, hard on themselves, and convinced they should be able to handle more than anyone else around them. That combination does not just make for a stressful career. It makes it genuinely difficult to acknowledge that something is wrong, let alone do anything about it. That is where perfectionism becomes a trap. When you…

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23 Feb

What Lawyers Wish They’d Asked Before Going to Law School [TFLP297]

A lot of people end up going to law school without ever really asking themselves whether it’s what they want to do. Sarah Cottrell hears from people who send episodes of the podcast to friends who are thinking about law school. More than once, listening to the podcast has convinced someone that they don’t actually want to be a lawyer,…

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