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.
Somewhere along the way, most lawyers picked up the idea that once you commit to something, you follow through. No exceptions. So when the thought of leaving starts to surface, it doesn’t feel like a career question. It feels like there’s something shameful about admitting your original decision was wrong. But the decision to become a lawyer was made at…
Lawyers who know they want to leave often get stuck in the same place. Not because they don’t want to move, but because they’re waiting to feel certain about what comes next. Sarah Cottrell sees lawyers who won’t make a move until they have a new 20-year plan with an absolute guarantee, and while they’re waiting for that, nothing changes….
When lawyers start thinking about doing something else, the first thing they reach for is almost always the resume. It feels like real progress. It produces something tangible. And for lawyers who are used to having clear work product, that matters a lot. What actually happens is the opposite. You sit down to revise it, you stare at a bunch…
On paper, Amy Terwilleger’s life as a lawyer looked great. Partner at a regional firm in Florida. Deputy general counsel. Thirteen years of business litigation. Married with two kids. And the whole time, a constant restless feeling she could not shake. What Amy eventually figured out was that she was living somebody else’s perfect life. The things that mattered to…
If you’re thinking about leaving the law, there’s a good chance you’ve asked yourself some version of this question. Am I justified in doing this? You already know the environment isn’t good for you. You already know something needs to change. But there’s a sense that you need some kind of external sign-off before you can actually go, and until…
There are two very different situations a lawyer can be in when they start thinking about leaving the law. One is a job that is actively damaging their mental, physical, and emotional health. The other is a job that is just not the long-term answer. What you do to tolerate either one while you’re preparing to leave the law is…
