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.
Before going to study pastry arts and opening her pastry business, Amy Duvall worked as a lawyer and later as an environmental lobbyist in Washington, DC for 20 years. In March 2018, she left that behind to study pastry arts and start her pastry business. Amy talks about her time working as a lawyer in both traditional and nontraditional ways…
This episode features Matt Wheat, a single dad who left legal aid to become a firefighter. Sarah talks to Matt about his experience working in various public interest jobs and volunteering as a firefighter while still practicing law. It was while he was volunteering that he fell in love with firefighting and ultimately left the law to become a full-time…
Welcome back to Former Lawyer! This week, you’ll learn about Erin Conlin, who had a job practicing law for almost 15 years before finding a much more influential career in coaching. Erin graduated from law school and landed her dream job, only to get laid off because of the recession in the late 2000s. Then, she spent almost a decade…
This week, I’m talking about my conversation with Toya Gavin. Toya practiced law for over 10 years, eventually opening her own practice before finding herself battling depression and ultimately leaving the legal field. Now, she’s a coach who helps women who are dissatisfied in their careers or are trying to transform their side hustles into full-time careers. When Toya contacted…
This week I’m sharing my conversation with Risa Weaver-Enion. Risa graduated from Duke Law School and worked a handful of jobs in the legal profession while she and her husband moved around the country for his job. Then, Risa started her own event planning company as a side hustle. In 2017, she transitioned to running her business full-time. I’m so…
In this episode, Sarah talks to Katie Aldrich about her experience moving from doing business litigation at a big law firm to providing professional development and career coaching for lawyers and other professionals. They talk about Katie’s realization that, although she was good at her Biglaw job, that didn’t mean it was the right job for her and she should…
