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The Great Escape: Nonlegal Careers For Lawyers – Above the Law

(Photo
by
Taylor
Hill/Getty
Images)



Ed.
note
:
This
is
the
first
in
a
series
of
articles
by
our
friends
Neil
Handwerker
and
Kimberly
Fine
of

ex
judicata
,
who
will
be
writing
about
lawyers
interested
in
transitioning
to
nonlegal
careers.


The
wave
of
lawyers
and
law
students
interested
in
leaving
law
for
new
careers
continues
to
grow
exponentially. 
It
was
with
that
tailwind
that
we
launched
ex
judicata
in
July
of
2023.  


ex
judicata
Hypothesis:
“Every
practicing
lawyer
knows
at
least
two
other
practicing
lawyers
who
would
like
to
leave
law
for
a
new
career.”


ex
judicata
Hypothesis
#2:
“Every
civilian
knows
at
least
one
practicing
lawyer
*

who
would
like
to
leave
law
for
a
new
career.”


*
My
cousin,
my
friend,
my
ex-wife,
my
brother-in-law
“…is
a
lawyer
and
they…” 


ex
judicata
was
designed
to
be
the
first
total
solution
for
lawyers
and
law
students
interested
in
leaving
law
for
new
careers. 
Here
are
the
Top
10
things
we
have
learned
to
date:


1.
Against
“recovery”


Lawyers
who
have
left
law
and
friends
and
family
of
lawyers
who
have
left
law
use
the
phrase
“recovering
lawyer”
accompanied
with
a
chuckle
way
too
much.
There
are
three
problems
with
this.


Not
funny. 
Not
original
and
to
quote
the
mighty
Gabriel
Byrne
in



The
Usual
Suspects,
You’re
missing
the
point!” 
You
are
always
a
lawyer
and
should
be
proud
of
all
you
have
accomplished. 
This
is
just
a
new
chapter
where
you
will
still
be
calling
on
your
JD
skill
set.


We
had
the
pleasure
of
interviewing
Professor
Scott
Westfahl
at
Harvard
Law
School
last
year. 
He
told
us:
“When
I
left
my
law
firm
for
a
nonlegal
job,
I
had
a
lot
of
people
asking
me
at
the
time,
‘What
are
you
doing?
You’re
throwing
away
your
10
years
of
practice
and
your
law
degree.’
I’m
like
absolutely
not,
because


I


knew
I
could
leverage
all
my
experiences
to
do
well
on
my
new
chosen
career
path.”


2.
Two
converging
themes
driving
the
exodus


Lawyers
who
have
hit
the
wall
and/or
dislike
practicing
law
and
want
to
find
something
else.


Lawyers
who
enjoy
practicing
law
but
would
like
to
move
to
a
career
more
in
line
with
their
passions
and/or
lifestyle. 
Never
has
the
entire
world
of
work
been
more
transparent. 
Lawyers
and
law
students
are
embracing
the
chance
to
use
their
JD
skill
set
in
alternative
careers.


3.
Never
too
late
for
a
Second
Act


While
most
of
the
activity
is
younger
lawyers
in
law
firms
and
law
departments
pivoting,
there
is
a
growing
base
of
older,
more
experienced
lawyers
who
want
to
make
a
change. 
We
are
seeing
this
most
often
in
partners,
say
55
and
above,
who
have
already
enjoyed
a
successful
legal
career. 
They
want
a
Second
Act.


The
following
example
is
illustrative:
We
were
tasked
by
Marsh
&
McLennan
to
find
a
senior
bankruptcy
partner
at
a
major
law
firm
to
come
aboard
in
a
newly
created
nonlegal
job
in
their
Global
Turnarounds
Group. 
We
placed
a
Paul
Weiss
partner,
Alan
Kornberg,
in
the
position,
thankful
for
this
unimagined
Second
Act.


4.
The
JD
ain’t
what
it
used
to
be


The
definition
of
a
JD
degree
in
the
American
work
force
is
evolving.


Old: 
A
JD
is
a
law
degree.


New:
A
JD
is
a
foundation
for
myriad
careers. 
Law
being
just
one
of
many
paths.


Kellye
Testy
is
the
Executive
Director
&
CEO
of
the
Association
of
American
Law
Schools
(AALS)
and
widely
perceived
to
be
the
most
influential
person
in
legal
education. 
One
of
her
mandates
is
expanding
the
universe
of
opportunity
for
law
students
beyond
the
traditional
practice
of
law. 
She
gave
us
the
following
definition
which
we
have
co-opted
and
use
all
the
time. 
“A
JD
is
a
degree
in
complex
problem-solving. 
And
if
there
is
one
thing
the
world
needs
more
of,
it
is 
complex
problem-solvers.”


5.
Asked
and
answered


In
LinkedIn
polls
we
have
conducted
asking
“What
is
holding
you
back
from
leaving
law?”
the
answers
rank
as
follows:


  1. Economics.
    Can’t
    afford
    a
    cut
    in
    pay

  2. Fear
    of
    change

  3. Don’t
    know
    what
    else
    to
    do

  4. Perceived
    loss
    of
    prestige


6.
However….


Yet,
hands
down,
the
question
we
have
gotten
most
often
since
starting
ex
judicata
is
“Where
do
I
even
begin?
(to
try
to
find
a
new
career).”
Nothing
to
do
with
how
to
afford
to
make
a
change
or
tips
to
overcoming
fear.  


This
may
make
sense
as,
anecdotally,
we
have
found
in
working
one-on-one
with
lawyers,
if
we
help
them
isolate
a
career
more
in
line
with
their
passions
and
purpose,
money
questions
and
fear
become
much
more
manageable.


7.
Know
thy
coach


There
are
a
boatload
of
lawyer
coaches
out
there
who
will
show
you
how
to
leave
law. 
There
is
nothing
new
here. 
Back
in
2014,
Liz
Brown
in
her
book,




Life
After
Law:
Finding
Work
You
Love
with
the
JD
You
Have
,
came
up
with
this
wonderful
sentence,
which
we’ve
seen
so
many
people
use
as
if
they
just
came
up
with
it: 
“Law
is
the
only
career
that
has
a
sub-profession
dedicated
to
helping
people
get
out
of
it.”


Here’s
the
problem. 
These
lawyer
coaches
fall
into
three
categories
and
one
can
easily
get
lost
in
the
noise.


  • Well-meaning
    people
    who
    genuinely
    want
    to
    help
    fellow
    lawyers
    get
    out
    but
    have
    no
    concrete
    plan
    as
    to
    how
    one
    actually
    does
    this
    or
    actual
    jobs
    their
    clients
    can
    apply
    for.

  • Not-so
    well-meaning
    people
    who
    see
    this
    as
    an
    easy
    way
    to
    make
    money
    since
    there
    are
    so
    many
    unhappy
    practicing
    lawyers.

  • People
    with
    solid
    advice,
    suggested
    jobs
    to
    apply
    for,
    and
    a
    track
    record
    of
    helping
    fellow
    lawyers
    leave
    law
    for
    successful
    new
    careers.


8.
The
ABA
is
behind
the
curve


The
ABA
has
been
slow
to
get
onboard. 
All
you
really
need
to
know
is
that
the
lead
article




Nine
Non-Legal
Jobs
You
Can
(Really,
Truly)
Do
with
a
Law
Degree


on
the
ABA’s
Alternative
Career
site
spells
“nonlegal”
wrong. 
The
most
up-to-date
piece
under
“latest
resources”
is
dated
October
4,
2023.


9.
(Some)
law
schools
are
with
it


The
law
schools



are


acknowledging
the
growing
desire
of
some
students
for
alternative
careers



right
out
of
law
school,


with
more
and
more
actually
starting
law
school
knowing
they
don’t
want
to
practice. 
The
most
enlightened
law
schools
like
Michigan
State
and
Northeastern
even
have
programs
designed
for
students
graduating
into
law
adjacent
fields
like
legal
ops
and
legal
tech.


10.
Firms
forget 


Am
Law
100
firms
have
been
pouring
millions
into
alumni
programs
designed
to
keep
better
track
of
their
alumni,
provide
networking,
and
keep
them
in
the
family. 
Most
programs
fall
short,
with
alumni
working
in
nonlegal
careers
an
afterthought. 
But
a
few
law
firms
we
are
working
with
realize
that,
if
cultivated
properly,
alumni
no
longer
practicing
law
can
be
a
secret
weapon
in
driving
referrals
back
to
the
mothership.




Neil
Handwerker
and
Kimberly
Fine
are
the
co-founders
of

ex
judicata
,
a
website
providing
information,
resources,
webinars,
coaching,
money
management,
and
inspirational
content
for
lawyers
and
law
students
interested
in
moving
to
nonlegal
careers. 
This
is
their
second
startup
together.
Feel
free
to

email
 them
with
any
questions
or
suggestions
or
connect
with
them
on LinkedIn.