My Law Jobs for Humans colleague and program co-chair Bill Henderson made my day not long ago. He told me, not for the first time, that a blog post I’d written early last year perfectly summarized the zeitgeist of the modern legal innovation career. “You said it in that blog post, Dan,” Bill said. Then going on, quoting my post, he said, “In fact, “uncertainty” may be the best word to sum up the challenge of pursuing a career in legal tech.”
It’s pretty cool when someone that you look up to – and someone who’s pretty smart him or herself (he was on Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast!) – glowingly quotes you back to yourself.
But this post isn’t just an extended humble brag – at least, it isn’t from now on – my point is that this emerging landscape of law jobs is incredibly uncertain. There’s no clear entry point, no established career path, and no promises of a brass ring at the end.
Personally, the uncertainty is precisely why I love working in this space so much. I don’t want to follow the beaten path and I get excited by new and uncharted territory. That being said, I also freak out regularly because I live and die by my wits and there’s no clear map to follow or brass ring to seek.
Enter Law Jobs for Humans. While we know we can’t instantly create career paths that have been decades, if not a century plus, in development, we can provide both examples and community.
First, precisely because we know the path is unclear and uncertain, in organizing Law Jobs for Humans, we’ve invited the most interesting and innovative career renegades to the event. It’s nearly impossible to build a freeway where not even a path has existed previously, but at Law Jobs for Humans we’re creating a space for those who have explored the unknown territory to tell us what they’ve seen and learned.
Second, we can’t eliminate the uncertainty but we can lessen the fear by limiting the loneliness. Striking out into uncharted waters can seem overwhelming but you don’t have to do it totally alone. The Law Jobs for Humans audience is made up of others exploring the frontier of the 21st century legal career – and we’re creating the space for sharing stories about those experiences and giving encouragement to fellow travelers.
So, if you’re down to embrace the uncertainty in exchange for some amazing stories and the chance to explore uncharted territory, Law Jobs for Humans is for you.
Join us in New York City on November 15th to bridge the uncertainty gap and build a legal career for the 21st century.