CHAPTER 20 What If You Don't Want to Be a Lawyer Anymore?

In 2014, the American Bar Association completed a study that claimed 24% of people who passed the bar in 2000 were no longer practicing law in 2012. Top among other careers that people chose were nonprofit, education, government, investment banking, real estate, and full-time parenting.

So, what if you decide today, or one day, that you don't want to practice law? Was law school a wasted effort? We think not. (And not just because one of the authors hasn't practiced in a long time and has had a very fulfilling career.)

Going to law school imparts not only knowledge but a lot of real skills that are translatable to other industries. We personally know of law graduates in a variety of roles including CEO, movie producer, venture capitalist, author, restaurant owner, photographer, product manager, salesperson, business development, policy writer, musician, COO, wealth manager, accountant, CFO, private equity investor, secret service, consultant, entrepreneur, sports and entertainment manager, foundation director, financial advisor, and accountant, in addition to the professions listed above in the first paragraph. And we are sure that we are forgetting many outcomes here.

The bottom line is that a law degree is transportable to numerous other careers.

Some of the skills you learn in law school that are valued by non-law jobs are:

1. Analytical thinking and problem solving.

2. Negotiations.

3. People management.

4. Conflict resolution.

5. Ability to evaluate at lot of information, synthesize, and learn.

6. Public speaking/Communication/Presentation.

7. Research.

8. Organization and management.

9. Ability to work under pressure.

10. Understanding of the law.

Ask yourself: Where wouldn't these skills be used? All make you marketable and helpful in almost any profession.

Okay, so you are set! You have a certain set of unique skills that will allow you to stand out in a crowd for your new profession, right? Well. Maybe.

Some employers will be biased against hiring lawyers for non-law jobs. Interestingly, here is some feedback we got why a lawyer may see bias in their career switch.

1. Lawyers are seen as too risk adverse.

2. Lawyers are prone to “yes or no” and not shades of gray.

3. Lawyers are overly opinionated.

4. Lawyers have overly exaggerated compensation expectations.

In our opinion, some of these biases might be true. Law school does nothing but teach you about situations where things go wrong. There is never a situation where two parties do something and it works out. It always ends up in court. Law school literally beats any risk-taking out of you. Jason believes that this factor makes it harder for some lawyers to go into investing professions, which, by definition, is a risk-taking job.

Additionally, some lawyers are very polar in their thinking. Again, the world is more nuanced than that and when you are no longer playing lawyer, it's about getting things done, not holding things up.

As for overly opinionated, we think this comes from a lawyer's ability to influence better than most others. We are literally taught to exert our will and belief system over others. So, it's not surprising we are viewed as opinionated. In the workplace this can be seen as a negative if one person is overly dominate in getting their way. If any of you have non-lawyer spouses, think about how unsatisfying it is for your spouse to get in an argument with you.

Lastly, lawyers, on average, make more money than most. And when you are looking to make that career switch, hiring managers may see you as unaffordable.

Our advice is to address each of these biases head-on and deal with them, not avoid them.

As for the polar thinking, we'd advise you to keep it in mind and make sure your brain isn't living at the extremes. Showing that you can think analytically, and the answer can still be “it depends,” is actually attractive in the nonlegal world, as opposed to the legal world where it frustrates clients. When you are in conversations for that next job, keep this in mind as you craft your narrative or respond to questions in an interview.

As for winning your arguments, remember that outside of the law, winning isn't always winning. Relationships and reputation matter much more, on average, than always winning your argument. Think of it another way: Would you rather win your argument, or would you rather make someone happy and win their trust and respect? Pick and choose your battles. If it truly matters, use your legal skills to get your point across and win. Otherwise, don't sweat all the small stuff and instead be seen as someone who is a good teammate, not someone who dominates all the time. Again, keep this in mind during the interview process.

Lastly, when you apply for another position, make sure you are clear about your understanding of the level of job you are applying for. Let them know that you are willing to take a pay cut (if applicable) to get a fresh start doing something else. Dropping little hints like, “I saved some money being a lawyer precisely so I could take a risk like this later,” is very helpful to a person trying to decide if they can afford you. You can always negotiate the salary later after they've offered you a position. You should know a thing or two about negotiation.

If you are scared to make the jump, consider a couple of factors. First, if you keep paying your dues and continue CLE credits, you can keep your bar card. It isn't like you are retiring from a profession and there is no way to return. In fact, many employers that hire lawyers prefer lawyers who have done something else besides law. If your new career doesn't work out, you may have still made yourself more valuable as a lawyer, should you decide to go back.