The COVID-19 crisis in the courts is having a crippling effect on attorneys. Delayed trials, reduced caseloads, and fewer resolutions take their toll on lawyers caught in a mindset where winning is everything and losing is a reflection on your professional competence.
Lawyers are 3.6 times as likely to be depressed as people in other professions. More than 25% of lawyers suffer from depression, and far too many of them struggle with addiction issues. According to a recent survey conducted in 2020 by the American Lawyer, 64 percent of the lawyers reported anxiety. Many attorneys are looking to change course but don’t know what steps to take to make that happen.
Here are five key steps to help jumpstart a professional pivot.
Identify What You Want
A career change for an attorney might mean changing roles or practice areas within the legal industry. Maybe you are burned-out as a criminal defense attorney and are interested in personal injury law. Or you want to switch from assisting businesses to restructure through bankruptcy to working in family law. Finding an intersection between your senior expertise and your new practice area gives you a significant leg-up among the competition.
You’ll want to ask yourself some specific questions and make a list. What do you enjoy about your current job? What do you dislike about your current job? What would you change if you could? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your five top strengths? What would you do for free? Answering these questions honestly will have identified the type of job that will make you much happier.
Build a Bridge to New Job Skills
It would help if you started building a bridge between what you are currently doing and what you want to achieve. Data suggest about 80% of jobs are found through people you know. It’s time to start networking with people within your professional and social circles. You likely know someone who works in the field you are interested in pursuing. Ask them to introduce you to someone they know who either works at a firm that interests you or has your dream job. Find a mentor who can share their insight, advice and offer guidance on the best way to break into the field.
Get Involved
The next step is to get some real-world experience in this new practice area. I suggest you start getting involved with organizations affiliated with that legal community. Volunteer, join a board, sign-up for a CLE class or a legal networking forum to meet people, learn about the issues and make contacts.
Carve Out Time
Now it’s time to do some research and start talking to others about what you want to do. The best way to do this is by setting aside time for your next steps and sticking to this goal. The confines of social distancing in COVID-19 do have some benefits. Think of all the time you save not commuting to the office or court hearings and depositions. At the same time, some of those reclaimed hours are consumed by other commitments (like helping children with Zoom school), set aside some of that time in your schedule to work on career
The COVID-19 crisis in the courts is having a crippling effect on attorneys. Delayed trials, reduced caseloads, and fewer resolutions take their toll on lawyers caught in a mindset where winning is everything and losing is a reflection on your professional competence.
Lawyers are 3.6 times as likely to be depressed as people in other professions. More than 25% of lawyers suffer from depression, and far too many of them struggle with addiction issues. According to a recent survey conducted in 2020 by the American Lawyer, 64 percent of the lawyers reported anxiety. Many attorneys are looking to change course but don’t know what steps to take to make that happen.
Here are five key steps to help jumpstart a professional pivot.
Identify What You Want
A career change for an attorney might mean changing roles or practice areas within the legal industry. Maybe you are burned-out as a criminal defense attorney and are interested in personal injury law. Or you want to switch from assisting businesses to restructure through bankruptcy to working in family law. Finding an intersection between your senior expertise and your new practice area gives you a significant leg-up among the competition.
You’ll want to ask yourself some specific questions and make a list. What do you enjoy about your current job? What do you dislike about your current job? What would you change if you could? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your five top strengths? What would you do for free? Answering these questions honestly will have identified the type of job that will make you much happier.
Build a Bridge to New Job Skills
It would help if you started building a bridge between what you are currently doing and what you want to achieve. Data suggest about 80% of jobs are found through people you know. It’s time to start networking with people within your professional and social circles. You likely know someone who works in the field you are interested in pursuing. Ask them to introduce you to someone they know who either works at a firm that interests you or has your dream job. Find a mentor who can share their insight, advice and offer guidance on the best way to break into the field.
Get Involved
The next step is to get some real-world experience in this new practice area. I suggest you start getting involved with organizations affiliated with that legal community. Volunteer, join a board, sign-up for a CLE class or a legal networking forum to meet people, learn about the issues and make contacts.
Carve Out Time
Now it’s time to do some research and start talking to others about what you want to do. The best way to do this is by setting aside time for your next steps and sticking to this goal. The confines of social distancing in COVID-19 do have some benefits. Think of all the time you save not commuting to the office or court hearings and depositions. At the same time, some of those reclaimed hours are consumed by other commitments (like helping children with Zoom school), set aside some of that time in your schedule to work on career development.
Reimagine a New Reality
Change is hard but staying in a job that makes you miserable is even more challenging. Once you’ve figured out what you dislike about your current career, work towards reimagining a new reality where you are happy. Have patience, keep focused, and stick with your goals. The future is full of uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait until the pandemic passes to reevaluate your professional aspirations. Attorneys are lucky to have tremendous skills, specialized expertise, and comprehensive education. By leveraging these assets, there’s a strategic way to find a path towards reinventing your career and improving job satisfaction.
Nicole Kuklok-Waldman is a legal expert in land use and entitlements who has worked on numerous regulatory approval processes required for distant land use across the region. Nicole is a lecturer at the University of Southern California. She teaches Planning Law and Entitlement at the Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Lusk Center for Real Estate and has guest lectured at Temple University and UCLA School of Law. Nicole created a course called Lucky Lawyer that helps lawyers transition careers either within the law or to other professions.
.
Reimagine a New Reality
Change is hard but staying in a job that makes you miserable is even more challenging. Once you’ve figured out what you dislike about your current career, work towards reimagining a new reality where you are happy. Have patience, keep focused, and stick with your goals. The future is full of uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait until the pandemic passes to reevaluate your professional aspirations. Attorneys are lucky to have tremendous skills, specialized expertise, and comprehensive education. By leveraging these assets, there’s a strategic way to find a path towards reinventing your career and improving job satisfaction.
Nicole Kuklok-Waldman is a legal expert in land use and entitlements who has worked on numerous regulatory approval processes required for distant land use across the region. Nicole is a lecturer at the University of Southern California. She teaches Planning Law and Entitlement at the Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Lusk Center for Real Estate and has guest lectured at Temple University and UCLA School of Law. Nicole created a course called Lucky Lawyer that helps lawyers transition careers either within the law or to other professions.
