The Top 10 Reasons Why Lawyers Seek Alternative Careers – Part 1 of 2

10. Lack of appreciation — if you win, you were supposed to, so you don’t get thanked. If you lose, it was because you did something wrong. If you are looking for a profession where you can receive positive reinforcement and gratitude for your hard work, law is not the one..

9. Loneliness/Isolation — whether working for a large firm or as a solo, most of the work is done alone, behind closed doors. Moreover, a lawyer is always an outsider and never really a member of a team working together and sharing ideas to solve a problem.

8. Lack of control over work process and outcome — a client once told us that the legal profession is
the only one where you can do everything right and still lose. Unreasonable deadlines and unreasonable
clients, not to mention unreasonable partners and judges, are also problems.

7. Negative, adversarial environment — every day, it’s a battle. Instead of creating win-win scenarios,
there’s tremendous pressure to savage the opposition, and to make simple issues more difficult. Many
disaffected lawyers would prefer to be in an atmosphere that is cooperative and collegial. Wouldn’t you?

6. Collecting fees from clients — our clients say one of the most onerous aspects, especially of small firm
or solo practice, is getting clients to pay their bills. Making dunning calls is not something they prepared
you for in law school.

If any of these sound reasons are familiar to you and you are thinking of doing something about it, give Career
Strategies a call. There is a way out!

Career Strategies provides a full range of services for attorneys in transition. The firm’s specialty is career change for attorneys in mid-life who are seeking to explore career alternatives, either in the law or in business, academics or non-profit agency administration. The company serves clients nationally. A boutique-sized
practice, the company limits itself to accepting just over 100 new cases per year.