ARTICLE
Finding a Career After Law Kimberley Johnston
I
remember sitting at my desk, at 9pm one night reviewing a security agreement in a stack of Project Finance documents, struggling to keep my eyes open and wondering where the excitement I had felt a decade ago had gone. For me, it was a sign that something needed to change - and thus began my search for my missing spark. As I started thinking about doing something different, I quickly realised that being a lawyer is more than just a job - It is an identity. We spend years of our lives (and tons of money especially in the U.S.) learning and honing our skills, working until all hours of the night, and choosing work over many other things. It is not just what we do, it is often who we are, and giving all that up is not easy. If you are debating whether this is true for you – think of how you introduce yourself to others if you start with “I’m a lawyer who…” that is a big clue into how you identify. The important thing here is to recognise that there is a level of credibility, intellectual status and even social status that comes with telling people you are a lawyer so, ask yourself if you are okay showing up at a function and saying: “I am a _______”. Personally, I did not want to let go of that pedigree, so I now introduce myself as a “reformed lawyer” who transitioned into executive coaching after almost 20 years working for the U.S. Government, in private practice and in-house at a financial institution. Once you recognise that you need more or want to do something new, the hard work begins to work out what that is. Interestingly, it is not always a move out of law – it might just be a move to a new area of law or a more strategic role. I was coaching a lawyer once who wanted to transition into something new and said she felt like she had an “ocean of possibility in front of her”. I took her metaphor and asked: “Is brain surgery something you are contemplating or a move to IT?” she laughed and said “no” and through a series of additional narrowing questions the ocean was soon at bay comprising options of being a lawyer in her current location and likely in the same institution but doing something new. If you don’t have a coach and are struggling to work out what is next why don’t you try this exercise I do with a lot of my clients: write down everything you want to do and allow your mind to be fully expansive with no editing or judgment. If being a DJ is a secret passion of yours or if you always wanted to be a jazz flutist or a cartoonist – write it ALL down – let your brain take you where it wants to go. I also ask my clients to leave a blank space to acknowledge that we are not in complete control and something else might pop up or happen in our lives that will shift our direction of travel no matter what we decide we want to do. Once you have exhausted your expansive thinking you can start to narrow things down e.g.: Being a travel photographer right now really won’t work for me because I have a young family who I want to spend time with (but leave it on the list as something to explore when the kids are gone). Maybe your financial needs, caring responsibilities, or a need to be in a certain geographic location will preclude certain roles, but if what is stopping you from pursing a dream is money, I would challenge you to dig into
your expenses and see where you can make some potentially difficult changes to pursue that dream. If it really is not possibleown that and try to find joy outside your day job. One of the other benefits of this exercise is that it can highlight what brings you joy so you can do more of that. After doing this exercise myself, I wrote down as a reminder “you can sing and not be a singer, you can cook and not be a chef, you can take photos and not be a photographer, you can write and not be an author, you can act and not be a professional actress.” It is a little reminder to myself that I can still do the things I love even if I am not making money doing them. Remember that you only have one life to live, and it is never too late to make a change. Top tips for thinking about your next role: • Take the time to work out what you enjoy doing. • Speak to people who are doing jobs that you think sounds interesting and use AI tools like Bard or Chat GPT to get ideas for role titles you might not have thought about. Chat to a mentor/trusted advisor/colleague/friend about jobs they think you might enjoy/be good at. • Once you have worked out what you want to do (or think you might enjoy) - do a Skill Gap analysis. What skills do you need to sharpen and hone and what skills do you need to develop or be aware that you lack? • Look internally and externally for options to develop these skills and to find ways to do what you enjoy. Think wider than jobs - can you get fulfilment through volunteering, running a project or joining a network? If you are part of a religious, social or other organisation can you find ways to expand these skills in those fora? • Once you have a clear understanding of the types of roles you are looking for, get on LinkedIn and search for those roles - once you click on a few options, the cookies will do a lot of work for you and will keep sending you relevant options. Think about connecting with head-hunters and just keep the conversations going. The more you speak to people about what you want to do, the more they will think of connections or options that might be good for you. N.B. - all of this advice comes with an obvious health warning: tread lightly if you are in an organisation that is notorious for dismissing people if they get a whiff of you looking elsewhere but if you work at such a place and are ready to leave - shout it from the rooftops!
Kimberley Johnston
Executive, Team & Systemic Coach Kimberley is an executive, team & systemic coach and hosts a podcast called “The Undiscovered You”for people who feel like they have more to offer but are somehow stuck where they are. She runs a coaching retreat twice a year in May and October for people looking to reset, rejuvenate and reconnect with their purpose. If you are looking for a coach or want to hear more about the retreat you can get more info here: https://kljconsulting.co.uk/reset-coaching-retreat
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