ATTORNEY CAREER CHANGE: EVALUATE THESE WITH A MENTOR

I am not an attorney.  Yet, as a natural gas marketing manager and contracts manager for most of my career, I have spent a great deal of time working with attorneys.  They are always working for the right language and interpretation of contracts.

Many skills are required to be an attorney. But, those skills may vary depending upon the specific field of law that one is practicing. 

Let me tell you a short story about an attorney career change for someone I know.  She was a County Criminal Court judge in the state of Texas for eight years.  During a recent election her opponent won.  So, she would be out of a job at the beginning of the next year.

What did she do?  No, she didn’t set up a flower shop or drive a food truck.  She decided to become a private attorney practicing civil law rather than criminal law.  All right, it is not a complete career change to an entirely different career.  But it is a shift that requires learning about the intricacies and special elements involved in civil cases.

In fact, she would be using different skills in some ways to work with and for her clients.  I would consider it a mini-career change.  Do you?

WHAT KIND OF CHANGES MAY AN ATTORNEY BE LOOKING FOR?

Make It A Super Change

You want out of your current attorney role.  One of the first things to consider is whether you desire a complete breakaway from the legal profession or not.  Tell me have you had these thoughts?

• It is time to pursue your interest in acting.
• You want that PhD in sociology.
• Want to spend more time with your children but still work
• Always wanted to get a graduate degree in speech pathology.
• Would rather work for an investment firm.
• Interested in politics instead.
  

Those are some extreme shifts out of the legal world.  You may want to go in that direction.  One can still work as an attorney and have a career change.  In fact, that is the most likely outcome.  We will go over a few possibilities in the next section.

NEW CAREERS WITHIN THE LAW

If you still love the law, but do want to change from your current role then look over these ideas.  You might just find an attorney career change that really strikes an interest.

• Shift to a different section of the law in a private setting.
• Move to a rural area and set up a private practice.
• Connect with a legal aid group.
• Change to specializations that may not be as competitive:  elder law, estate planning, health care, or environmental law.
• Real Estate attorney.
• Contract Manager
• Policy and planning attorney especially for a non-profit or the government.
• Work as a Hearing officer that handles juvenile cases or small disputes.
• Be an In-House attorney for a corporation to reduce time-sensitive pressures.

OTHER OPTIONS FOR AN ATTORNEY CAREER CHANGE

Cut Free From The Old

Your role just isn’t going to work any more.  You have got to find a way earn an income in something that you will enjoy.  Ok, then we will throw out some suggestion for your consideration:

• Career Coach for those wanting to study law.
• Career Change Mentor at CareerRedo.com.
• Grant Writer
  
• Agent for writers, performers, athletes or artists.
• Contract Administrator for governmental or private agencies.
• Financial Planner
• Elected official
• Staffer for an elected official
• Recruiter or headhunter specializing in attorneys.
• Real estate broker
• Buy a business
• Author
  
• Alternative dispute resolution or mediation
• Law librarian
• Lobbyist
• Editor or writer
  
• Investment banker
• Negotiator
• Work for a bar association
• Legal instructor training paralegals, court reporters.  Teach business law, ethics and criminal law
• Director of Ethics at a university, company or hospital
• Legal videographer for accident scenes, depositions, etc.
• Public affairs representative for companies or non-profits.

16 MORE CAREER CHANGES FOR ATTORNEYS

CONCLUSIONS FOR AN ATTORNEY CAREER CHANGE

Make The Jump To Your New Career

Have any of these struck a cord with you?  If it has, then do what you would do if you were an attorney…prepare, prepare and prepare.

That’s right. It means thinking through your desires and what you need to do to be seen as the right person for your new role. Develop your resume in the right manner to take advantage of your skills.  Use the correct terminology to sell yourself.  Your attorney career change can happen.

Learn all you can about your new desired career. Get help with a career counselor.  Or use one of our career mentors to transfer knowledge and answer your questions.

Make contacts and network.  You know the story.  Now it takes work. 

But the real reward is the fact that you can and will achieve your goal.

Great success awaits!