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Vol. 72, No. 6, June 1999 |
Career Satisfaction: Assessing the
Options
For many lawyers, finding satisfaction in the law is a
matter of taking their careers in different nontraditional directions.
By Hindi Greenberg
etworking and informational
interviewing for a job may not be as exciting as an evening at
the theater, but an experienced business lawyer was so effective
doing the former, that she now gets paid to spend time attending
the latter as publications director for a major performing arts
theater.
Many
lawyers envy her transition into a creative and nonconfrontational
field, doing work she loves. This is because the legal community
is finally acknowledging an issue that many lawyers have known
for some time - that we do not all want to be like Perry
Mason. Although there are many lawyers quite satisfied with their
choice of profession, not all law school graduates want to appear
in court, work for a big firm, handle large or complex cases,
spend the majority of their waking hours in their offices, or
even earn top dollar. Instead, many want the opportunity to explore
and pursue alternative options, both in and outside of the law;
they want to further examine quality of life and work style issues.
They want to have work that they love, or at least work that
they feel good about.
Previously it was presumed that a law graduate would go to
work as an associate for a firm, work hard for five to seven
years, make partner, then ease up a bit and enjoy the fruits
of past labor and continued good work. That presumption has died
with the downsizing, restructuring, and merging of law firms.
Not only are many law students and licensed practitioners unable
to find jobs, but associates and partners wait for the knock
on their office door announcing their forced departure. And perhaps
most troubling, many practitioners fortunate enough to have stable
employment seem less happy than ever.
Although the maxim "no job is perfect, that's why
you get paid" may be even more appropriate today, growing
numbers of lawyers are questioning their career choice. There
have always been many individuals dissatisfied with their work;
however, in earlier decades, people repressed discontent because
loyalty and continuity were prized. Today, job-hopping and lateral
transfers are the norm, and many law firms now have no more loyalty
to their employees than their employees have to them.
Evaluate What Change is Needed
The options available after years of dedicated practice at
a firm also are changing. For example, firms are inventing new
categories for associates - such as permanent associate,
of counsel, or special counsel - who will not be offered
a piece of the partnership pie. For some associates, these are
promising developments, alleviating the stress caused by partnership
track competition and rainmaking requirements. But for others,
it is an insult to their efforts and the countless hours billed
for the firm at the expense of their private lives.
There are almost one million licensed attorneys in the United
States, and that number is growing. In California alone there
are more than 165,000 attorneys. In Wisconsin there are now more
than 19,700 licensed lawyers. And there are increasing numbers
of associates, with decreasing possibilities for partnership.
Reflective of lawyer discontent among this mass are several polls
that indicated 50 to 70 percent of the respondents either would
leave law if given the opportunity, or were at least somewhat
dissatisfied with their legal career.
In the 1998 State Bar of Wisconsin Member Survey, roughly
25 percent of all respondents said they were considering leaving
the legal profession within the next five years. While many of
those planning to leave the law were retiring, others were abandoning
law practice for other reasons. Of respondents who gave reasons
for wanting to leave law behind, most said they were frustrated
and disillusioned. (The survey results are published in the October
1998 Wisconsin Lawyer.)
Dissatisfied practitioners often find that they must change
their work or environment or risk firing, malpractice, ulcers,
or worse. Many of them initially believe that they need to quit
the practice of law. However, simply obtaining information on
how to stay in law and develop career satisfaction, with only
minor adjustments to a current working situation, may suffice
to remedy the frustrations. Adjustments could include a move
to an office with a different culture, a different area of law,
or a different type of client.
State Bar CLE Seminars presents
Career Alternatives In and Out
of the Law
On Saturday, July 17, State Bar CLE Seminars will present Hindi
Greenberg's program, " More
Than 300 Things You Can Do With a Law Degree: Career Alternatives
In and Out of the Law." The seminar will:
- inform you of the many possible uses for your legal training;
- help you evaluate your career needs and goals;
- enable you to identify your skills and abilities and how they translate into new job or career possibilities;
- show you how to research the job market and make new employment contacts; and
- provide you with an extensive resource list of organizations, options, and
publications.
The July 17 seminar is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Sheraton Hotel, Madison. More information will be
available as the date nears. Contact the State Bar at (800) 444-9404, or visit WisBar.
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Individuals who have worked at only one or two law offices
often are surprised at the varied dynamics of other offices.
In many work situations it can be the interoffice relations that
make work enjoyable or contribute to its aggravations. Look around
and talk to attorneys in other offices about their office culture
and relationships to discover if maybe you need to move because
you are working in an especially difficult office.
If it isn't a change of colleagues that is needed, some
lawyers find that a move to a different type of practice, one
that removes some of the stress factors, is enough. For example,
if discomfort is caused by the confrontation necessary in a litigation
practice, consider switching to a more transactional practice.
Or, as one of my counseling clients discovered, all that was
necessary for him to avoid the anxiety created by contentiousness
and confrontation was to develop an appellate practice at his
firm.
Attorneys who love the law in its theoretical rather than
its practical application often can find contentment working
in research and writing positions with the courts, legal book
publishers, research services, or even in a law firm's appellate
department.
If a minimum change is not enough, many lawyers find that
a move to a job that continues to use their legal practice skills,
but in a less consuming or traditional manner, alleviates their
discontent. For example, lawyers are moving into corporations
to work as in-house counsel, using their legal skills as part
of a team to further the business of their employers. Similarly,
lawyering in a nonprofit organization, one that promotes values
and issues prized by the lawyer, can reinvigorate interest. And
sometimes there are opportunities within the parameters of these
jobs to exercise other skills, such as legislative analysis and
drafting, planning policy, or lobbying. Lawyers also are teaching
legal subjects in law, business, real estate, paralegal, and
court reporting schools. Additionally, a large contingent of
practitioners works within bar associations, universities, and
colleges, handling the legal business of these entities. And,
of course, legions of lawyers work within almost every department
of the local, state, and federal governments.
Consider Alternative Work Schedules
In lieu of changing jobs altogether, some practitioners are
staying put in their practice areas, but are seeking alternative
work schedules to allow time for cultivating expertise in a developing
or specialized area of law, for starting a business, for transferring
into another field, for leisure interests, or for raising a family.
As these phenomena grow, the demand to accommodate less than
full-time lawyering and alternative work arrangements will escalate.
Although the legal marketplace is increasingly focusing on the
bottom line, requiring ever-expanding work hours from practitioners,
more lawyers are examining their life priorities and deciding
that excessive work, without time to enjoy the fruits of their
labor, is no longer acceptable. To remain competitive, get the
legal work done, and attract the best lawyers, firms will be
forced to accept part-time workers, hire independent contractors,
and make accommodations for individual choices. This bodes well
for those who desire quality time in and out of the law office.
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