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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.

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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