Life After Law

by Liz Brown

Written by Harvard-trained ex-law firm partner Liz Brown, Life After Law: Finding Work You Love with the J.D. You Have provides specific, realistic, and honest advice on alternative careers for lawyers. Unlike generic career guides, Life After Law shows lawyers how to reframe their legal experience to their competitive advantage, no matter how long they have been in or out of practice, to find work they truly love. Brown herself moved from a high-powered partnership position into an alternate career and draws from this experience, as well as that of dozens of former practicing attorneys, in the book. She acknowledges that changing careers is hard – much harder than it was for most lawyers to get their first legal job after law school – but it can ultimately be more fulfilling for many than a life in law. Life After Law offers an alternative framework and valuable analytic tools for potential careers to help launch lawyers into new fields and make them attractive hires for non-legal employers.

Genres: Law, Nonfiction, Legal, Philosophy, Personal Development

232 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2013

About the author

Liz Brown is an expert on reimagining life and career possibilities for lawyers. A Harvard-trained former law partner, Liz Brown is the author of the groundbreaking book, Life After Law: Finding Work You Love with the JD You Have (Bibliomotion 2013). She is a frequent speaker and writer on alternative careers for lawyers, and has been a featured speaker at Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and other venues.
Speaking from experience and extensive research, Liz talks compellingly about why so many lawyers struggle with career change, the unique challenges and options for women lawyers, and creative, effective strategies for identifying next steps. Her approach to career reinvention inspires real and positive change. She encourages readers to draw inspiration from some of the thirty ex-lawyers profiled in Life After Law, all of whom have found more engaging work outside of law.
In addition to being a former law partner, Liz is also the former Executive Director in Boston of Golden Seeds, the largest source of angel funding for women entrepreneurs. She graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School and has practiced law in San Francisco, London, and Boston, advising senior executives at Fortune 500 companies on legal strategies and managing multi-million dollar cases from inception to successful resolution. She is also a professor of business law at Bentley University. For more about Liz, please see www.lizbrownjd.com.

Reviews

[Gila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misery loves company. Maybe you picked this up after admitting to yourself that you are not happy with your career choice, despite all the time and money put into a law degree. Maybe you feel anxious or down or just realized you’re not doing what you should be doing in life. There is a whole community out there of folks that are struggling with wanting to leave a legal practice to do something else ... but not knowing how. This book doesn't have all the answers, but it is a comforting read and provides a good pep talk.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brown says at the beginning of the book - "There are happy lawyers in every area of the law and every type of practice. I have the greatest respect for these lawyers. This book is not for them." And I think that sums up the ratings of this book.

This book has a few chapters on her own departure from law, a few practical chapters (how to start, a few self-reflecting exercises, informational interviews, advocating for yourself...), but the bulk of the book is a collection of profiles of former lawyers who found satisfying second (or third, or...) careers outside the law. It's a quick read (especially if you know certain fields aren't for you and want to skip those profiles), and I enjoyed it.

[Lisa DellAquila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book about transitioning from the legal world to other, more personally fulfilling careers. I liked the personal anecdotes from each career-transitioning former attorney, and I enjoyed how the author detailed her own career transition. This was the pep talk that I needed!

[Blake Atkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of Inspo

I enjoyed the approach of this book by combining inward reflection with examples. I would like to see more stories of people who did not start at big law firms but different paths.

[Jesse Langel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fairly liberal with my five-star ratings. In my view, a well-presented topic with substantial research will earn it. This one is no exception.

I'm a lawyer, and have been intensely interested in finding the absolute best way to apply my law degree in a way that reaches my potential and serves the greater good. This book contained numerous, life-affirming ideas with great case studies.

Aspiring lawyers tend to select law school as a pragmatic approach to defer a long-term, introspective career decision. I, myself, am very happy I became a lawyer, and I believe that many of my legal skills are aligned with my strengths and interests (analysis and advocacy, glaringly). I was delighted to also see how other lawyers beautifully and creatively applied their legal backgrounds to open up new doors. Whether as entrepreneurs, consultants, artists, or writers, all ex-lawyers studied in this book attested to the integral role that their legal pitstops played in their journeys of becoming.

If you are a considering law, or are a lawyer considering a transition from it or within it, I suggest reading this book. It will serve you well. I wish you the best of luck in your lives.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

As evidenced by the fact that it took me over a year to finish, this wasn’t the most exciting read. But I think it could be extremely useful to people who want to see the types of jobs available to JDs and to restore hope that there are others options. Some of the stories annoyed me because of the lack of acknowledgment of privilege. One thing that struck me was early on in the book - the observation that law is the only industry to spawn another industry dedicated to helping people leave it.

[Anil Adyanthaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book!

A big full of practical guidance and inspiration for anyone looking for happiness in their work life. The author gives the reader the benefit of her experience navigating a mid-career career change. While targeted at lawyers, the principles in this book can really help anyone considering a career change even if they aren’t a lawyer.

[Helen Marie]

I thought this was well put together and contained some practical advice.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz Brown introduces her readers to a remarkable group of “recovering” lawyers who have found success beyond the bar: A former Harvard law professor finds new life as an acupuncturist; A Supreme Court reporter once toiled in NYTs legal department, and a former district attorney becomes the caretaker of a remote island ecosystem. How did they do it? How did they find the courage and resources to leave their life in the law to create a world wholly removed from all they had ever known? Brown explores the stories of these and other recovering lawyers to help you fashion your own blueprint to happiness beyond the bar.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A series of case studies about people who instead of hanging up a shingle, hung the whole thing up and found something else to do.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Encouraging. Makes you believe that alternatives to private practice are possible, but is too vague and general re: how to make that happen.