The Money’s Good, the Job Sucks
The National Law Journal reports that the legal sector continues to bleed jobs. 2,200 jobs in August, 1,600 in September, and 1,100 vanished in October. So far, the profession is down by nearly 16,000 jobs compared to a year ago. But what about lawyers who remain employed, but who would rather do SOMETHING else?
Law career consultant Dave Behrend discusses one such group:
“Every day,” writes Behrend, “Thousands of thirty- to forty-something associates go to work unhappy and unstimulated. They’ve practiced law 12 to 15 years and, even though many of them are well-compensated, they don’t have a passion for their work anymore, their careers are going nowhere, and they’re sacrificing their personal lives just to meet the increasing billable hour requirements.
Sadder still, he says, these young lawyers bring home all the distress and heightened agitation of their work. And it affects their families and the significant others in their lives.”
There’s hope, though, says Behrend, a national law career consultant for more than 20 years. Even the unhappiest associate (or in-house counsel or government lawyer) can discover if the Act II of their career is in some other setting. But the answer only comes with honest self-reflection.
* Are you still getting assignments/cases commensurate with your skill level … or not?
* Are there reasons you might not be measuring up to the firm’s expectations?
* Is your practice group overlooking you, and why might that be so?
* Is there less work available now because of the economic downturn … or for some other reason?
* How likely is it that you will make partner when you factor in all the associates at your firm?
Behrend’s message to clients is that no matter how much money they make, there are few things worse than going to work every day without energy, enthusiasm, or enjoyment.
He says these are times to be brutally honest with yourself and ask, “Have I stayed too long at (the firm or in-house)? If you don’t believe you’re challenged where you are, if you sincerely believe your skill-set, knowledge, and business-development capabilities could be better suited in another setting, then the chances are your Act II is waiting for you somewhere else.
– Behrend, based in Philadelphia, has a national career coaching practice. For contact information, click on Careers (Avenue Resources) and go to the Career Counselor Locator (Pennsylvania).