Many of today’s SMEs, senior-level / mid-level associates, and non-executive-track lawyers entered the legal profession at a challenging time. 

Some landed attorney positions with law firms and are now contemplating whether to continue in a private law firm setting, to move in-house, or to consider other career options. But many of the most-senior in this category of lawyers graduated at the start of the Great Recession, in 2008 and 2009, when the legal sector was swiftly and painfully contracting. Others entered law school hoping to wait out the Great Recession, but after graduation found themselves in a buyers’ market that resulted in under-employment, feeling trapped in contract work or e-discovery projects, and derailed career dreams.

Other SMEs and senior-level lawyers—no matter how many years of experience they have—are simply looking for work that they enjoy in an environment where they can contribute and feel valued as technical experts in a particular area of law.

No matter which category they fit into, SMEs, senior, and mid-level associates are faced with a tremendous variety of potential course corrections, re-positionings, and adjustments…

A law firm senior associate wants to move in-house.

She’s confident she knows all the technical legal issues she’ll face. But even so, corporate legal departments have different needs than law firms. How can she position herself as a lawyer who understands the special demands of in-house counsel, including working within the greater corporate culture? How can she make herself an attractive candidate for employers in her target sector?

An insurance defense litigator never wanted to practice insurance defense law.

He had tremendous law school debt, and high volume insurance defense work was his only option for an attorney position when he graduated. He felt he had no choice but to take the job. But, after five years, the work is grueling and he wants to leave. How can he broaden out his experience and appeal for other types of legal work in another small law firm?

A career prosecutor with 20 years of experience wants to shift to a small criminal defense firm.

She’s a functional expert in criminal law and procedure. She doesn’t have a book business, nor does she want to develop one. She just wants to be a lawyer in an environment that pays better and doesn’t require her to run such a large caseload. How can she translate her experience to the new role?

A contract attorney has been doing document review and e-discovery projects for three years.

He’s done feeling stuck and is determined to embrace this growing area of law and litigation management. How can he turn his e-discovery experience into an asset and a career at a law firm, multinational company, or e-discovery / information governance vendor? What about pursuing compliance roles in data security, data privacy, and user privacy? What additional certifications might add value to his résumé?

A healthcare lawyer is re-entering the law after a six-year hiatus for family reasons.

She’s afraid her legal career is over and worries she’s done nothing during that time employers would value. How can she demonstrate to employers she’s committed to re-entry and her knowledge and skills are current? How can she explain her hiatus on her résumé in a way makes sense to employers, but also protects her privacy?

Writing and Branding

• Résumés and CVs

• Cover letters and correspondence

• Deal sheets, representative matters, and sample projects

• Listings of presentations, speaking engagements, and media mentions

• Leadership bios

• LinkedIn profiles

• Letters of recommendation

• Recruiter questionnaires

• Marketing and website copy

• Business plans

• 30-60-90 day plans

• Flexible work proposals

• Creation and articulation of a clear professional brand

• Identification of value and impact

Immediate Career Decision-Making

• Working with retained legal and executive search consultants

• Moving in-house from a law firm

• Developing an area of expertise

• Demonstrating industry-specific or problem-specific track records

• Getting hired as a lateral associate or lateral attorney

• Building career narratives around non-linear work experience

• Discussing employment, underemployment, and layoffs

• Developing a potential book of business

• Getting sponsors and mentors

• Leveraging early career or military experience

• Getting credit for language and cultural fluencies

• Repositioning contract and e-discovery work as an asset

• Returning to workforce after sabbatical (on-ramping)

• Shifting to partnership-track or executive-track

• Improving on-the-job performance

• Navigating office politics and personalities

• Moving in-house from a law firm

• Changing job markets

• Deciding among job offers

• Negotiating salary

• Downshifting

Long-Term Career Planning

• Networking and relationship building

• Building and showcasing thought leadership

• Positioning for corporate or nonprofit boards

• Identifying your best fit roles and employers

• Identifying technical or experiential soft spots, as well as building plans to beef them up

• Creating and moving toward end-goals

• Interview prep

• Lateral moves

Get the help you want, when you want, at an affordable price. Our career coaching for lawyers is simple: just tell us the issues you’d like to discuss, and send us your current résumé (Don’t worry: it doesn’t have to be in great shape) so that we have some context. The more we know about your situation, the better we can assist. We can talk about interviewing, job search, networking—whatever you need.

or find out more about strategic career coaching