What unique challenges do lawyers face in finding satisfaction in their careers?
The process of thinking like a lawyer tends to impede the processes of personal discovery and career exploration. Legal analysis involves a lot of issue spotting – finding potential problems, contradictions, holes in theories and so forth. It favors skepticism and detachment. But career development involves trying things out before you are sure they’ll work. When lawyers apply the process of thinking like a lawyer to their own careers, they habitually quash some of their best ideas before giving them a chance to develop.
Since most lawyers are young when they enter the profession, they often lack a deep sense of who they are apart from their jobs. Lawyers don’t spend enough time developing their networks, especially with people outside of the legal profession, so they are cut off from good ideas. And there is a certain culture of negativity that gets passed down from era to era, which is not really helpful to anyone.
Is satisfaction hard to come by because of the legal profession, or because of the personalities that are drawn to the field?
I think the legal profession is a little bit odd in some ways, but I don’t think it’s pathological. Many of the problems that lawyers think are unique to the legal profession are common to other professional services – for example, billable hour requirements.
I do think that most people who become lawyers have a certain analytical, critical perspective that is further honed in law school. It becomes second nature to see the glass as half-empty, and to conclude that nothing can be done to fill it. This is where they are wrong. There are lots of ways that lawyers can become happier in their existing careers, or make transitions to new ones. To do that, they need to give up some of the drama they are holding onto, reign in their egos and expectations, and do some real work to make these changes happen.
You are no longer a practicing lawyer. Why do you think practicing law was not the best choice for you?
Basically, I have a core desire to be special, so I am not so good in careers where I feel fungible. I have a strong need to express myself and to connect with people, which did not happen as often as I wished when I was a securities lawyer.
However, had I read my own book at the beginning of my legal career, I could have taken a different path. There are a number of ways I might have reconciled my needs for self-expression, connection and uniqueness with different types of law, or different roles within legal organizations.
If someone is less than satisfied with his career, what is the first step he should take toward improving the direction of his career path?
Start getting clear on what specifically you like and don’t like about your current job, and about the previous jobs and experiences you’ve had. Jobs are usually a mixed bag, so it’s useful to disaggregate the main story into individual themes. Separately, you should start to expand your network and make a habit of meeting people in a variety of jobs, fields and specialties. It’s sometimes easier to see what you want manifested in someone else than trying to locate it in yourself.
If someone is less than satisfied with their career, what is the first step they should take toward improving the direction of his/her career path?
Don’t get obsessed with leaving versus staying. That’s just a time-waster that you’re probably not in a position to answer without additional data. There are typically a number of specific, small steps you can take that will give you clarity, ease anxiety and create new opportunities. These steps are both internal – assessing your skills, values and interests, and determining to what extent these are found or not found in your current position – and external – designing experiments to test new approaches, possibilities and opportunities. These types of exercises are a major part of the content of The Creative Lawyer.
Also, watch your tendency to bond with others on the basis of negativity. You need new positive options more than confirmation of your dislikes. Not everyone is willing to take positive steps forward, so hang out with people who are.
What can young lawyers specifically do to assure a fulfilling long-term career?
(1) Develop a long-term, compelling vision. You don’t have to achieve it, but it will help you to make good choices and get through the difficult parts.
(2) Develop robust personal relationships both within law and outside of it, and put in the time to maintain them. These will give you access to ideas, opportunities and fresh perspectives.
(3) Create a professional learning strategy. Consider what skills you have now compared with the ones you want to have in the future, and develop a plan for acquiring those.
In your book, there’s a chapter titled, "20 Minutes a Day." Can you tell us what that’s all about?
If you spend all your energy on just doing your job, you’ll never get anywhere! Allow yourself time to focus on those activities that don’t count as actual work but which will enhance your job and life. These activities include everything from vision and strategy planning, to networking, to short mental health breaks. Consider this as time you are billing for your soul.
Why did you write The Creative Lawyer?
Lawyers represent one of the most educated and empowered segments of society, and when they are clear on what they want out of life, they have the potential to make great contributions to the world. Right now a lot of lawyers are blocked but they don’t need to be. I wanted to write something that could help them to make effective use of the assets they already have.
