Marching relentlessly

I am learning some new skills. It is sometimes tiring going to class after a full day of work, but I think it is worth it. I am also getting a better sense of where I am going with all this.

One door closes, another opens

Today I started my transition away from document review, and away from the law. I am sure that friends and family will be aghast and perhaps dissapointed, but the truth is that I knew by the start of my 3L year that I did not find legal work personally satisfying.

My venture into the legal world came at great cost -- four and a half years and tens of thousands of dollars of debt. And I will leave it all behind, because future misery in a profession I care little for is not worth staying in because of the sunk costs.

If all goes according to plan, I will be reviewing documents for another year, and then finding a job in a field related to my undergraduate degree.

Exit Strategy

I know that there are many contract attorneys like myself who want to make an exit from the legal profession. Some of us hated the endless paper-pushing. Others despise having to deal with irate and irrational A-type bosses concerned with nothing but their own prestige. Whatever the reason, I think it's a good idea to have a viable exit strategy.

The problem for lawyers wanting to exit the profession is that we need to make ourselves marketable to employers outside the legal field. I believe that retraining is the best option.

I encourage those of you who want to get out to take night classes in something you are interested in. It could be accounting, photography, information technology, automobile repair, chemistry, art, or whatever else. Build skills to show employers that you are serious about getting out of the law, otherwise that J.D. just pegs you as a potential flight risk.