On the Wall Street Journal Blog, Dan Slater posts on a new profession, of sorts – counselors for lawyers who are unhappy and thinking of leaving the legal profession. It’s not clear how many people occupy this profession, but he interviews one, Harvard and Cambridge graduate and former Alston & Bird associate, Monica Parker. Ms. Parker talks with people about exit strategies and the reasons for seeking a new career outside of the law. She notes:
“A lot of us went to law school by default,” said Parker, when we asked her why she thinks lawyer-happiness is in such short supply. “We’re people who don’t quite know what we want to do, but think law school will create opportunities. So we get sucked into a funnel of going into a law firm, and then, there you are! You’re miserable. You’re miserable because you didn’t choose this career. It pretty much chose you. You were never taught how to select a career, think about the possibilities, how to experiment, how to learn about what’s important to you.”
She states that she works with about 50 clients and has a 3% to 5% rate of client conversion to non-legal careers – don’t quit your day job just yet, Monica. However, to be fair, every business has to start out slow and build it’s base and successes. Further, maybe getting people to convert to non-legal employment isn’t really the answer anyway. The law offers a wide range of opportunities in different environments and work lifestyles. For every high pressure 60+ hours a week big firm job, there is a government, public interest, or small firm position that involves a lot less hours at the office. But that means less pay usually too. You simply can’t have it both ways, and this is not exactly breaking news.
One thing that is overlooked in the post (but not in the comments) is that law school graduates often have differential opportunities, but often very similar debt. For top 10-15 school grads and the lower tier grads in the top 10% of their class, opportunities abound for both high pay and high satisfaction careers – not so for the remaining vast majority of law school graduates. Bill Henderson’s many ELS posts on this point make this case convincingly. Law grads also have differing personal situations and needs and this makes generalizations about leaving the law difficult.
So, are counselors for disillusioned lawyers in order? Maybe, maybe not. I suppose if someone is willing to pay for your advice, then it’s viable. There is much to consider in making such a decision (personal factors, financial implications, career trajectory, social factors), so maybe some guidance is in order. If Ms. Parker’s service is not for you, then there is a branch of the now infamous “Greedy Associates” message board devoted specifically to people who have left the law or are supposedly contemplating leaving the law (but, I think that the latter dominate).
Voir Dire 
The head custodian at my undergrad institution student union was a lawyer… he’d had enough and decided to clean floors.
You ask whether counselors for disillusioned lawyers are in order. I am a former practicing attorney who helps attorneys and law students with career development issues. Many lawyers are experienced and adept at figuring out their clients’ needs. They are knowledgeable about a variety of subjects, but may lack self-knowledge. Some may not be used to or comfortable with the practice of examining their lives or reflecting upon their workplace and life values. They may shy away from what they consider “touchy-feely” stuff. With all the great career counseling books and internet sites out there, it is possible, with great self-discipline to be your own career counselor. However, I find that most of my clients value the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with a person to whom they can confide their aspirations and doubts, without fear of judgment. Lawyers who doubt their career choice may have a hard time admitting these feelings to family and friends who saw them through (and maybe worked to pay for) law school and the bar exam.
As for the low percentage of Ms. Parker’s clients who’ve actually pursued a non-legal career, that transition can take a lot of time. Like many professionals, a lawyer’s identity may be all about her work life and the connotation of intelligence and competence that the occupation suggests. As you can imagine, that’s not an easy thing for many lawyers to walk away from without a second thought.