The Unhappy Lawyer’s Guide to a Better Career
Elena Deutsch always thought she would grow up to be a lawyer, like her dad.
She used to help him with filing on her days off of school. Around the dinner table at night, they would play “courtroom,” taking turns being the defense attorney, prosecutor, judge, and jury.
Elena’s dad loved being a lawyer and believed everybody deserves great legal representation. Unfortunately, he lost his way, ethically, and was eventually arrested and disbarred.
Elena no longer felt safe to follow his path.
She meandered her way through nonprofit work and public health until eventually landing on coaching. As soon as she started coaching, she started attracting lawyers who were unhappy in their careers.
Elena saw similarities between her clients and her dad. They weren’t doing anything unethical or illegal, but they were surrounded by a culture who was giving them a skewed idea of “normal.” If they or other people weren’t treated well, they were just supposed to accept that.
Elena has met so many women who went to law school because that’s what smart, ambitious, hardworking women with good grades do. They become lawyers so they can make a difference in the world. Years down the road, they end up realizing they don’t actually like what they’re doing.
Elena’s mission is to give them a hand and say, “If you don’t like it here, you can get out.”
For years, she’s helped women get clear on what they want, see other possibilities in and outside of the law, and expand their personal interests and hobbies so they can spend more time doing what they love doing.
Today, she’s the founder of WILL - Women Interested in Leaving Law. WILL exists to help women lawyers discover what else they can do in the law or out, plan their exit from soul-draining roles, and get into work that they actually love.
I asked Elena what she would tell someone who wants to get off the hamster wheel, but doesn’t know where to start.
Here was her response:
“Everything is figureoutable,” as Marie Forleo says. If you really want to do something, you can figure out how to do it.
Female lawyers are smart and hardworking. You know how to get stuff done. If you really put your mind to changing your job or career, you can. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you show up and do the work and find a supportive community, magical things will happen.
Elena has a 4-part process for helping women identify and leverage all of their legal skills and translate them into a career that’s more meaningful and fulfilling for them:
E - Elements
The journey starts with getting really clear on who you are and what you really want.
Elena has people take the Strengthsfinder Assessment and brainstorm a list of their natural strengths and skills. Then, she has them identify what elements or criteria make up their dream job.
A - Appealing New Possibilities
After they have their list, Elena asks people, “What are the appealing possibilities that light you up? That you just can’t see right now because you’ve never been outside the legal bubble before? What is effortless and joyful?”
They brainstorm different jobs, industries, and companies. They might also just brainstorm some hobbies and interests.
S - Study and Research
This is where the rubber meets the road. Up until this point, the process involves a lot of self-reflection and journaling and talking with your coach, but now it’s time to get out there and start having informational conversations.
A lot of people get stuck at this step, which is why Elena has a whole process to walk them through it. She helps people get over the mindset that they’re bothering someone and start casually reaching out with something like, “Hey, can I take 10 minutes of your time?”
Before long, people realize they have a bigger network than they think. Most everyone knows at least 250 people. Then, when you connect your network with other people’s networks, it grows exponentially.
E - Engage in Mindset Work
This step is woven throughout the framework, because you can have a great strategy, but if you don’t get past your mental barriers, you won’t see the change you want.
Elena’s goal is to help people shift their mindset to see what’s possible. She helps them turn their “I can’ts” into “I cans.”
The real key that makes this whole process work is community. Elena has built a community of over 100 WILL members and alumni who are also making or have made this change.
There were so many great nuggets and pieces of wisdom in our conversation.
To hear the full podcast, hit this link: Powerhouse Lawyers
If you’re sitting at your desk right now feeling totally unaligned in your career, like something is massively off in your life, I hope you listen to this conversation and know you have a choice.
You have to choose your hard in this life. Leaving the law is hard, but so is staying in a career you don’t like. I hope the little torch from this podcast lights a fire underneath you to run towards the life you deserve.
Where to Find Elena:
LinkedIn: Elena Deutsch
