The Former Lawyer Podcast
Do you hate working as a lawyer? Are you an unhappy lawyer who wants to leave the law, but isn't sure what to do next? Do your family and friends think you're crazy for wanting to leave the law, or are you too afraid to tell them you don't want to be a lawyer? The Former Lawyer Podcast is for you! Each week, host Sarah Cottrell interviews a different former lawyer who has left the law behind. Hear inspiring stories about how these former lawyers are thriving and found their way to careers and lives they love.
Episodes
333 episodes
How to Explore Your Career Options After Law with Patience and a Plan
When Sarah looks back at her time in practice, she can see a pattern that shows up for almost every lawyer who thinks about leaving the law. She would have a kernel of interest in a career path outside of the law, but her brain would immediatel...
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10:03
From Law School to Literary Agent with Lilly Ghahremani
Maybe you've thought about it. You love books, you love reading, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you've wondered if there's a way to turn that passion into a career that uses your legal skills without actually practicing law.Lill...
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42:40
How a Misalignment of Values and Career Helped a Lawyer Become a Therapist with David Sazant
Former litigator David Sazant spent years bouncing between practice areas, convinced that if he just worked hard enough and found the right fit, everything would click into place. He moved from insurance defense to construction and commercial l...
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41:43
How Multiple Assessments Help Lawyers Changing Careers
Lawyers love a good assessment. Sarah has learned this running The Collab. There's something appealing about taking a test that promises clear answers about who you are and...
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Episode 295
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12:58
Don't Wait for the World to Stabilize Before You Leave Your Legal Job
When the world feels unstable, the idea of introducing more instability into your life by leaving your job can feel impossible. But waiting for things to stabilize before you address your career unhappiness might mean waiting forever.202...
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Episode 294
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9:08
Do You Need a Bridge Job? Key Questions for Lawyers in Transition
One of the most common questions lawyers ask when they're thinking about leaving is whether they need a bridge job. It's a fair question, but before Sarah can answer it, she needs to know which type of bridge job you're talking about.Bec...
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9:51
I'm Not Here to Convince You to Leave the Law
Sometimes people ask Sarah, "Do all the lawyers you work with end up leaving law?" She gets the sense they think she's trying to convince people to abandon their legal careers, like she's running some kind of exit campaign.Let her be cle...
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10:50
The Best First Step When You're Not Ready to Leave Law Yet
Maybe you're thinking about leaving the law, but you aren't quite sure you're ready to start working through the process. You're thinking, "I really think this isn't for me, I definitely want to get out eventually, but maybe not at this exact m...
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Episode 293
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8:23
Why Community Support Matters When You're Leaving the Law
When lawyers start thinking about leaving, they focus on the practical steps. What career should I pursue? How do I update my resume? What skills do I need? Those things matter, but Sarah consistently hears from lawyers that they underestimated...
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Episode 292
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6:44
The One Decision Unhappy Lawyers Must Make Before Changing Careers
Most people who are thinking about leaving the law spend a long time in a familiar place. They know their job feels awful, they say it to themselves and to other people, and they imagine how much better things could be somewhere else. ...
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Episode 291
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9:26
When “I Invested Too Much to Leave the Law” Becomes the Reason You Stay Stuck
There comes a point where the math you’ve been doing in your head stops adding up. You spent years in school. You passed the bar. You took on the loans. You built the career you were told would make it all worth it. Now you’re tired, anxious, o...
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10:58
You Don’t Have to Earn the Right to Leave the Law with Zi Lin
Zi Lin did everything “right.” Philosophy major, law school, great grades, OCI, Biglaw offer, six-figure salary. From the outside, the path looked impressive. From the inside, it felt like being processed through a conveyor belt. No one asked w...
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Episode 290
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50:27
How Scarcity Keeps Lawyers in Jobs They Don’t Want
A lot of lawyers assume that making more money will make leaving easier. In reality, the opposite often happens. Once you are in a high-paying legal job, it can feel like there is no other path that will work. People outside the profession are ...
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Episode 289
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9:33
Your Burnout Started Long Before Your First Legal Job
A lot of lawyers believe they shouldn’t feel burned out because they haven’t been practicing very long. But burnout isn’t measured by years in the profession. For many lawyers, it started long before their first legal job. Sarah hea...
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Episode 288
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7:46
The Mistake Lawyers Make When They Want to Leave the Law
For years, the idea of leaving the law can sit quietly in the back of your mind. You tell yourself you’ll figure it out eventually, that one day you’ll know it’s time. But months turn into years, and the only thing that changes is how tired you...
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Episode 287
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8:47
Why You Feel Like You Can Never Turn Your Brain Off as a Lawyer
Lawyers often describe feeling like they can never fully turn their brains off. Even during downtime, there’s a sense of waiting for the next email, the next call, or the next fire to put out. It’s not simply overthinking. It’s the body staying...
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Episode 286
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14:13
What to Expect in Your First Year After Leaving the Law
The first year after leaving law is a strange mix of freedom and fatigue. There is relief in stepping away from billable hours, but the exhaustion runs deeper than expected. Sarah Cottrell hears it constantly from clients. They imagined a clean...
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Episode 285
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15:00
How to Break the Outrage-Complacency Cycle and Finally Leave Law
Ever feel trapped in the cycle where one week you swear you have to get out of law, and the next you convince yourself it isn’t so bad? That back-and-forth isn’t clarity, it’s burnout and fear of judgment keeping you stuck. In this ...
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Episode 284
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15:30
It’s Okay to Care What People Think and Still Leave Law
Many lawyers, when they stop and reflect, realize that one of the reasons they went to law school was to impress other people. Prestige mattered. But the moment they name it, the shame sets in — “That was a bad reason. I shouldn’t care what...
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Episode 283
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12:09
The Former Lawyer Framework 2.0: Streamlining Your Exit Strategy
The Former Lawyer framework has recently received a glow-up, and this podcast episode covers all the fun updates. Sarah has a few things that stuck out to her and would be the most helpful to anyone considering becoming a former lawyer. She cov...
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15:15
Why Talk Therapy Stops Working for Burned-Out Lawyers
You’ve been in therapy. You’ve talked through your career. You understand, logically, that your boss’s mood isn’t your responsibility, that your worth isn’t measured by productivity, and that burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. And yet… you’re ...
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Episode 282
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14:07
Nothing is Worth Sacrificing Yourself - A Reminder for All Lawyers
Today’s podcast episode is an important reminder every lawyer needs to hear. Sarah reminds listeners that nothing about your job is as important as you and your emotional, mental, and physical health. For lawyers, it’s easy to feel their value ...
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6:41
It’s Not Too Late to Leave the Law in 2025
2025 is more than halfway through, and if you told yourself this was the year you’d leave practice, this is your check-in. September is basically here, which means four months left in the year. That’s still plenty of time to make progress. And ...
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Episode 281
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6:26
Is the Grass Greener When You Leave the Law? (What Former Lawyers Say)
The question comes up constantly - in podcast interviews, on Collab group calls, and in emails from listeners. "What if the grass isn't greener on the other side?"It's tied to this idea that maybe being miserable at work is just what it ...
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Episode 280
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7:21
The Partner Who Makes Everyone Quit Isn't Your Problem to Fix
There's a partner at your firm. Everyone knows about them. Multiple people have quit working for them. Multiple people have gone out on mental health leave. When people talk about this partner, they use phrases like "difficult" or "has sharp el...
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Episode 279
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8:58
