Is the Grass Greener When You Leave the Law? (What Former Lawyers Say)

The Former Lawyer Podcast

The Former Lawyer Podcast
Is the Grass Greener When You Leave the Law? (What Former Lawyers Say)
Aug 25, 2025 Episode 280
Sarah Cottrell

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 means to be an adult with a job. Maybe every workplace is toxic. Maybe no one really likes what they do. You'll even hear people outside the law say things like "Well, no one likes their job."

There's something almost protective about believing this. If you don't believe it will be better elsewhere, it's easier to keep doing the thing you're doing, even if the thing that you're doing is painful and not great for your mental and physical and emotional well-being.

But after six years of interviewing former lawyers, I can tell you the grass really is greener.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/280