Leaving the law when you’re already burned out can feel impossible, because the job you need energy to escape is the same job draining all of your energy. You may understand that you need to figure out what comes next, but when you are scraping by energetically, even one more task can feel like too much.

That is where a lot of burned out lawyers get stuck. They assume that if they do not have hours and hours each week, whole weekends, or a huge amount of bandwidth to put toward leaving the law, then they cannot make any real progress. But Sarah talks about why consistency matters more than massive amounts of time, especially when everything already feels hard.

In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about leaving the law when you are already burned out, why the process may require less weekly time than you think, how bridge jobs can create relief, and when mental health leave may be worth considering.

0:27 - Leaving the law when you are already burned out

1:09 - The question burned out lawyers ask when they know they need to figure out what comes next

3:14 - Why career change does not require five or ten hours a week

4:54 - How bridge jobs can help burned out lawyers get relief

6:51 - Why mental health leave exists and when lawyers should consider it

8:43 - What to remember if you are leaving the law while already burned out

Mentioned In Leaving the Law When You’re Already Burned Out

Take Mental Health Leave Of Absence From Your Law Firm

Burnout In Lawyers With Ilona Salmons

Signs Of Lawyer Burnout - What Lawyers Need To Know

First Steps to Leaving the Law

The Former Lawyer Collaborative