Last week, Lauren Ascher was on the podcast to discuss accommodations for lawyers with ADHD. It’s a good segway into an important conversation about disclosing ADHD and other mental health issues to your law firm. It’s no secret that there is a high incidence rate among lawyers for anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and other issues. 

In the United States, you are entitled to certain accommodations legally for disorders covered under the ADA. But a real challenge is deciding whether or not you will disclose your ADHD, anxiety, or depression to HR at your workplace. It can feel really daunting to think about disclosing something like this at work. 

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/205

Today’s podcast episode is diving into the experience of being a lawyer with ADHD. There have been some episodes covering this topic in the past, but this one is with Lauren Ascher, and it’s for people who have ADHD and are wondering what kind of accommodations they can ask their workplace for. 

Lauren is a former lawyer. She graduated from Columbia Law School in 2011. Making a career change coincided with her ADHD diagnosis, which came about ten years into her legal career. Since then, she’s become an ADHD coach and is getting her master’s in mental health counseling. It’s valuable to have an actual background in law and to understand ADHD. She’s able to help people and give them hope and strategies to cope. 

There is a much higher percentage of people who are lawyers who have ADHD than the general population. Many people listen to this podcast who have ADHD or suspect that they may have ADHD, so let’s dive in.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/204

On today’s podcast of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah is talking about why it sucks to make partner at a law firm.

This isn’t true for everyone, but there are a ton of lawyers out there who works so hard to make partner and then ask themselves, “What have I done?” If you are one of those people or you feel like you’re on that path, this is for you.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/203

On the podcast today, Sarah is talking about lawyers feeling that they don’t fit at their law firm and feeling something is wrong with them because it seems to be working for everyone else.

After years of conversations with lawyers (and former lawyers) Sarah has discovered how common this feeling is. Not fitting in is actually a good thing, and Sarah will explain why.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/202

In today’s podcast episode, Sarah is joined by Francesca Korbas. Francesca is the COO and a partner in the educational consultancy Vested Academics.

Her story follows a unique path than many lawyers who decided to go to law school, and it provides a fascinating perspective on what it's like to step away from law into advocacy work.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/201

Today’s podcast marks a special milestone. It’s the 200th episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast. To celebrate, Sarah sat down with Stacey Harris of Uncommonly More, who Sarah works with to produce the podcast, to talk about how the podcast came to be and what it created.

Other Episodes Mentioned:

Lawyers, Your Job Should Not Make You Cry

The “No Assholes Rule” (And Why It’s A Joke)

Is Being A Lawyer A Bullshit Job?

Burnout In Lawyers with Ilona Salmons

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/200

On today’s podcast episode, Sarah has a conversation with Romy Frazier. Romy is a former lawyer who transitioned from practicing law into real estate investing.

The conversation is extremely helpful because she shares the importance of taking action and making a plan while moving gradually through the process. There are always some good takeaways from listening to someone else’s stories.

Let’s get to know Romy and learn about her story.

Learn more about The Guided Track

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/199

On today’s podcast, Sarah dives into a specific piece of the Guided Track that many clients have found incredibly beneficial. The Guided Track is a small group program that is offered twice a year. This small group works together through the Former Lawyer framework while discussing questions and obstacles and celebrating wins. 

The CliftonStrengths Workshop is part of the Guided Track experience. Vanessa Kuljis (a previous guest on the podcast) comes in and does the workshop with the group. It’s an incredibly powerful tool and is often overlooked on the sales page for the Guided Track. CliftonStrengths is a strengths assessment that looks for 34 different talent themes that, when cultivated, turn into strengths. Each person has a different order of these various strengths. The top five are the most significant.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/198

In today’s episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks about the offers she has available for lawyers who are interested in leaving law and looking for some resources to help organize thoughts and plans.

Sarah offers three different programs, each building off the base of the Collaborative and providing a different level of accountability and follow-up depending on your needs. 

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/197

In today’s episode, Sarah is wrapping up the summer series where she asked questions of some of her clients, who shared their personal experiences. Previous episodes have asked about myths, advice for the person they were five years ago, and much more. Make sure to catch up if you want to hear from people who have utilized some incredible resources The Former Lawyer offers. 

This episode focuses on the Guided Track. This is a small group program within the Collab. The group of eight lawyers max meets for ten weeks and works through an action plan that follows the Former Lawyer Framework. In addition, there are some other tools included, like CliftonStrength workshops.

These clients share their experiences and why they think someone should join. The Guided Track happens twice a year, in the spring and in the fall.

See show notes at formerlawyer.com/196