The Lawyer's Escape Pod

By Megan Smiley

Megan Smiley interviews recovering lawyers, career advisors, and other professionals for advice and inspiration on transitioning out of law practice.... more

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FAQs about The Lawyer's Escape Pod:

How many episodes does The Lawyer's Escape Pod have?

The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.

The Lawyer's Escape Pod episodes:

October 05, 2021Morgan Thomas Hall transitions from law to tech sales
Morgan Thomas Hall is an Account Executive at Twilio Inc. Morgan practiced in both a firm and for the government before realizing that it wasn’t just a job problem, it was a career problem. She went back to the drawing board to explore her interests, and found herself drawn to tech, and then specifically to tech sales. In addition to her day job, Morgan now also helps people transition from other careers into the tech industry.
In this episode, we discuss:
Morgan had both firm and governmental jobs
She considered trying to become a judge
After giving it every possible shot, she accepted that it wasn’t just a job problem, it was a career problem
Morgan initially considered some JD-preferred jobs as an obvious next step, but quickly realized that none of those appealed to her
Morgan went back to the drawing board thinking about her interests
She felt drawn to technology and the start-up world, particularly because of how different the mentality is to the legal world
Morgan was worried her family would be disappointed, but also knew she had to make a change - she’s the one who has to live her life
She told anyone who would listen that she was looking to get into tech, leading to connections and information
Morgan kept coming back to tech sales, which leveraged transferable skills and checked a lot of boxes for her
She had confidence in her capacity to learn because she was both committed and interested
She found a way to effectively communicate her unique story as a positive to potential employers
You will be your biggest hindrance, so learn to get out of your own way

You can find Morgan on…
https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganlthomas/
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Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
40min
September 28, 2021Marie Sotelo leaves law for freelance writing
Marie Sotelo is a former lawyer turned freelance writer. After leaving the law, she leveraged her legal experience to become a go-to ghostwriter for entrepreneurs and chief executives in the law, compliance, and risk management space. She firmly believes that money is a means to an end—lifestyle freedom; and that you really CAN do anything with a law degree. She now helps other freelancers make smart money moves in their business and teaches other lawyers how to launch a writing side hustle.
In this episode, we discuss:
Marie had been hoping to do environmental law in some capacity, but that didn’t pan out
She ended up at the Customs & Border Protection Agency for a decade
Working within such an entrenched bureaucracy eventually got too stifling
She developed anxiety and depression (it’s not just big law that can impact you in that way)
Her family moved and she decided to take time off to focus on raising her son
She got into part-time freelance grant writing, testing it first with some volunteer jobs
Marie worried about finances and wanted to do something that could sustain her family, if needed, but also be flexible
She transitioned to content writing for law firms
Freelance writing is a great thing to experiment with on the side, and build up some extra funds
She’s built a life and career around her values and priorities

You can find Marie on…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/woolies
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Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
46min
September 21, 2021Heather Eastwood leaves practice to teach high school
Heather Eastwood is a public interest lawyer (with a brief detour into BigLaw) who found her long-term calling teaching public high school.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
Heather came out of college feeling adrift without a clear path to follow
She went to law school somewhat on a whim, because it was at least an extension of learning
Heather ended up working for legal aid in Hawaii
Her best professional experience was based on a highly collaborative environment
Heather decided to move to the Bay Area and ended up having to take a firm job
She felt deeply misaligned doing big corporate work
Heather quit from her honeymoon
She went back to the core of what she enjoyed in previous roles and her core values
Heather decided to teach high school, and has been happily doing it for a decade
The best piece of advice she ever got was “you are never stuck; you always have choices”

Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
40min
September 15, 2021Rachel Coll leaves practice to become a life coach
Rachel Coll is a lawyer turned life coach. Although Rachel actually largely enjoyed practicing, she allowed herself to evolve and follow the threads that interested her. She ultimately felt called to get into coaching. It did require pushing through some discomfort and external judgment around the decision, but she has now built a successful full-time practice.
In this episode we discuss:
Rachel largely enjoyed her practice first as a public prosecutor, then at the Board of Elections
Rachel came to a place in her personal life where she hired a life coach, and that ended up changing her trajectory
Rachel became a certified life coach on the side
She didn’t leave law because she didn’t enjoy practice, but because she felt drawn more strongly to something else
Although other people warned her otherwise, she always felt she could go back to law after coaching
Rachel’s practice has evolved from relationship coaching for lawyers to more general practice around embracing your full self and owning it
You don’t have to have a huge problem or official diagnosis to justify getting help
Trust if you’re called to something that it’s worth pursuing

Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
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You can find Rachel on…
https://www.rachelcollcoaching.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rachel-coll-coaching/about/
https://www.instagram.com/rachelelizabethcoll/
...more
47min
September 07, 2021David Johnson shows us how to apply design thinking to a career shift
David Johnson is a lawyer, writer and professor at Stanford Law School. He started his career working in house at tech companies, received a JSM in Law, Science, and Technology and now (among other things) teaches a course on design thinking as applied to negotiations at Stanford Law. Dave talks to us first about how he got into academia outside the tenure-track, and gives us some great tips around finding adjunct professor positions. Then Dave lays out the framework for using Design Thinking to help move you towards a fulfilling career shift.
In this episode, we discuss:
How David got into academia as non-tenure track professor
Tips on getting into adjunct teaching
David started an online course (MOOC) that ended up getting licensed to Microsoft
If you want to do something, don’t think too hard about where it’s taking you. Just do it.
Specific tips on applying design thinking to career and personal development
The importance of enduring, engaging, and embracing ambiguity
Bill Gates’ quote: “People overestimate what they can do in 1 year, but underestimate what they can do in 10 years”

You can find David Johnson on . . .
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djohnsonllc/
Blog: https://climate-activist.com/
~
Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
48min
September 07, 2021David Johnson Shows Us How Use Design Thinking to Make Fulfilling Career Shifts
David Johnson is a lawyer, writer and professor at Stanford Law School. He started his career working in house at tech companies, received a JSM in Law, Science, and Technology and now (among other things) teaches a course on design thinking as applied to negotiations at Stanford Law. Dave talks to us first about how he got into academia outside the tenure-track, and gives us some great tips around finding adjunct professor positions. Then Dave lays out the framework for using Design Thinking to help move you towards a fulfilling career shift.
In this episode, we discuss:
How David got into academia as non-tenure track professor
Tips on getting into adjunct teaching
David started an online course (MOOC) that ended up getting licensed to Microsoft
If you want to do something, don’t think too hard about where it’s taking you. Just do it.
Specific tips on applying design thinking to career and personal development
The importance of enduring, engaging, and embracing ambiguity
Bill Gates’ quote: “People overestimate what they can do in 1 year, but underestimate what they can do in 10 years”

You can find David Johnson on . . .
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djohnsonllc/
Blog: https://climate-activist.com/
~
Connect with Megan!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Call: http://bit.ly/escapecall
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
48min
June 15, 2021 The 5 Step Lawyer's Escape Plan Framework
Today’s episode is the audio from the webinar I hosted last week, The 5-Step Lawyer’s Escape Plan. It walks you through the roadmap that will take you from stuck and uninspired to having clarity and a plan.

The 8-week Lawyer’s Escape Plan group program begins next week, so if you’re interested in joining us, sign up before doors close on Friday, June 18 at midnight EDT!

8-Week Group Program: https://pages.megansmiley.com/lawyersescapeplan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/

Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz

...more
51min
June 08, 2021 Free Webinar: 5-Step Lawyer's Escape Plan
On Thursday, June 10th at 7:30pm EDT, I'll be hosting a free live webinar. A replay will also be available.

I'll be walking you through the 5-Step Lawyer's Escape framework that you can follow to go from stuck and uninspired to confident and planning your move.

Sign up for the free webinar here: https://pages.megansmiley.com/webinar-signup-page

...more
3min
June 01, 2021Risa Weaver-Enion leaves law to become a wedding planner and photographer
Risa Weaver-Enion is the founder and chief planner at Risa James Events, where she both plans weddings and offers product branding photography services. Risa went to law school thinking she’d get into entertainment law, but after her summer internship, quickly realized that there was a lot about actually working at a firm that she didn’t like. After some time in law and quasi-legal positions, a cross-country move proved to be an inflection point that prompted her to go back to the drawing board. She asked herself what she actually wanted to do, and that’s when she decided to start her wedding planning business.
In this episode, we discuss:
Risa went to law school 12 years out of college because she was bored
She decided she was interested in entertainment law from the IP angle
She was counting down the days in her summer associateship, which was the first sign that she didn’t love the work
She hated being beholden to other peoples’ timelines and unnecessary fire drills
She ultimately took a job in an environmental compliance role in the UC-system
When she moved to DC for her husband’s job, she had a hard time finding a legal job
Not loving law anyway, she stopped to ask herself what she actually wanted to do
She reached out to some local wedding planners and offered to work as an intern
She started working as a paralegal part-time to help support her as she built her business
Risa has started a product brand photography business as an exit strategy, because weddings can be grueling after a while
Challenge Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/4stepscloserchallenge
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Lawyer’s Escape Type Quiz: https://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
...more
54min
May 25, 2021Eimear McCann transitions from immigration and human rights law to a legal tech start-up
Eimear McCann is the Head of Strategy at Summize, a legal tech company in the UK. Eimear left law school vowing not to practice. But, after a stint of freelance writing, she came back to the law and worked in immigration and human rights. She loved the work, but when her organization lost funding, she decided it was time to move on. She was intrigued by the technology space - it’s innovation, creativity, and flexibility. She followed that interest into legal tech.
In this episode, we discuss:
Eimear originally decided not to practice law after school
She was a freelance writer for a few years
How particular the structure of the US legal education system is in keeping us trapped
Eimear ended up circling back to law, working in immigration and human rights
She had to go back to private practice after her organization’s funding was lost, and she realized just how draining it was
At the same time, the immigration work had taken an emotional toll, and Eimear felt it was time to move on
She found herself interested in legal tech because of its environment of innovation and flexibility
Breaking into a new field may not be easy, but it’s about reframing your experience
Eimear emphasizes importance of finding the kind of work that truly motivates you

Get on the VIP List for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
...more
44min

FAQs about The Lawyer's Escape Pod:

How many episodes does The Lawyer's Escape Pod have?

The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.