Clara Jung leans into her impulsivity and leaves litigation to build her own interior design firm

After almost 5 years in litigation practice, Clara Jung found herself dissatisfied with practicing and considering her next steps. Initially, she looked into legal recruiting. But, after not getting any traction there, she didn’t give up - she just went back to the drawing board. She thought about what genuinely interested her - whether or not it had any legal connection. She realized that interior design was something she’s always enjoyed, but had dismissed as an unrealistic career option. She did a little research, and then took a big leap of faith. There was definitely a transition period, and owning your own business always has its challenges. But Clara has built a very successful design firm, and has no regrets about her career path. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Switching practice areas can almost feel as daunting as switching careers
• The process of thinking about how to leave practice took 1.5 years 
• Ultimately, life is too short to do something that makes you unhappy
• Clara considered recruiting, but didn’t get traction. But, she kept exploring.
• Look to the hobbies and interests that you love 
• There may be career options you dismissed as before because they didn’t seem like realistic, responsible options
• Clara figured out the basics of the industry, and what kind of financial adjustments need to be made - but didn’t wait until she knew 100% before jumping in
• You can’t know you’ll be successful in a new field until you try it
• Think of going back to practice as a safety net, if it helps you to make a jump. 
• We do all have different financial realities to account for. Don’t let it derail you, it may just push your timeline
• Project management and attention to detail are hugely useful transferable skills
• Owning your own business is a particular challenge, but comes with the payoff of more flexibility and independence 
• You may have to let go of the pride of being a fancy lawyer
• Thinking of practicing law as a useful chapter, rather than a huge life mistake 

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