The Lawyer's Escape Pod

Jen Berson leaves litigation to start her own PR agency

Jen Berson left civil litigation after she “saw the light”, decided to pursue more creative endeavors, and founded her own business. She is now the President & Founder of Jeneration PR and the creator of the Agency Accelerator, where she teaches entrepreneurs how to launch, grow & scale a profitable PR & marketing agency. Jen talks about listening to and following her inner voice to a career she finds incredibly fulfilling and which allows her to also prioritize being a present parent. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Jen had a vague intention to get into entertainment law, and ended up in general litigation
• Went to a smaller firm, which allowed her more time to explore other interests
• Jen somewhat randomly reached out to help market a small fragrance business she liked
• Jen realized she enjoyed work with a tangible result, that had an immediate positive impact on a business
• She started exploring the various routes within PR, starting by working with a solo firm and then going out on her own
• She did battle with this idea that she left law because she couldn’t hack it, but she realized it was just a complete personality mismatch
• Jen wanted to build a life where she loved her work, made good money, and had time for family

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

 

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

 

Jeneration PR: https://www.jenerationpr.com/

 

Agency Accelerator: https://www.jenerationacademy.com/agency-accelerator

The Top 2 Mistakes Lawyers Make When Trying To Change Careers

I'm letting you in on the top 2 mistakes I see people make when trying to change careers.

First, they start by asking what job they think they can get, rather than asking what they want.

Second, they don't prioritize themselves and the process of figuring out the next best career step. 

 

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

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

Robert Ingalls leaves litigation to start a podcast production company)

Robert Ingalls is a former litigator turned founder of Lawpods, a podcast production company for lawyers. Robert tells us how he tried a variety of practice areas before realizing that law just wasn’t the right fit for him. While he still had a full-time job, Robert experimented with a number of business ideas and followed the path of his interests. That ultimately led Robert to starting the company he runs today. Robert reminds us of the importance of expanding your circle of influence beyond lawyers who will tell you that your ideas aren’t realistic and this path they don’t understand won’t work out.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Robert went to law school to practice criminal law, which he then actually did
• But, after realizing it wasn’t the right fit, Robert transitioned to civil litigation
• He enjoyed trial, but the rest of the package was unappealing 
• The stress of the environment started really weighing on him
• Robert then moved into estate planning. It was less stressful, but also more boring
• Listening to a podcast made it click that he could actually do anything he wanted 
• Robert realized he needed to leave law, but wasn’t sure what the next thing would be
• Played around with a few different business ideas, and started his own podcast
• Robert then started helping other lawyers launch podcasts
• He battled with the thought “who am I to do this random thing?” and found it hard to tell his network he was taking such a different path
• Robert went to a podcast conference, where he was surrounded by people making a living in this field 
• It can be transformative to be around people who believe in the possibilities rather than only seeing the pitfalls 
• When you enjoy what you do, you don’t mind working hard

Get on the VIP Waitlist 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/ 

 

Lawpods: https://lawpods.com/

Illegal Design: 4 Habits Of Lucky People

You know those people who seem to just always have things work out? From career to relationships? They're just "lucky." 

Turns out it's not magic. There are some habits these people have that put them in the path of luck more frequently:

• Putting themselves out there
• Listening to their gut
• Having a positive attitude and believing that good things are coming
• Resilience

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

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

Rob Bertman shows us that our lives don't have to be dictated by student loans

Rob Bertman is a senior consultant at Student Loan Planner, and a CFA and CFP. Rob talks to us about how it’s possible to manage your student loans around your life, rather than have them dictate what your options are. We get into how it’s even possible to have a runway for starting your own business while carrying loans. If there’s one message I hope people get from this is that you aren’t as trapped as you may think, and you do have options. You just have to tackle the issue head-on.

In this episode we discuss:

• Loan repayment options
• The opportunity cost of your money 
• The importance of looking at real numbers; you might actually end up better by going the loan forgiveness route
• Setting a budget can be uncomfortable, but it allows you to execute a plan (something you probably want and are naturally good at)
• The risks and potential upsides of legislative changes

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

 

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

 

Student Loan Planner: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/

Lisa Rosen leaves litigation to work at an environmental non-profit organization

Lisa Rosen is the Chief Operating Officer at SustainCERT. After starting her career in litigation, Lisa followed her interest in environmental issues to an in-house legal position at a non-profit and ultimately transitioned into an operations role there. Lisa’s story shows how your legal experience is seen as valuable for a non-legal position and that by taking that first step, you put yourself on the path for new, more interesting opportunities to present themselves.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Lisa felt that the conflicts of interest inherent in the billable hour system was misaligned with her values and integrity 
• Lisa followed her interest in environmental issues into carbon credit work 
• Lisa found work that was intellectually challenging, but wasn’t technically practicing law
• Eventually, her position evolved into a general counsel role
• Lisa raised her hand when the Chief Operating Officer role opened up and transitioned to that 
• The importance of resourcefulness  
• Failure is part of the path to your goal
• Lisa has come to realize that what she enjoys is operating a company

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

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

Francesca Chang is an ex-lawyer turned travel writer and life coach for lawyers

Francesca Chang is a lawyer turned marketing professional, tech recruiter, published travel writer, and now life coach for lawyers. Francesca tells us about leaving practice to explore various other career opportunities. It’s a great example of what can evolve when you don’t tie yourself to a preconceived notion of what your career might look like.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Francesca went to law school because of interest in social justice
• Coming out of law school, she worked for solo practitioner which she didn’t love
• Francesca started looking for other jobs, and didn’t limit it to legal positions
• She was comfortable with change, but was worried about other people’s opinions about leaving practice - particularly lawyers
• She ended up in a business development and marketing role for legal services 
• Francesca then moved to tech recruiting and Ediscovery software marketing
• She was on a journey to find the right match, and wasn’t averse to trying different things
• Francesca moved to Taiwan when husband was relocated and had to rethink her career yet again
• She started travel writing and worked as a tour scout
• Francesca has now also begun a life coach business for lawyers

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

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

Francesca’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attorney_on_a_journey/

Illegal Design: Living By Design Versus By Default

Are you living your life by design or by default? As crazy as the world is right now, it's a great opportunity to move forward more purposefully.

Dr. Aisha leaves medical practice to coach high achievers on the science and heart of making change in your life

Dr. Aisha is a former practicing physician turned coach specializing in helping high achievers create change in their lives. Her core message is that in order to make meaningful change in our lives, we need to slow down long enough to get off autopilot and connect to our real thoughts and desires. The world can be very loud and distracting and often confuses us with respect to finding our happiest path. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• A lot of family and social pressure around leaving medicine  
• Leaving her home and her profession meant letting go of a portion of who she was
• Her passion was coaching people informally when she was still practicing  
• At 30, Dr. Aisha was working part-time minimum wage jobs in Canada to take the time to figure out her new path
• Total clarity didn’t come all at once; it came bit by bit
• The world is very loud, so it’s hard to know what you really want
• We’re running on autopilot most of the time
• The problem of feeling misaligned in life is solved by looking inwards, not outwards
• One way to start reconnecting with yourself is to disrupt your energy at the start of the day before you’re even fully awake (trampoline, hula hoop, dancing, anything that is a pattern interrupt)
• It may take a while to go through this process, but time is going to pass anyway - may as well be making progress
• It’s ok to change at any age; we are in constant evolution 
• “You can only connect the dots looking backwards” - Steve Jobs

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

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

 

Dr. Aisha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changespecialist-co/ 

Rho Thomas balances practice, a side business, motherhood, and tackling law school debt

Rho Thomas is a trademark lawyer at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, a financial coach for lawyers, and the mom of two young boys. Rho tells us how she has a vision for her life that includes working as a lawyer, pursuing her side business, and being a present mom. Part of that journey has been creating more financial freedom by tackling the substantial school debt she and her husband accrued in becoming a lawyer and doctor, respectively. It has also meant setting boundaries at work and holding to them. Rho’s story is a great example of what it looks like to be purposeful and committed to creating the life you want.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Rho enjoys practicing trademark law, but it isn’t her sole priority 
• Rho moved to a reduced hour schedule when she became a mom
• She wanted to work even fewer hours, but had to balance the finances first
• The school debt between her and her doctor husband was significant
• The vision of the life they want has kept them motivated to pay it down
• She found examples of people doing this, which proved to her that it’s possible
• Rho started a blog about their debt journey, which has evolved into her starting her own financial coaching business
• The side business organically grew out of her natural interests 
• Rho has been successful at setting boundaries at work so she doesn’t burn out
• The pandemic has shown her she can slow down, have her business, be a mom, and still practice

Rho’s Website: https://www.rhothomas.com/coaching/

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

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