Figuring out the what and how of changing the direction of my career and leaving law practice wasn't exactly a walk in the park, and it's something I could spend a lot of time talking to you about. For now, though, I'll stick to sharing the high level steps for those of you who are simply curious about how I did it or are interested in making a (similar) change. And there's also some food for thought in here for lawyers in private practice that are perfectly happy with where they are now too.
I'll be covering (1) self-reflection, (2) a few examples of opportunities to get you thinking, (3) getting your mindset right (on status, money & fear of failure), (4) hunting down & finding that job and (5) plucking up the courage and taking the leap.
Why share this?
What I wish for everyone, in law and otherwise, is that they avoid the career regret of thinking "What if?"
For those of you that don't know me yet, a quick trip down memory lane: I started my career working as a lawyer in private practice at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, the biggest law firm in the Netherlands. After a few years in the Arbitration & Litigation team, I transitioned to the Corporate/M&A practice. After six and a half years, I joined PVH (Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein) as in-house Corporate & Commercial Counsel back in 2020. And a little over a year later I "jumped" into- what some may call - the "deep end" and joined fast growing scale-up Parfumado Group, a beauty- and perfume discovery platform, to lead their operations & corporate development. On the side, inspired by my own journey and of those around me, I founded Hipo Heroes (LinkedIn page). Hipo Heroes is a community (or network, whatever you'd like to call it) dedicated to and for experienced corporate lawyers. Join us if you want to get inspired, inspire & learn from others.
So, what motivated me to make the change to leave private practice and eventually the legal field?
[Disclaimer: I don't think I'll ever "really" leave the law (or the law will leave me?) in the sense that I still use so many of the skills, the knowledge and the experience I gained in my time working as a lawyer in my day-to-day now. Leaving law, to me, means my days don't revolve around "the law" anymore. I'm talking M&A processes, legal memos, case law, contracts, statements of claims and defence - those kind of things.]
After about five, five and a half years in private practice, I found myself (voluntarily!) involved in a variety of non-practice related initiatives at the firm, from organising M&A retreats and business courses to (drum roll) winning an interior design competition for my "jungle" inspired project room (and a - slightly more "law firm appropriate" - jungle room inspired by the design was actually also implemented, so yay!). In addition to this, I was trying to squeeze in online courses in marketing, psychology & corporate finance. All in my already fairly packed "M&A lawyer" days.
No, I didn't have an epiphany. There wasn't that one specific moment, like a switch turning on or off, where I thought "I'm done" or something. The realisation (or the feeling if you will) snuck in gradually, bit by bit, as the months went by, that I wanted nothing more than to "expand". I considered describing it here as wanting to "break free", but that doesn't do the people involved and the experience enough justice nor does it reflect how grateful I am for that chapter in my life. What I wanted to do, figuratively speaking, was "expand" in lots of different directions. Really broaden my skill set and my scope of the work, like casting a much wider net. That feeling became a lot stronger quickly.
So, there you had it: "the feeling". Even though, in a way, I was happy to realise this, it was also a bit of a tough pill to swallow. It was hard to admit to myself, to acknowledge this, given the inevitable consequence. It meant I had to leave my comfort / safe zone, put myself out there and make a change. The cynical thought that crept into my mind was "Ha - good luck trying to actually make that change. After you've worked as a lawyer for 5-6+ years, people are just going to see you as a lawyer and only that. And in business, being a lawyer isn't even a good thing." This doomsday like thinking came to my mind because of things I'd heard being said or being "joked" about over the years. Things like lawyers are nay-sayers, problem-finders, too cautious & risk averse, overly focused on legal nitty gritty stuff without an understanding of the broader business context, inflexible and not open to creative solutions or alternative ways of thinking. Not particularly encouraging.
The mind can be a scary thing. Why? Because thoughts like "you can't do it, you won't be able to make the change" were amplified by these stereotypes flooding into my mind, paralysing me & leaving me in "inaction" mode for a while. I knew for a fact that there were so many lawyers that weren't like that, but couldn't get it out of my head. Maybe as a defence mechanism to avoid having to leave my comfort zone? Funnily enough, at the same time, I felt a strong urge to "fight back" & prove otherwise. To prove that contrary to popular belief, lawyers are capable of a lot of very useful business-y stuff and that we really do have a lot of transferable skills. So, just to balance the scales after that list of (negative) stereotypes, I'm going to throw the good stuff in here for you too. So you can remember it when you need to.
Corporate lawyers are:
Highly analytical and able to think critically, which can be a great asset when solving complex problems and improving processes (and also more in general in day-to-day life and the business world)
Skilled communicators, both verbally and in writing
Strong negotiators that aim for win-wins and making the pie bigger first before splitting it!
Quick and eager learners, being used to having to familiarise themselves with and grasp vast amounts of information and new (complex) topics often and efficiently
Highly structured, able to keep an overview amidst chaos and under high pressure
Talented stakeholder managers, navigating sensitivities and able to get the right people on board to achieve a goal
Able to anticipate potential risks and challenges and come up with solutions to mitigate them
Growth & improvement focused as it's part of their job to identify areas of improvement and provide recommendations to prevent issues from arising
Anyway, in the end I rediscovered my career and took the leap after 7.5 years. Let's get to the how.
💭 Step 1. Self-reflection: Figuring out what "me" is and what I actually wanted to do.
I thought I wanted "out of legal" but didn't really know what I'd rather do. So, a few of the questions I asked myself to kick start the "reflection process" were:
Values. Deep down, what matters most to me? What relationships do I want to build & what do I want my life to be about? If all stress was gone, what would my life look like and what new things would I pursue? Another way to identify your core values is asking yourself: if I had children, what values would/do I want to instill in them?
"Passion" (or to describe it in less heavy or life-changing like terms: real interests). What do I truly enjoy, what makes me happy? What am I doing or talking about when people see a spark or a twinkle in my eyes? When am I buzzing with excitement? And... how do I want to serve the world? Another - great - way to reframe that last question, potentially making it easier for you to answer (and taken from Sara Blakely's Masterclass): what breaks my heart?
Strengths & Weaknesses. What came easy when I was younger and still does? What am I good at? You have more strengths than you may realise, and sometimes the ones we're aware of are stronger or more useful than you might realise. Equally important is to reflect on weaknesses. Awareness is key. lt'll allow you to see the opposite side of the coin (inherent in the weakness is a different kind of strength) and to be able to work on the weakness itself. So, what do I struggle with? In what kind of situations do I get bored so quickly, or give up much more easily?
These questions are simple & straightforward, but in my experience some of them can be quite difficult to answer. Don't worry if you struggle a bit. Just jot down thoughts that come up.
Also, answering these questions is bound to bring up the good, the bad and some ugly memories, but try to find a bit of joy in this part of the journey too.
💡 Tip! Even if you think or know you're in the right place right now, I'd still recommend doing some self-reflection. It won't hurt and will help you reaffirm your conscious, well-weighted decision to continue on the path you're on (with a few tweaks or goals to start working towards - if you'd like). Not reflecting on your values, who you are and have become and where you want to go is also a choice, and it's just as much a "decision". One with major consequences.
✅ Step 2. Realising I had options.
For a long time, I thought that the only thing I could do or was good at was being a (corporate) lawyer. It's what I spent a good amount of years studying for and then a few more years training to really become. So, if you're anything like me, you may struggle to think otherwise - especially with all those preconceptions out there.
Good news: there's more opportunities than you think & you will be able to add so much value and feel fulfilled in other roles. To name just a few, you could consider anything from strategy consulting, journalism, (copy)writing, corporate development, business operations, headhunting & recruitment, diplomacy, business development & sales or your own business to legal industry related roles in areas like compliance & risk management (incl. data), (M&A) insurance, legal tech and legal operations. With a bit of upskilling, you'll find there's even more opportunities, ranging from building apps & problem solving as a software engineer to legal designer, InDesigning the day away!
Don't believe me? Just check out some of the many inspiring career stories on Hipo Heroes of people just like you who have made these career changes. And stay tuned for more. Remember: you are welcome elsewhere. I know it's a total cliché, but think in terms of possibilities. There's (many) more than you think.
If you'd like to leave private practice but remain in the legal field and are just looking to continue your learning and add value in another environment or industry, you can transition to a role as in-house counsel. As general counsel, specialised counsel, company secretary or in a compliance role. And again, these are just some examples.
And if you love working as a lawyer in private practice, you should know that you have options too. Set goals & find ways to challenge yourself. Preferably not by working even *more* hours, but by setting some goals that seem just a little - like a finger? - beyond your immediate reach.
Some inspiration: challenge yourself to disrupt & innovate the traditional ways of lawyering. You too can be part of the change in the industry and make incredible impact.
For example: Let's lead the way as a firm, rethink our business model, do away with the default hourly fee billing structure & move towards alternative fee arrangements / other value based pricing methods as the standard for our clients on the majority of matters.
Challenge yourself to think differently. Take a risk. If the above example is a bit too much of a stretch, think in terms of anything from a transaction you'd really like to work on that you haven't before, like an IPO, patent litigation or cross-border merger to taking a lead role in a project, to wanting to become more knowledgeable about a specific area of legal expertise, to something like truly understanding (the core tenets of) artificial intelligence, blockchain and NFTs to making impact with a pro bono initiative or brand awareness for the firm through trainings or events you organise. There's plenty of ways to create exciting new opportunities, also within your current role & path!
(And yes, I'm also an advocate for mandatory secondments to in-house legal teams for lawyers in private practice. A secondment will make you a better (external) counsel.)
🧠 Step 3. Getting my mindset right: status, money & fear of failure.
When people ask you about what you do, saying I'm a lawyer is easy. Notice how I just wrote I "am" a lawyer rather than I "work" as a lawyer?
You don't need to explain "I'm a lawyer". Most people think they understand what lawyers do, and some might actually be (a little) impressed with you. They'll think you're quite smart and if you're a corporate lawyer, assume your job comes with a cushy pay check.
When I was trying to "figure it all out", I realised all that mattered more to me than I wanted it to and that I was also afraid of taking a pay cut, thinking that would then somehow be permanent. I also felt like a failure for not wanting to become partner and was worried I wouldn't be able to make the change. I also thought that I'd somehow fail at a non-legal job, whatever that would then be. I was just scared. It was difficult to get over these and other - to use the cliché term - "limiting beliefs" and learn to see things differently.
What helped me push through the fear & move forward was:
Redefining what success means to me (e.g. more autonomy, making direct (business & operational) impact, using more of my personal strengths, being more in control of my time, etc.)
Realising that sometimes I need to take one or two steps "back" to be able to accelerate forward
Acknowledging that what I may initially consider or think of as a "step back" isn't necessarily that, but simply a step in another direction
Realising that nothing is permanent & how important it is for me to keep moving and - cliché - growing
Caring less about what others think: they're going to think something either way and they're most definitely spending a whole lot less time thinking about you than you're "worried" they might be. To put it bluntly: the world just doesn't revolve around you
Acknowledging the fear of failure and pushing through it and going ahead anyway, or nipping it in the bud early on
Trying to not take rejection personally but instead seeing it as incompatibility (for the job or the team)
Seeing every "no" as a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge towards a better yes (also a cliché, but also definitely true)
🎯 Step 4. How I actually “hunted” down that new job.
It took me a while to figure out what I was looking for and take the leap and "leave law". Similarly to many of the other steps listed here, I could talk about this step for hours as well, but to keep this as a bit of light reading I'll leave you with a few nuggets of advice based on some of the things I did:
Updated my CV, focusing on my transferable skills (more and more companies are stepping away from the more traditional CV screening due to the inherent biases in such processes and integrating things like Equalture's game-based assessments, but even if you're not asked for it updating & preparing your CV is still also a good exercise to reflect on your experience & achievements)
Spoke to a number of headhunters & scoured LinkedIn and other job platforms for vacancies (and yes, my personal experience with this was the "seed" that turned into Hipo Heroes)
Created a "dream jobs" overview & a personal pitch (presentation) for my ideal job
Prepared a list of industries & companies that appealed to me
Used my network to talk to people: (a) working at the companies on my list to get a feel about company culture, opportunities, gain useful insights for the application process, etc. and (b) working in the jobs I (thought I) was interested in to get a firsthand view on what it actually entailed. You probably know more people than you think!
Applied for, prepared and interviewed for jobs
Got rejected & felt that dent in my ego (and moved on quickly, often also pretty thankful pretty quickly)
Was open-minded & realised my next job didn’t need to (and likely wouldn’t) be perfect!
💡 Tip! If you only remember one thing, please remember this: don't spend every waking minute of your free time job hunting (on LinkedIn or other platforms, talking to headhunters, etc.). Don't let it consume you or take over your life. Doing so will turn it into a complete energy drainer. Also, the process may take longer than you expected and you'd like it to & you need to stay motivated and be on your A-game when you apply and interview for jobs. I recommend you block one or two hour time slots a few times a week during which you'll really, truly focus on the job hunting & application process.
🌊 Step 5. Plucking up the courage & taking the leap.
It can be scary to leave the safe haven of law practice for a number of reasons: from the investment in time to become one, working as a lawyer for years and becoming pretty good at it to things like status & money, to knowing what you have and not knowing what you're going to get in return.
What helped me was some advice I first got from a coach five years ago (thanks again Danielle!) and heard a few times thereafter as well, which was to see my career more as a "jungle gym" and each job as a chapter or project in my journey.
Your leap doesn't need to be perfect, and you can also do it one (small) step at a time. Look for a challenge, a cultural match, long-term growth potential, building your network, and/or anything else that you value.
Remember: no risk = no reward.
Even if you take the leap and leave law practice only to realise that it was the perfect match for you after all and you go back, you'll go back with - undoubtedly - invaluable experience, a newly found confidence and firmly held belief that law practice is the thing for you & a track record of having the guts to take (real) action, all of which will set you apart from the pack as you "rise up the ranks".
Do yourself a favour and avoid the career regret of thinking “What if?” by investing just a bit of time in self-reflection. And taking action.
If it turns out you need to make a change or that you're simply ready for an exciting new adventure, be your own hero and get on with it.
And if you realise you're perfectly good where you are, be happy, set some goals you'd like to work towards on your current path and get on with that too.
🌊 Rethink, Reflect, Rejoice: Create some ripples & waves. 🌊
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