Managing Your Legal Career
King County Bar Bulletin
Careers Outside of Law / Leveraging an Offer
By Karen J. Summerville
Q. I keep hearing about attorneys who moved from the practice of law into exciting, new careers outside of law. How did they do it? I know that I have many talents and abilities, but I can't seem to get an employer to take a chance with me. During the past several months I have responded to numerous ads for interesting positions. I have had only one interview, and it did not go well. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Yes! First of all, employers don't like to take chances. You need to convince an employer that you are the preferred candidate. That requires a lot of work on your part before you even submit your resume. Most employers are not impressed with someone who has a variety of interests and skills but no focus. From what you have told me, you may not have done an adequate self-assessment before commencing your search. Self-assessment is critical to a successful search--especially if you are contemplating a career change. Most effective self-assessments involve a careful evaluation of your talents, skills, motivations and values.
One exercise that may get you started is compiling a detailed list of your past accomplishments. Focus primarily on your professional accomplishments, but don't ignore the personal. In listing your accomplishments, include only those that you can honestly say 1) you did well, 2) you enjoyed while you were doing them, and 3) you were proud of when you were finished. Once you have completed your detailed list, take a long, hard look at the patterns you see emerge. If you are not able to discern the patterns, perhaps you may benefit by working with a friend or a career counselor.
Once you have identified two or three career directions, you will want to create appropriate resumes. Transitional resumes are more difficult and time-consuming because you need to include a "qualifications" section that details your work history in terms that are relevant to your new career direction. Then you will need to network to meet people in the fields of interest to you. Most available positions are never advertised, and networking is the only way to find these "hidden" jobs. Also, for career changers, it is often harder to get hired in response to ads, because the pool of applicants almost always includes individuals who have the relevant experience. You are right--many attorneys have made very successful moves to exciting non-law careers. If you talk to them, you will find that it did not happen magically. They probably spent a great deal of time and effort before they moved to their new and exciting careers. With diligence and perseverance, you can too!
Q. I have been discussing the possibility of a lateral move with two firms over the past several weeks. The managing partners of both firms have told me to let them know if I get another offer. Yesterday one of the managing partners called and asked me to join him for lunch. He didn't mention anything about an offer, but I suspect that is the reason for our lunch. If I do get an offer over lunch should I tell him that another firm wants to know about the offer? The firm I haven't heard back from might be a better fit, but they are both excellent firms. I would look forward to joining either firm. Just to make this even more complicated, there is a third firm that I am very interested in, but I think it is probably a long shot. I haven't really been able to get a discussion going with any of the partners. What should I do?
A. First of all, you don't even have an offer yet, so we need to proceed with caution. If you do receive an offer over lunch, express your sincere gratitude and interest in the firm. Then ask for a little time to think it over. Explain that this is a very important decision and you need time to reflect. I wouldn't tell him that another firm wants to know about the offer. But I would go to the second firm and tell the managing partner you have an offer from the first firm. If they are at all interested in bringing you on board, they will probably act fast to make you an attractive offer. Leveraging an offer can be very effective but, as with all powerful weapons, you need to use extreme care. The last thing you want to do is raise concerns with either firm about the sincerity of your interest.
Now about the third firm . . . . If you do have an offer from the first firm, you can go to one of the partners at the third firm. Tell her that you would be very interested in her firm, but that you need to make a decision about the first firm very quickly. If the third firm is at all interested they will probably also take action quickly. How much time do you have to get back to the first firm? It depends. Some firms expect an answer within a day or two, other firms may be willing to wait a week or more. Keep me posted!