While the legal industry has undergone dramatic shifts and changes in recent times, it is still not a very common occurrence to find a long-time inside counsel making the leap into the world of outside law firms. Changing career directions is never an overnight process and always involves a fair amount of soul searching. It goes without saying that corporate attorneys can often develop a very strict and limiting view of a career path that can prove to be particularly resistant to change.
If there is a growing commitment to making a change, the best first initial step is to talk to friends and trusted colleagues in the legal field. Even more distant acquaintances in the field can be a good sounding board. Their objective views and encouragement can be a springboard to self-reflection and even rediscovery. We are all guilty of taking for granted the person we see in the mirror every morning and it can be invaluable to have another set of eyes offering a different perspective.
