Remember that sigh of relief when you landed your first job out of law school? After the stress of the initial job search, the first few years of practice are a blur. You keep your nose to the grindstone, and try to build a solid professional reputation. It’s not until several years into practice that you may begin to ask yourself if you are actually happy doing what you are doing.

If you find you are dissatisfied with your practice and your overall professional trajectory, you are not alone. Most attorneys switch jobs once or twice within the first five years of practice, and the available data suggests today’s young lawyers will make many more career moves than our predecessors. The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reported that the lateral hiring of associates increased almost 22% in 2018, and The Atlantic has identified legal recruiting as a growth industry. Additionally, you likely have company if you are considering whether the practice of law is even really for you—a simple Google search of “attorneys leaving law” reveals a plethora of articles with advice for lawyers who are considering exiting traditional legal practice.