Jane’s Story

This time last year, when I was just about to transition my elder law, estate planning and special needs practice to Flaster Greenberg, my stress level was high—high enough that had you asked me if I had ever experienced anything like this before, in a weak moment, I might have quipped that my lateral transition was feeling a lot like childbirth! You start preparing months in advance, and then the moment arrives and, as the labor pains intensify, so does your fear and stress. The timing is never optimal, the effort consumes every ounce of stamina that you have, and when the birth (of a child or of a new phase of your career) has finally taken place, it is awesome and wonderful. And just like during childbirth, you are totally dependent on the help of other people, and will emerge transformed in ways you could never have previously imagined, both professionally and personally. And like having a baby, you had better really want one! But seriously, the best advice I ever received about making a lateral transition was to listen to your partners and to recognize that they are people just like you.