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The Former Lawyer PodcastAuthor: Sarah Cottrell
Do you hate working as a lawyer? Are you an unhappy lawyer who wants to leave the law, but isn't sure what to do next? Do your family and friends think you're crazy for wanting to leave the law, or are you too afraid to tell them you don't want to be a lawyer? The Former Lawyer Podcast is for you! Each week, host Sarah Cottrell interviews a different former lawyer who has left the law behind. Hear inspiring stories about how these former lawyers are thriving and found their way to careers and lives they love. Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Education, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Trying to Justify Leaving Law Is What’s Keeping You There
Episode 307
Monday, 4 May, 2026
If you're thinking about leaving the law, there's a good chance you've asked yourself some version of this question. Am I justified in doing this? You already know the environment isn't good for you. You already know something needs to change. But there's a sense that you need some kind of external sign-off before you can actually go, and until that shows up, you keep waiting.The waiting itself is part of what's keeping you there. The need to feel justified is almost always external, and it's often the same pattern that got you into law in the first place. Looking outside yourself for confirmation that you're on the right path, instead of trusting what you already know about your own experience.In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about why so many lawyers ask whether they're justified in leaving, where that question actually comes from, and what it costs you to keep waiting for someone else to validate what you already feel. Sarah also covers why this is a skill worth building before you figure out what's next and where therapy fits into the work of untangling it.0:29 - The question that comes up most often when lawyers think about leaving the law1:02 - Why there is always someone who has it worse and why that keeps lawyers stuck1:55 - Why the struggle to feel justified in leaving is fundamentally external2:35 - "Am I justified in leaving" is really a question about who gets to say3:55 - Why so many lawyers cannot trust their own experience4:38 - What you actually need to access to find something better5:57 - Why this needs to be your choice and not something you wait for permission to do6:32 - The skill you are going to be developing as you move out of the law7:56 - What it tells Sarah when she hears lawyers asking if they are justified in leavingMentioned In Trying to Justify Leaving Law Is What’s Keeping You ThereFirst Steps to Leaving the LawThe Former Lawyer Collaborative
