Page 6 - Dallas Vol 5 No 2

Thinking of Leaving Your Law Firm? Don’t Jump
Too Fast
By Terrie S. Wheeler, MBC
When I was the mar- keting director at a large law firm, we surveyed how many law firms the partners had prac- ticed in prior to joining this firm. The average was around 3.5 firms over the course of a career of 20- 25 years. Bottom line? Lawyers are prone to thinking the grass is greener on the other side. It might be an opportunity to start your own firm, join a friend at a “better” firm, go in-house with a client, or pursue other opportunities where
a law degree matters. If you didn’t get the bonus you were expecting, or are unhappy with your overall compensation, workload, prac- tice area, colleagues, or any other symptom of unhappiness, it’s time to step back and thoughtfully con- sider your options at this point in your career.
Personally, I think too many law- yers leave firms for the wrong rea- sons, like promises of having more work-life balance, or because their name will now be on the door. Not that these aren’t legitimate reasons
to make the leap. You may decide to leave. But before you jump to a new firm, consider the following tips.
STEP 1:
WEIGHING YOUR OPTIONS
Frustrated? Write It Down. It can be cathartic to think about why you are unhappy and write it down. Categorize your concerns: compen- sation, firm politics, relationships, quality of your work, flexibility, partnership issues, credit for mar-
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