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.
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Sep 28, 2026 · 8:43
Staying in a toxic law firm because you want to help change it can feel like a good reason to stay. You want to get to a position where you have more influence and can use that…
Sep 21, 2026 · 8:58
When leaving law feels like letting other people down, it can become much harder to take your own unhappiness seriously. For lawyers who are women, first-gen, people of color, or…
Sep 14, 2026 · 9:32
Your law job may feel more unsustainable than it used to, even if you were managing it fairly well before. Maybe you already knew the environment was not great, or that the work…
Sep 7, 2026 · 9:04
“There’s a reason they call it a job.” “If it was fun, everyone would do it.” “The grass isn’t always greener.” Lawyers who hate their jobs hear some version of this all the time…
Aug 31, 2026 · 10:22
When you start thinking about leaving the law, it is really common to realize that some of what you are trying to figure out is about your career and some of it goes much deeper…
Aug 24, 2026 · 16:01
You can know that you do not want to keep practicing law and still have no idea what you want to do. You may not even know what you could do. A lot of lawyers assume they need to…
Aug 17, 2026 · 10:50
After years in the law, it can be easy to believe that creativity simply is not part of who you are. Maybe you stopped making time for things you used to enjoy, or maybe you…
Aug 10, 2026 · 16:17
If you have been thinking about joining the Former Lawyer Collaborative, now is the time. Enrollment is closing permanently on August 31, 2026, and while the program will remain…
Aug 3, 2026 · 30:59
In today’s episode, Sarah is back again with Annie Little discussing the book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber . The final misery covered in the book is the misery based on knowing…
Jul 27, 2026 · 25:17
In today’s episode, Sarah is back again with Annie Little discussing the book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. It’s part of a series of podcast discussions diving into the…
Jul 20, 2026 · 40:50
In today’s episode, Sarah is back again with Annie Little discussing the book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. It’s part of a series of podcast discussions, so check out the…
Jul 13, 2026 · 36:21
This episode is part 2 of the series where Sarah is chatting with Annie Little about the book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. If you missed the first episode in this series,…
Jul 6, 2026 · 26:22
Sarah revisits the Bullshit Job series on today's podcast with Annie Little, another lawyer career coach. Annie has been on the podcast a few times in the past, like the episode…
Jun 29, 2026 · 42:00
In legal practice, it is easy to start measuring yourself by whether you can cover every detail, do everything perfectly, and keep grinding through whatever is in front of you.…
Jun 22, 2026 · 30:38
Listen, it's the summer of 2026. Everything is a dumpster fire, and there are a lot of people who have been struggling a lot with their mental health, especially in the last two…
Jun 15, 2026 · 11:29
Leaving the law when you’re already burned out can feel impossible, because the job you need energy to escape is the same job draining all of your energy. You may understand that…
Jun 8, 2026 · 49:06
Going to law school felt like the right call. For some lawyers it felt like the obvious call, backed up by experience, by personality, by everything they knew about themselves at…
Jun 1, 2026 · 10:19
Somewhere along the way, most lawyers picked up the idea that once you commit to something, you follow through. No exceptions. So when the thought of leaving starts to surface,…
May 25, 2026 · 37:30
Lawyers who know they want to leave often get stuck in the same place. Not because they don't want to move, but because they're waiting to feel certain about what comes next.…
May 18, 2026 · 10:00
When lawyers start thinking about doing something else, the first thing they reach for is almost always the resume. It feels like real progress. It produces something tangible.…
May 11, 2026 · 38:07
On paper, Amy Terwilleger’s life as a lawyer looked great. Partner at a regional firm in Florida. Deputy general counsel. Thirteen years of business litigation. Married with two…
May 4, 2026 · 8:53
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…
Apr 27, 2026 · 10:45
There are two very different situations a lawyer can be in when they start thinking about leaving. One is a job that is actively damaging their mental, physical, and emotional…
Apr 20, 2026 · 45:53
Legal tech comes up constantly when lawyers are thinking about leaving practice. It's legal adjacent, the field is growing, and there seem to be a lot of jobs. But when lawyers…
Apr 13, 2026 · 11:10
Responsibility is one of the things that makes lawyers good at their jobs. It also shows up, over and over, as one of the things that makes it hardest for them to leave. Not…
Apr 6, 2026 · 6:32
For a lot of lawyers, hearing "just do your best" as a kid didn't feel reassuring. It felt like a requirement to give every ounce of everything they had until there was literally…
Mar 30, 2026 · 8:13
Lawyers thinking about leaving often get stuck on a question that feels practical but actually keeps them waiting longer than they need to. Do I need to quit my job before I…
Mar 23, 2026 · 9:45
Lawyers who are unhappy at work often tell themselves they'll feel things later. When they retire, maybe. The sense is that feeling the full weight of what's happening would make…
Mar 16, 2026 · 11:22
Being good at your job and being in the right job are not the same thing. For lawyers who are high achievers, that distinction can be almost impossible to see when every external…
Mar 9, 2026 · 12:48
Lawyers are, as a group, highly responsible, hard on themselves, and convinced they should be able to handle more than anyone else around them. That combination does not just…
Mar 2, 2026 · 9:42
For lawyers who know they are unhappy but are not ready to make any real moves yet, the waiting period can feel like dead time. There are things you can be doing right now,…
Feb 23, 2026 · 17:33
A lot of people end up going to law school without ever really asking themselves whether it's what they want to do. The questions in this episode are the real questions you…
Feb 16, 2026 · 7:02
2026 is kicking a lot of people's asses, including Sarah's. She gets into what the last few weeks have actually looked like, and shares the reminder she keeps coming back to.…
Feb 9, 2026 · 41:27
When lawyers look back at why they entered the profession, they often find the answer is less about a lifelong passion and more about a lack of other plans. Dan Branagan, a…
Feb 2, 2026 · 10:03
When Sarah looks back at her time in practice, she can see a pattern that shows up for almost every lawyer who thinks about leaving the law. She would have a kernel of interest…
Jan 26, 2026 · 42:40
Maybe you've thought about it. You love books, you love reading, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you've wondered if there's a way to turn that passion into a career that…
Jan 19, 2026 · 41:43
Former litigator David Sazant spent years bouncing between practice areas, convinced that if he just worked hard enough and found the right fit, everything would click into…
Jan 12, 2026 · 12:58
Lawyers love a good assessment. Sarah has learned this running The Collab . There's something appealing about taking a test that promises clear answers about who you are and what…
Jan 5, 2026 · 9:08
When the world feels unstable, the idea of introducing more instability into your life by leaving your job can feel impossible. But waiting for things to stabilize before you…
Dec 29, 2025 · 9:51
One of the most common questions lawyers ask when they're thinking about leaving is whether they need a bridge job. It's a fair question, but before Sarah can answer it, she…
Dec 22, 2025 · 10:50
Sometimes people ask Sarah, "Do all the lawyers you work with end up leaving law?" She gets the sense they think she's trying to convince people to abandon their legal careers,…
Dec 15, 2025 · 8:23
Maybe you're thinking about leaving the law, but you aren't quite sure you're ready to start working through the process. You're thinking, "I really think this isn't for me, I…
Dec 8, 2025 · 6:44
When lawyers start thinking about leaving, they focus on the practical steps. What career should I pursue? How do I update my resume? What skills do I need? Those things matter,…
Dec 1, 2025 · 9:26
Most people who are thinking about leaving the law spend a long time in a familiar place. They know their job feels awful, they say it to themselves and to other people, and they…
Nov 24, 2025 · 10:58
There comes a point where the math you’ve been doing in your head stops adding up. You spent years in school. You passed the bar. You took on the loans. You built the career you…
Nov 17, 2025 · 50:27
Zi Lin did everything “right.” Philosophy major, law school, great grades, OCI, Biglaw offer, six-figure salary. From the outside, the path looked impressive. From the inside, it…
Nov 10, 2025 · 9:33
A lot of lawyers assume that making more money will make leaving easier. In reality, the opposite often happens. Once you are in a high-paying legal job, it can feel like there…
Nov 3, 2025 · 7:46
A lot of lawyers believe they shouldn’t feel burned out because they haven’t been practicing very long. But burnout isn’t measured by years in the profession. For many lawyers,…
Oct 27, 2025 · 8:47
For years, the idea of leaving the law can sit quietly in the back of your mind. You tell yourself you’ll figure it out eventually, that one day you’ll know it’s time. But months…
Oct 20, 2025 · 14:13
Lawyers often describe feeling like they can never fully turn their brains off. Even during downtime, there’s a sense of waiting for the next email, the next call, or the next…
Oct 13, 2025 · 15:00
The first year after leaving law is a strange mix of freedom and fatigue. There is relief in stepping away from billable hours, but the exhaustion runs deeper than expected.…
Oct 6, 2025 · 15:30
Ever feel trapped in the cycle where one week you swear you have to get out of law, and the next you convince yourself it isn’t so bad? That back-and-forth isn’t clarity, it’s…
Sep 29, 2025 · 12:09
Many lawyers, when they stop and reflect, realize that one of the reasons they went to law school was to impress other people. Prestige mattered. But the moment they name it, the…
Sep 22, 2025 · 15:15
The Former Lawyer framework has recently received a glow-up, and this podcast episode covers all the fun updates. Sarah has a few things that stuck out to her and would be the…
Sep 15, 2025 · 14:07
You’ve been in therapy. You’ve talked through your career. You understand, logically, that your boss’s mood isn’t your responsibility, that your worth isn’t measured by…
Sep 8, 2025 · 6:41
Today’s podcast episode is an important reminder every lawyer needs to hear. Sarah reminds listeners that nothing about your job is as important as you and your emotional,…
Sep 1, 2025 · 6:26
2025 is more than halfway through, and if you told yourself this was the year you’d leave practice, this is your check-in. September is basically here, which means four months…
Aug 25, 2025 · 7:21
The question comes up constantly - in podcast interviews, on Collab group calls, and in emails from listeners. "What if the grass isn't greener on the other side?" It's tied to…
Aug 18, 2025 · 8:58
There's a partner at your firm. Everyone knows about them. Multiple people have quit working for them. Multiple people have gone out on mental health leave. When people talk…
Aug 11, 2025 · 8:14
In today’s podcast, Sarah discusses how to know when it’s the right time to leave law. Many people listening are grappling with this question, and often, when they ask it, they…
Aug 4, 2025 · 40:06
You're exhausted from work and catch yourself thinking, "I wish I could get hit by a bus just a little bit so I could finally get a break." If that sounds familiar, you're not…
Jul 28, 2025 · 56:11
You're successful on paper but can't shake the feeling you haven't really "made it" without a prestigious law firm on your resume. Tiffany Obeng lived with that impostor syndrome…
Jul 21, 2025 · 50:18
You're a lawyer who's good at your job but something feels off. You're performing well, making good money, checking all the boxes that are supposed to matter. But there's a…
Jul 14, 2025 · 11:32
You've taken CliftonStrengths . You've done the MBTI. Maybe you've worked through a few other career assessments too. You have pages of results about your strengths, your work…
Jul 7, 2025 · 50:30
You've probably seen the headlines about major law firms pulling out of diversity programs and capitulating to executive orders. Sarah has been calling out these decisions and…
Jun 30, 2025 · 17:25
Experiencing lawyer burnout but telling yourself you shouldn't be struggling because you don't have kids or a partner? You're not alone. Many single and childless lawyers dismiss…
Jun 23, 2025 · 12:04
You're a senior associate who keeps telling yourself, "it'll get better when I make partner." But what if it doesn't? What if making partner actually makes things worse? In this…
Jun 16, 2025 · 59:25
Dan Lemon thought Biglaw was the peak—until the job started crushing his mental health. What looked like success on paper was making his life unlivable. In this conversation, Dan…
Jun 9, 2025 · 10:33
Biglaw has a cowardice problem, and it’s more visible than ever. In this episode, Sarah Cottrell breaks down how toxic law firm culture grooms and rewards leaders who prioritize…
Jun 2, 2025 · 8:33
Sarah shares why she donates to The Legal Accountability Project , a nonprofit working to bring transparency to the judicial clerkship system. She talks about the power judges…
May 26, 2025 · 12:56
Reddit and Fishbowl can feel like the only places lawyers can be honest about how bad it really is. But even in these “safe” spaces, the lawyer bubble shows up. In this episode,…
May 19, 2025 · 9:06
Sarah is celebrating five years of The Former Lawyer Collab—and reflecting on what it’s taught her about helping lawyers leave the law. In this episode, she shares the…
May 12, 2025 · 1:02:00
Lawyer and certified ADHD coach Annie Little returns to talk with Sarah about executive function, ADHD in the legal profession, and why so many lawyers struggle with time,…
May 5, 2025 · 12:58
Is DEI really the problem in Biglaw? Sarah doesn’t think so, and she’s not alone. In this episode, she breaks down why blaming diversity, equity, and inclusion for the…
Apr 28, 2025 · 48:27
When Laura Markham suddenly lost her husband, everything changed—including how she viewed her legal career. In this episode, Laura shares her path from real estate litigation to…
Apr 21, 2025 · 8:40
Feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or like you're barely keeping up? You’re not alone. In this episode, Sarah shares a simple but powerful reframe for lawyers who are just trying…
Apr 14, 2025 · 11:58
Are you questioning whether practicing law is really the right path for you? You're not alone—and you're not wrong for feeling that way. In this episode, Sarah talks about why so…
Apr 7, 2025 · 9:33
If you feel like all you do is complain about your job, you’re not alone. Many lawyers reach a point where they’re exhausted, not just by their work, but by how much they talk…
Mar 31, 2025 · 42:08
On today’s podcast, Sarah is chatting with a familiar guest who has been on the podcast several times. It’s her husband, Ed Cottrell . They met in law school and graduated at the…
Mar 24, 2025 · 7:16
Many lawyers contemplating leaving the profession assume the process is complicated. The reality? It’s actually very simple. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In this episode of…
Mar 17, 2025 · 9:03
If you’re thinking about leaving the law but feel stuck, ask yourself this question. Who are you waiting for permission from? Many lawyers aren’t just worried about logistics.…
Mar 10, 2025 · 58:35
Sarah Cottrell talks with Amisha DeYoung-Dominguez, a former lawyer who transitioned into public service, on this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast . Amisha, now a…
Mar 3, 2025 · 10:25
Many former lawyers who stepped away from their careers to be stay-at-home parents eventually find themselves wondering how to re-enter the workforce—without going back to…
Feb 24, 2025 · 16:47
In this re-released episode, Former Lawyer Collab members share the biggest surprises they’ve encountered while figuring out what’s next. From discovering unexpected support from…
Feb 17, 2025 · 15:54
In this re-released episode, Former Lawyer Collab members share the biggest myths they believed about leaving the law—myths that held them back from making a change. From the…
Feb 10, 2025 · 15:34
This week, I'm re-releasing an episode featuring Former Lawyer Collab members sharing the simple yet transformative realizations that helped them move forward in their journey…
Feb 3, 2025 · 13:16
In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast , Sarah Cottrell gets real about why so many Millennials feel stuck in the pursuit of success. As an elder Millennial herself, she…
Jan 27, 2025 · 10:33
Many lawyers worry that leaving the law for the corporate world won’t fix their work-life balance struggles. In this episode, Sarah explores why corporate jobs aren’t all the…
Jan 20, 2025 · 11:36
Lawyers often feel pressured to craft the perfect IRAC-style argument to justify leaving the law, but that’s not necessary. In this episode, Sarah explores why trusting your…
Jan 13, 2025 · 9:41
Leaving the law starts with understanding your values. In this episode, Sarah explains why taking a deep dive into your values is the critical first step for any lawyer…
Jan 6, 2025 · 9:42
In today’s episode, Sarah kicks off the new year with an update on how you can work with her in 2025. If you’re starting the year thinking, ‘I can’t keep doing this,’ and you…
Dec 30, 2024 · 40:10
This episode includes an important content warning for discussions of narcissism, narcissistic abuse, self-harm, and suicidality. This week on The Former Lawyer Podcast , Sarah…
Dec 23, 2024 · 10:31
Previously, Lauren Ascher was on the podcast to discuss accommodations for lawyers with ADHD . It’s a good segue into an important conversation about disclosing ADHD and other…
Dec 16, 2024 · 29:27
For countless reasons, December can be a pretty rough month for lawyer's mental health. So for the next couple of weeks, we're going to have some re-releases of some episodes in…
Dec 9, 2024 · 10:07
On today’s podcast episode, Sarah clarifies a question she often hears when she tells people about the work she does: “Do all the lawyers who you work with end up leaving law?”…
Dec 2, 2024 · 42:40
Lilly Ghahremani knew from her first day of law school that she had made a mistake, but like so many lawyers, she kept going, earning her degree and even passing the bar. What…
Nov 25, 2024 · 10:29
Struggling with the fear of leaving law behind? This week, Sarah unpacks the sunk cost fallacy—a common mental block for lawyers considering a career change. She explores why we…
Nov 18, 2024 · 41:27
On today’s podcast episode, Sarah chats with Dan Branagan . He is a member of the Collab and a former lawyer who now works as a data analyst. They discuss how his journey to…
Nov 11, 2024 · 12:25
In this episode, Sarah dives into how toxic workplaces—especially law firms—can lead to deep-rooted self-doubt and self-gaslighting. She breaks down the ways negative…
Nov 4, 2024 · 41:43
In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast , host Sarah Cottrell talks with David Sazant, a former litigator who transitioned from practicing law to becoming a therapist. David…
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