From Business Litigation to Professional Development for Lawyers with Katie Aldrich

In Episode 024 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Katie Aldrich. Katie practiced business litigation at a big law firm in Boston for more than five years before transitioning first into professional development for lawyers, and then into career coaching for lawyers and other professionals with Fringe Professional Development. In this conversation, Katie shares about: Being told by lots of people when she was a young child that she should be a lawyer because she had a lot of opinions; Deciding to go to law school because it seemed easier than looking for another job when she decided she didn’t want to stay at her then-current one; What living on a yearly salary of $30k taught her and how it affected her law school choice; Why the associate to partner path in biglaw seemed so comfortable (and was a trap); The moment when she realized she didn’t want the job that she was headed towards in biglaw; Why she assumed that things would just work themselves out, and what was wrong with that assumption; What she did when her first job after leaving practice was not a great fit; Her realization that being good at a job didn’t mean she was happy or that it was the right job for her; Why being at a big firm can lull you into a false sense of security; Why leaving law involves building a new identity; Some helpful ways to approach figuring out what you want to do next; and much more! Show Notes: Enroll in the 8-week small group program—> formerlawyer.com/group Connect with Katie on LinkedIn or schedule a coaching consultation call with her , or connect with Fringe Professional Development on its website , LinkedIn , or