Episode 30-The Key to Happiness in the Practice of Law

For over two decades, I have been reading articles in the popular and legal press about unhappy lawyers. The unpleasant issues and people that lawyers have to deal with, the lack of control over outcomes, the isolation and the long hours all add up to a population of professionals who are questioning their career choice or looking for an exit. While there certainly are a large number of lawyers who experience dissatisfaction in the law, I regularly speak to attorneys who are very happy with their career choice.  I try to feature some of those attorneys in this podcast series. Sure, nothing is perfect, but for these attorneys, law offers exposure to novel issues, the chance to earn a good living and the opportunity to work with bright individuals on challenging problems. Some find satisfaction in learning about cutting edge legal topics. Still others enjoy the service aspect of practicing law or even the chance to do pro bono work. In this episode, I speak with Larry Stybel of Stybel Peabody.  Since the late 1970s, Larry has been doing outplacement and leadership coaching.  He has also been doing retained search for board members and the C suite. Larry has worked closely with the legal profession for many years.  Stybel Peabody received the "Best in Class" Award in Outplacement four times from the Massachusetts Lawyers’ Weekly Reader Preference Survey.  He co-authors a regular column on leadership and career management for PSYCHOLOGY TODAY. I met Larry and his wife and business partner, Maryanne Peabody, 20 years ago when I was starting my own recruiting and coaching business.  I was very pleased to reconnect with him this year through my business networking group Provisors.  I have really appreciated the insights Larry has been able to share with me about my own marketing. Larry has thought a lot about how lawyers can increase their career satisfaction.   I invited Larry to talk about some of the ways lawyers can structure their work to achieve this goal. Related Career Resources A Career Audit for Associates (a questionnaire to help you assess your current law firm position) 20 Questions For Law Firm Partners (a similar questionnaire for partners) Career Paths: Mapping Out Your Future (Program Notes from a Boston Bar Association Panel Discussion) Making a Lateral Move: Are You Ready? Canoeing vs. Whitewater Rafting (a podcast about navigating career moves)