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.
A lot of people end up going to law school without ever really asking themselves whether it’s what they want to do. Sarah Cottrell hears from people who send episodes of the podcast to friends who are thinking about law school. More than once, listening to the podcast has convinced someone that they don’t actually want to be a lawyer,…
The start of 2026 has been genuinely hard. Sarah’s father-in-law passed away at the end of last year, which meant travel, grief, and being present for her husband’s family. Then came a brutal bout of flu B in January, the kind that knocked a lot of people flat this winter. Then her kids got sick. Then more family travel. Then…
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 you should do next. That appeal is also the problem. When you rely on just one assessment, it’s easy to treat the results as the definitive answer. You think, “This is…
When the world feels unstable, the idea of introducing more instability into your life by leaving your legal job can feel impossible. But waiting for things to stabilize before you address your career unhappiness might mean waiting forever. 2025 was a difficult year. If you’re already in an overwhelming job, everything else happening in the world makes it even harder…
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 definitely want to get out eventually, but maybe not at this exact moment.” If that sounds like you, there’s something you can do. This is going to be the most…
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, but Sarah consistently hears from lawyers that they underestimated something else. They didn’t realize how much they needed to know they weren’t alone. The legal profession can be deeply…
