Finding an Influential Career in Coaching After Being Let Down by Biglaw

Feb 10, 2020

In Episode 027 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Erin Conlon. Erin graduated from law school and landed her dream job with a plaintiff-side class action firm, only to lose her job as a result of the recession in the late 2000s. She worked on a political campaign, started performing comedy, and ultimately landed in biglaw doing electronic discovery work. She spent almost a decade as Discovery Counsel before making the leap to life and executive coaching. Erin describes herself as a warrior for possibility.

In this conversation, Erin shares about:

• Being told as a kid that she should become a lawyer and just sort of ending up on that path;
• Getting admitted to a highly ranked school and following the path of least resistance there;
• How generational expectations regarding children’s career success drove her decision-making (and drives many of us);
• Why she disagrees with the idea that “you can do anything with a law degree;”
• How she got started in comedy;
• How she dealt with the disappointment of ending up in electronic discovery after losing her litigation job as a result of the recession;
• Why she thinks it was a mistake to keep trying to get back to the kind of lawyer job that she thought she wanted;
• The moment when she realized she needed to leave the law;
• Struggling with her identity as a lawyer;
• What most high achievers actually end up working on when they start working on their career satisfaction;
• and much more! 

Show Notes:

• Enroll in the 8 week group program—> formerlawyer.com/group
• Connect with Erin on her website or Instagram