The Former Lawyer Podcast

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 same, how to identify workplaces that align with your values, and why you’re not doomed to hate every job you take. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/255 I'm closing enrollment for my self-paced group program, the Forme...

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 intuition is key, how to navigate conversations about your decision, and why you don’t need to convince anyone else to validate your choice. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/254 I'm closing enrollment for my self-paced...

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 considering a career change. She shares how identifying what truly matters to you can uncover the root of your dissatisfaction and guide you toward a career that aligns with your priorities. Whether you’re unsure about your next st...

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 know you don’t want to be in the same place next year, this episode is for you. Sarah breaks down the options available to help you leave the law behind and create the change you’re ready for. See show notes at formerlawyer.c...

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 Cottrell welcomes back her client Kelcey Baker for a powerful conversation about the distressingly common experience among lawyers of wishing for a minor injury—like being hit by a bus—just to get a break from work.  Kelcey...

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 mental health issues to your law firm. It’s no secret that there is a high incidence rate among lawyers for anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and other issues.  In the United States, you are entitled to certain accommoda...

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 the podcast dealing with mental health. So there will be three episodes. This first episode will be how to take a mental health leave of absence from your firm, and I'm joined by guest Megan Nogasky. See sho...

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?” There is a sense that she is trying to convince people to leave their careers as lawyers and move on to something else, and she wants to answer that question and chat about it. A fundamental belief that Sarah has is that pe...

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 came next wasn’t the traditional legal path but an unexpected journey into the publishing industry. Today, Lilly is a literary agent with over 20 years of experience, co-founder of Full Circle Literary, and an advocate for a...

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 tend to overvalue past investments and undervalue the cost of staying in an unhealthy profession.  You’ll also learn why leaving law doesn’t mean your legal experience is wasted. If you’ve ever felt stuck weighing the pro...

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 escape the legal grind and his process of finding other roles that might work for him using the program's framework. Let’s dive in and learn about Dan and his journey. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/248 I'm closi...

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 environments distort our sense of self-worth and confidence, making it feel impossible to see a way out. For those who feel trapped in a cycle of self-doubt, Sarah shares insights into how leaving a toxic legal environment can help y...

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 shares how he recognized that his legal career was not in line with his personal values and explains the process he went through to make the leap into mental health. For those considering a career outside of the legal pro...

In this episode, Sarah dives into the toxic environment many law firms create by pushing junior associates to take responsibility for generating work they have no control over. She exposes how leadership fails to support their teams, leading to stress and anxiety for those just starting their legal careers. If you’re tired of being blamed for a lack of billables, this episode is for you. Plus, lea...

In this episode, Sarah revisits a conversation with her client, Adrian Hern, who shares her journey through The Collab and the Collab Plus One-on-One Program. Adrian opens up about her experience as a lawyer stuck in a toxic work environment, how she found her way to a new career, and the life-changing results, including a 40% salary increase. If you're worried that leaving the law means sacr...

Have you ever wondered why all your hard work at the firm isn't paying off the way you expected? In this episode, Sarah exposes the myth of meritocracy in law firms and how it fuels imposter syndrome for even the most accomplished lawyers. She reveals the hidden reasons behind why your efforts might be going unrecognized and shares how you can break free from the toxic environment that's...

In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast , host Sarah Cottrell shares a conversation with Annie Little about disclosing ADHD and other neurodivergent or mental health conditions in the workplace, specifically within Biglaw. As October is ADHD Awareness Month, Sarah highlights the challenges lawyers face when considering disclosure and the systemic issues in law firms that often fail to provide...

In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast , Sarah Cottrell tackles a topic that has been coming up in many of her conversations with clients: the overwhelming feeling that you just don’t want to work anymore.  If you’ve ever felt like you hate working and can’t imagine enjoying any job, especially after working in a toxic legal environment, this episode is for you. Sarah discusses how burnout,...

In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast , Sarah Cottrell talks with Victoria Collier, founder of Quid Pro Quo Law, about the process of preparing a law firm for sale. Victoria shares her own journey, from building her practice to successfully selling it, and offers critical insights into the steps lawyers can take to make their firms scalable and attractive to buyers. From establishing proces...

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 most helpful to anyone considering becoming a former lawyer. She covers those items in this episode to highlight them for all the podcast listeners considering joining. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/241 I'm closing...

Today’s podcast episode features a conversation between Sarah and a member of the Collab, Liza Hanks . Liza made a career transition out of practicing law after 22 years, and they discussed how the Collab played a role in her transition and decision-making process. This conversation is helpful for anyone considering making their transition out of law and looking for some assistance in the process....

You may have worked in a workplace or more than one legal workplace where they said that they had a no-asshole rule. Clearly, there are many people who have worked in similar workplaces because this episode is one of the most downloaded episodes. Again, it's one of the ones I hear about the most from people because there is so much agreement with the fact that the no-asshole rule is, in fact,...

The next episode in our summer re-release series is Burnout is a Feature, Not a Bug. This is one of the things that I honestly think is the most important for you to realize if you are working in a toxic workplace, if you're working in a large law firm, or in Biglaw.  Burnout is a feature of the way that work is organized in these organizations, it is not something that inexplicably happens t...

I originally recorded the episode Your Job Should Not Make You Cry back in the very early days of lockdown when I was still editing the podcast myself and needed to be able to edit some shorter episodes, which ultimately I discovered was a happy accident because this episode is one of the most popular episodes of the podcast. It is one of the most downloaded. It comes up all the time. I hear all t...

The next episode in our summer re-release series is one of the episodes from our Collab member question series. If you've listened to this series before, you know that I asked a bunch of different people in the Collab to answer some questions about their experience, what they've learned, the things that they have taken away from the process of figuring out what it is that they want to do...