The reality for a majority of lawyers is that somewhere in their professional life they will need to go through the process of moving from the law firm they currently work to a new work environment; another law firm, their own firm, or something else all together. It is rare that lawyers will continue to work in the same law firm until they retire.
It can be challenging to leave a firm and there continues to be a code of silence about when, how and why people leave firms – some of this makes sense because of confidentiality and HR issues but some of it reflects the ongoing problems of addressing such break ups in the legal profession. However, while there remains silence often about the specific details there are numerous stories through the legal grapevine informing lawyers of the type of break ups that occurred. Anywhere from a “conscious uncoupling” to a full blown out War of the Roses (a nod to the eighties film millennials) – it’s important to know what you can do to break up with your law firm in hopefully a positive way…even when it’s not so positive. Some thoughts for moving forward and moving on:
Rise Up
In the spirit of Michelle Obama’s “when they go low we go high” – rise up. Yes the last thing you might feel when you are leaving your law firm is to rise up, to be better, kinder and respectful. You might feel unappreciated, not valued or compensated fairly for the work you did, there may be interpersonal conflicts with fellow associates and/or a partner/partners. How you leave reflects your values. If the firm does not rise up just don’t let them bring you down.
Practice Gratitude
There is probably at least one thing that you can appreciate about your experience at a law firm – a good mentor, meeting certain colleagues, learning a skill, getting a course paid for, diverse practice opportunities or even completing your articles. Whatever it is, keep this in mind as you leave.
You only have control over yourself
A “firm” is a set of people administered and managed by “partners” which are just another set of people that make decisions (or not) based on their values to structure and run their business. These values and decisions guide firms. Although extremely hard, there is no benefit to going over the: “what if they…”; “why didn’t they…”; “they could have…” Or even simply “how could they…” just some of the thoughts that can fill your mind when leaving a firm. The reality is that it’s over and like all break ups moving forward requires a process that is personal and allows you space to work through the emotional residue relationships can leave. All you have control over is you. Leave in the best way you can – pass on appreciations, make sure all is in order and know that this is one of many journeys ahead of you in your legal (or non-legal) career. It will all be okay!