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Many lawyers reportedly are unhappy with their jobs. Yet, only a small percentage actually decides to do something else - about 3 to 5 percent according to Monica Parker, a former attorney and career counselor.

The reasons why unhappy lawyers stay in their practice are as varied as the individuals themselves. However, in our practice we often come across attorneys who are at a crossroad, and some of the most often cited reason for them to stay in the practice of law – even when they are unhappy - include:

As a former attorney who made the transition away from the practice of law, I can certainly identify with all of the above-cited reasons, and many more.

Fear of the Unknown. As lawyers, we are typically risk-averse, and we are used to having to deal with challenges and difficult situations. It is natural to rely on our fist instinct; that is to try to stick it out and make it work not matter how painful it is. While that is not necessarily a negative trait – the challenge is determining when it’s time to give up and look for an alternative. This is not something lawyers are necessarily well-trained or programmed to do.

Time and time again, I speak with attorneys who are unhappy with their practice, and yet despite their lack of professional fulfillment, remain frozen in place by fear of the unknown. Whether the solution is changing law firms, moving in-house, changing companies, taking a government position, or simply looking at alternatives to the practice of law, making that leap takes a lot of faith and courage. It’s sometimes easier to try to cope with a situation that is familiar to us, rather than venture into the unknown. The deep-seated fear being that this “unknown” might turn out to be worst than the current situation we are in.

Financial Pressures. Leaving the practice of law altogether sometimes hits itself directly against our pocketbooks. While the practice might be challenging, for the most part, it also comes with a big paycheck. Perhaps you are still trying to repay huge school loans, you are supporting a family, aging parents and/or have invested in what every other lawyer has also invested in – a nice car, an expensive home…etc. You have been living in a cage perhaps, but a gilded one for sure, and giving up the financial rewards you have worked so hard to reap might just be too difficult or impractical to do. This is a dilemma that I see played over and over again.

Of course, there are alternatives available that can provide you with a very good standard of living, but it is also true that most of them may require you to take an initial step back in compensation. Few careers outside of the law, especially when it comes to big firm private practice, start you off with such a large paycheck. Leaving the law altogether (or simply leaving private practice) may require you to take a pay cut and work your way up the compensation ladder. In other words, this may require a financial sacrifice on your part (See our previous post: In-House Salaries: What You Need to Know Before You Start Negotiating). The question is, what can you afford to live with, and how important is it to you to be doing something you truly enjoy?

Unknown Alternatives. If like most lawyers you followed a straight path from college to law school to a law firm, you may not have either given much thought about what you could do with a law degree or know what your alternatives are. What Can You Do With A Law Degree? This is the title of a book, by Deborah Aaron, for anyone asking the question.

Basically, the book answers the question it asks with an open-ended response: you can do anything with your degree. The best part of the book is not the book itself, but the six appendices. Here are the titles:

1. The 7 Lawyer Types & Their Career Options
2. Online Job-Search Resources
3. Career Counseling, Testing & Online Self-Assessment
4. Job Options, Inside, Outside and Around the Law
5. Opportunities for Transforming Your Practice
6. Index to Legal Organizations Online

While there is no magical "list" of jobs for lawyers (especially high paying jobs), there is little you can’t do as former lawyer, as long as you are passionate about what you want to do. A key question is to find what you are truly passionate about – and the rest will come. The following job titles held by lawyers who have made that transition, may serve as means for brainstorming.

· Agent
· Arbitrator
· Assistant/ Associate Dean
· Auditor
· Author
· Accountant
· Bank Vice President
· Bar Association Administrator
· Career Counselor
· Certified Financial Planner
· Commercial Real Estate Agent
· Computer Consultant
· Corporate Trainer
· Contract Attorney
· Department Store Buyer
· Designer/Developer of Trial Visual Aides
· Deposition Videographer
· Director of Career Services, Admissions or Alumni Affairs
· Editor
· Executive Director of Nonprofit Agencies
· Fundraiser
· Investment Banker
· Journalist
· Jury Consultant
· Law Librarian
· Law Professor
· Legislative Analyst
· Lobbyist
· Management Consultant
· Mediator
· Legal Software Developer/Vendor
· Legal Consultant
· Legal Headhunter
· Politician/Political Advisor
· President of a Corporation
· Psychologist
· Real Estate Developer
· Restaurant Owner
· Screenwriter
· Small Business Owner
· Special Event/Conference Planner
· Stockbroker
· Title Examiner
· Trust Officer/Estate Administrator

Giving Up the Dream. At the end of the day, one of the most difficult hurdle to overcome may be giving up the practice itself. Becoming a lawyer is a difficult process that requires sacrifices. Once you have made it as a lawyer, (all jokes aside) you become part of an established and well-respected profession – an elite. You enjoy a high social status, your family and friends look up to you as someone who has succeeded, you have the ability to work on sophisticated, varied, and interesting projects (in general), you may be able to make a difference and work for justice (non-profit, pro bono side), and you may be enjoying the financial rewards that come with it.

Can you turn your back on a profession that still has a lot to offer, and that you have worked so hard to achieve? That’s the real question. Whether you decide to make that leap of faith or not, remember that there is life after law – and sometimes it’s a lot brighter than you could have ever imagined.