— Mid-level litigation associate at Global 100 law firm
Are you marketing your technical legal skill set?
No corporate legal department, law firm, or legal organization can function without its individual contributors in the trenches. You’re the ones who get the work done.
“In the last 3 months, I’ve interviewed with almost every place I applied, including Facebook, Twitter, T-Mobile, Amazon, Honeywell, Nielsen, SEC, JPMorgan, and a US Attorney’s Office.”
— BigLaw associate exploring options in law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and federal government
If you’re a mid-level lawyer, then you’ve gotten your feet wet and you’ve had the chance to experience the practice of law.
If you’re a more senior lawyer, you may have already practiced law in a variety of settings.
“[S]ince we last spoke, I accepted a position at an AmLaw 100 firm! It is a position I would not have likely even applied for before we spoke. You were so very helpful with my concerns and confidence... your genuineness came through and made me feel a little more at ease with my search. Thank you!”
— Midlevel associate transitioning between large firms
Either way, you’re prioritizing long-term stability, work-life balance, and functional / technical expertise as an individual contributor—unlike executive-track or partnership-track lawyers who are focused on climbing the corporate or law firm ladder in business development, management, and supervisory roles.
You make up a varied group:
“[T]hank you for all of your help, encouragement and support in enabling me to pivot my career towards patent prosecution... [I] got an offer last week... The road to getting my career on a livable track was quite bumpy for me - thank you for making it survivable. I never would have gotten here without your amazing coaching and support!”
— Non-traditional IP lawyer
Mid-level and senior law firm associates, as well as Of Counsel: 4+ years into your career, particularly if you’re not interested in pursuing partnership
Technical lawyers: Non-executive track lawyers committed a discrete practice area, like employment law, labor law, IP / patent law, marketing & advertising law, healthcare law, family law, insurance defense, real estate, contracts, and immigration law.
LegalOps support and staff attorneys: Lawyers in fields like conflicts, litigation support, or e-discovery project management.
Service lawyers: Attorneys committed to a non-executive role in a particular type of setting, like career prosecutors or defense attorneys, counsel in legal aid / legal services corporations, general practice attorneys in small firms, and sole practitioners.
Academics: Law professors, aspiring law professors, and law professors moving back into practice.
Lawyers in JD-Advantage Roles: Non-executive track attorneys leveraging their law degree in areas where bar passage may not always be required, like management consulting, contract management, corporate governance, compliance, public policy, privacy, dispute resolution, and cybersecurity.
Contract attorneys and independent contractors: Lawyers in temp roles, whether short (even per diem) or long-term, whether direct hires or through an agency, whether working on-site or remotely.
Non-traditional lawyers: Attorneys whose backgrounds aren’t high school > college > law school > law practice, including people with second careers, foreign-education or foreign-training, breaks from law practice, return to workforce, and military to civilian transition.
If you’re in this stage of your legal career, you may have some sense of where you’d like your career to go or, at least, where you don’t want your career to go. We’ll help you get there.
Most individual contributors—no matter how many years of experience they have—are simply looking for work that they enjoy in an environment where they can contribute and feel valued.
The legal hiring market has had dramatic ups and downs in the last 30 years.
Many individual contributors entered the legal profession at challenging times. Contractions in the economy and legal market can lead to buyers’ markets that resulted in under-employment, feeling trapped in contract work or e-discovery projects, and derailed career dreams.
No matter which category they fit into, SMEs, senior, and mid-level associates are faced with a tremendous variety of potential course corrections, re-positionings, and adjustments…
Shauna C. Bryce speaking at Harvard Law School to alumni about mid-career options and decision-making, at the “Improving with Age: Making the Most of Your Legal Vintage” symposium.
A law firm senior associate wants to move in-house.
She’s confident she knows all the technical legal issues she’ll face. But even so, corporate legal departments have different needs than law firms. How can she position herself as a lawyer who understands the special demands of in-house counsel, including working within the greater corporate culture? How can she make herself an attractive candidate for employers in her target sector?
An insurance defense litigator never wanted to practice insurance defense law.
He had tremendous law school debt, and high volume insurance defense work was his only option for an attorney position when he graduated. He felt he had no choice but to take the job. But, after five years, he finds the work grueling and unfulfilling. He wants to leave. How can he broaden out his experience and appeal for other types of legal work in another small law firm?
A county prosecutor with 20 years of experience wants to shift in-house.
She’s a pro at criminal law and procedure. However, as a career-long government lawyer, she doesn’t have a book business; nor does she want to develop one. She just wants to be a lawyer in an environment that pays better and doesn’t require her to run such a large caseload. What types of roles should she look for and in what kind of employers? How can she translate her experience for in-house roles?
A contract attorney has been doing document review and e-discovery projects for three years.
He’s done feeling stuck and is determined to embrace this growing area of law and litigation management. How can he turn his e-discovery experience into an asset and a career at a law firm, multinational company, or e-discovery / information governance vendor? What about pursuing compliance roles in data security, data privacy, and user privacy? What additional certifications might add value to his résumé?
A healthcare lawyer is re-entering the law after a six-year hiatus as a family caregiver.
She’s afraid her legal career is over and worries she’s done nothing during that time employers would value. How can she demonstrate to employers that she’s committed to re-entry? How can she get her knowledge and skills current? How can she explain her hiatus on her résumé in a way makes sense to employers, but also protects her privacy?
*Samples are composites designed to protect the identities of individual clients.
Get the help you want, when you want, at an affordable price. Our career coaching for lawyers is simple: just tell us the issues you’d like to discuss, and send us your current résumé (Don’t worry: it doesn’t have to be in great shape) so that we have some context. The more we know about your situation, the better we can assist. We can talk about interviewing, job search, networking—whatever you need.
“I had tried several times to interview with this company before, but never got a response—until I sent the résumé and cover letter you did. Then I got immediate positive feedback. I’ve had two recruiter interviews, and 4 interviews over the past week—including with a software company and as a general counsel for a small start-up. And this whole exercise has forced me to take a good hard look at what I’ve done and what I want.”
— In-house data privacy counsel
We understand that cost and timeframe can be major factors. After all, not everyone needs—or can wait for—for a bespoke résumé program incorporating deep dives into career history. But you shouldn’t have to settle for a second-rate (or worse) résumé writing service either.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was something in-between bespoke and cheap-o?
We thought so too. Over years of talking to lawyers searching for high-quality, professional help that was faster and more affordable than our bespoke projects, we’ve pioneered real-time, career services by screen share that save you time and money. Today, Bryce Legal offers lawyers résumé writing by screen share: our real-time, résumé writing service for SMEs, senior, and mid-level lawyers. Because this is an hourly résumé writing service, lawyers have the additional flexibility to control costs by working with their expert for as much—or as little—time as they want.
“In the last 3 months, I’ve interviewed with almost every place I applied, including Facebook, Twitter, T-Mobile, Amazon, Honeywell, Nielsen, SEC, JPMorgan, and a US Attorney’s Office. ”
— BigLaw associate exploring options in law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and federal government
LinkedIn is a great place to be found. It is now one of top recruiting tools for retained, contingency, and internal recruiters. Therefore, we recommend all lawyers have a strong, polished presence on LinkedIn—even those who are not actively looking for a new job.
Why work with Bryce Legal? How can you choose the best lawyer career coach and legal résumé writer for you? Here’s what just a few our clients say. For more, please see Our Client Testimonials.
“Working with Shauna has been a life-changing experience for me. After working with two other legal career coaches, I can confidently say that Shauna is the best. I initially tried the other two coaches while waiting for her calendar to open up, and the difference in results was astounding.
When Shauna revamped my resume, I immediately started receiving calls from recruiters. However, I struggled to convert those interviews into job offers. It wasn't until I enlisted Shauna as my interview coach that everything changed. Her insights and guidance were transformative, enabling me to navigate the interview process with confidence and skill.
Thanks to her exceptional support, I was able to more than double my income. I am incredibly grateful for Shauna's expertise and dedication. Her personality is a bonus—she is non-judgmental and a true gift to work with. She truly is the best in the industry and has made a significant impact on my career and life.”
"It's really great to have someone who helps me think differently. You're wonderful, Shauna. I really appreciate your suggestions, and that you've told me things straight so that I can come up with real solutions."
"I felt really grateful when we hung up, Shauna. It's time for me to make a move and I have really needed the help that you're giving me. I've been struggling with a zillion iterations of my résumé, struggling to find a way to make sense of my journey. I just wasn't able to do it on paper in a way that reflects what I bring. I also found your job search tips to be really, really good and I've already shared them with a friend. I had many a-ha moments in talking to you."
"You helped me so much, Shauna. Working with you brought me to a real turning point in my career, and when I thought about wanting to advance again, I naturally thought of talking to you!"
A former AmLaw 100 lawyer and government attorney, Natasha Alladina DiFiore has 10+ years working across legal sectors. She is also a legal recruiter at one of the nation’s largest and best regarded recruiting firms.
A former Federal Reserve lawyer, attorney trainer, and AmLaw 100 pro bono program director, Kamilah Exum has 20+ years working with executives and other lawyers in a variety of environments.
A former public company compliance director, Fortune 50 in-house counsel, AmLaw 100 lawyer, and federal government lawyer, and legal recruiter, Niteesha Gupte has 20+ years working with attorneys across sectors and environments. She is now a coach and career strategist at another AmLaw 100 firm.
A former AmLaw 100 litigator and alumni coach for a law school, Jessica has 15+ years working with CLOs, GCs, executives, and other lawyers in Global 100 / Fortune 500 companies, law firms, government / military, NGOs, and more.
A former assistant chief in DOJ’s Fraud Section, AmLaw 100 partner, Big 4 principal, AUSA, and federal law clerk, Matthew Queler has 20+ years advising corporate boards, c-suite and senior leaders, executives, and lawyers. He has particular interest in government lawyers.
A former Fortune 15 / AmLaw 100 recruiter, Jared Redick has 20+ years in career transitions, decision-making, and branding for C-suite and executive attorneys, partners, on-track lawyers, career changers, and lawyers leaving the law.
