It can be hard to know where to start for a lawyer thinking about career change.
Here are some resources and information to give you the tools you need to take the leap.
As part of Not Your Average Law Job's goal to help lawyers find their happy, we have curated a book list of our favourite reference materials about happiness, law practice, legal careers and career change. Have a go-to book or article that we have missed? Send it to us at hello@notaveragelaw.ca so we can add it to our list.
By Daniel H. Pink
The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Rewards like money are not the best way to motivate most people, even though we often think they are. In Daniel Pink's book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
By Donald Miller
Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
Do you have a clear, distinct message that lets your customers understand what you can do for them? If not, this book will teach you the seven universal story points all humans respond to; how to simplify a brand message so people understand it; and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.
By Richard N. Bolles, with Katherine Brooks
Your guide to a lifetime of meaningful work and career success
This book is the world's most popular and best-selling career guide for a reason. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021 with a fully revised version, What Color is Your Parachute is full of time-tested and modern advice on job hunt strategies.
By Gretchen Rubin
For 12 months, Rubin test-drove wisdom of the ages, current scientific research and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. She chronicles her experiences in this book and shares what she learnt.
By Liz Brown, J.D.
Finding work you love with the J.D. you have
Life After Law discusses lawyer unhappiness and provides specific, realistic, and honest advice on alternative careers for lawyers. The book shows lawyers how to reframe their legal experience to their competitive advantage to find work they truly love and presents case studies on people who have done just that.
By Monica R. Parker, JD
A roadmap to finding meaningful work outside of the law
The (Un)happy Lawyer helps lawyers considering leaving the profession figure out if it is the right choice for them. The book goes over the hard questions you should consider, helps you discover your talents and other career possibilities, and helps you make an "escape plan" if leaving feels right.