When lawyers think about their next career move, many make one critical mistake.
They focus on the job title instead of the profession.
Titles are narrow. Professions are portable.
Every profession exists because it fulfills a fundamental human need. Throughout history, psychologists and behavioral scientists from Abraham Maslow to William Glasser and others have described variations of these core needs: health, security, wealth, belonging, learning, purpose, spirituality, and protection. Organizations exist to meet those needs. Professions exist to help organizations deliver on them.
Law is one of those professions. And every industry needs it.
That’s why lawyers are found everywhere: pharmaceutical companies, healthcare systems, technology companies, manufacturers, financial institutions, energy companies, universities, museums, media organizations, nonprofits, professional sports teams, venture capital firms, and yes, law firms.
A law firm is simply one industry that employs lawyers. It is not the only one. That’s an important distinction. Too often, lawyers ask themselves: “What legal job should I pursue next?”
A more valuable question is: “Where else can my profession create value?”
Perhaps you’ve spent fifteen years advising life sciences clients. Could those same skills support a commercial-stage biotech company? A venture capital fund investing in healthcare? A medical device manufacturer? A university commercializing research? A healthcare system navigating regulatory complexity?
The legal expertise travels. Only the setting changes.
Once you begin thinking this way, your network changes too.
Instead of asking, “Who do I know at another law firm?” ask:
- Who do I know in healthcare?
- Who do I know in financial services?
- Who do I know in private equity?
- Who do I know in higher education?
- Who knows someone who does?
Those conversations are often less about asking for a job than exploring where your experience solves business problems.
Then comes the most important question: Why would they want to hire you?
Not because you’re a lawyer. Because of what kind of lawyer you are.
- Do you bring commercial judgment?
- Board governance experience?
- Regulatory expertise?
- M&A experience?
- Employment counseling?
- Litigation strategy?
- Executive presence?
- Cross-functional leadership?
Legal knowledge opens the door. Business value earns the invitation.
Here’s the bonus question that will differentiate you: consider where you are on your own career runway.
- Are you still on the launch pad, building technical expertise?
- Ready for takeoff, expanding your leadership responsibilities?
- Are you a seasoned pilot, someone whose judgment has been tested through acquisitions, crises, executive transitions, board meetings, and years of strategic decision-making?
Each stage offers different strengths.
Understanding where you are and articulating the value that comes with that stage of your career will help you position yourself more effectively for the opportunities ahead.
Careers rarely expand because someone discovers a new title. They expand because someone begins to see their profession through a wider lens. Your title may define your current role. Your profession defines your possibilities.
