Successfully planning for a life after law requires a robust analysis of your skill set, your ambitions and the perception from the market you are targeting.
Start the planning process by answering these questions:
- Should I remain a lawyer? Am I cut out for a general counsel role and do I really know what it entails or have I just made the assumption that the grass is greener? (In reality it may just be a different shade of green.)
- If I’m looking for a non-executive role, do I know what companies and voluntary sector organisations want from their non-execs, especially after the recession revealed some non execs should have been more robust? Do I know how the market perceives lawyers as non-execs, and how I can counter that perception?
- Do I want to have what Charles Handy calls a portfolio career, and how would I manage that?
- Have I really thought through the more off-the-wall options which I have mused on, such as doing a Masters degree, running a pub or becoming a photographer? If not, why not? (Each of these have been done by former partners we know)
What questions have you asked yourself about retirement?