You have spent five years becoming a better litigator. You have developed strong analytical skills, learned to manage difficult clients, negotiated settlements, and handled increasingly complex matters.
There is just one problem. You no longer want to litigate.
You start exploring other opportunities, but recruiters keep contacting you about litigation positions. You apply to transactional and in-house roles, only to hear that employers want candidates with more relevant experience.
You are willing to take a pay cut. You are willing to learn. You may even be willing to start at a more junior level.
So why is it so difficult to make a change?
As both a legal career coach and legal recruiter, I see this frustration from both sides. I work with attorneys who want to make a career transition, and I work with law firms trying to hire attorneys who can meet their immediate business needs.
I have seen attorneys successfully transition out of litigation, sometimes after ten or more years in practice. I have also seen attorneys discover that they can build a much more satisfying career without leaving litigation altogether.
The key is understanding what you want, how the legal hiring market works, and what you can do to make yourself a credible candidate for something different.
Key Takeaways
- Leaving litigation is possible at any career stage. Attorneys with around ten years of experience have successfully changed practice areas.
- Employers hire to meet a business need. A willingness to take a pay cut rarely closes a significant experience gap.
- The most accessible paths build on litigation skills: in-house litigation counsel, employment counseling, and workplace investigations.
- Bridge roles, relevant side experience, and networking are the most reliable ways to become a credible candidate.
- Start by identifying exactly what you want to leave. Sometimes a different firm, role, or practice environment solves the problem.
Before You Leave Litigation, Figure Out What You Actually Want to Leave
When an attorney tells me they want to get out of litigation, one of the first things I want to understand is what they dislike about it.
Is it the adversarial nature of the work? The unpredictable deadlines? The billable hours? The constant pressure of preparing for trial?
Or is it something about their particular job?
I have worked with attorneys who were convinced they needed to change practice areas, only to discover that what they really wanted was more autonomy, a reasonable workload, or a healthier relationship with their supervising partner.
An attorney who enjoys researching complex legal issues and writing briefs might thrive in a research-and-writing position that eliminates court appearances, depositions, and some of the unpredictability of litigation.
An attorney who enjoys negotiation and resolving disputes might find a litigation practice with lower billable requirements, more flexibility, or a different type of client much more satisfying.
And an attorney who enjoys advising clients but dislikes contentious disputes might be better suited to employment counseling, regulatory work, or an in-house position.
These distinctions matter because every career transition involves tradeoffs.
Before abandoning the experience you have spent years developing, consider whether a different firm, practice environment, or role might address the things making you unhappy.
Sometimes the most effective career change is a change in how and where you practice.
Why Is It So Hard to Transition Out of Litigation?
One of the most common things I hear from attorneys looking to change practice areas is:
“I’m willing to take a pay cut. I just need someone to give me a chance.”
I understand the frustration. But from a recruiting perspective, willingness to accept less money rarely solves the employer’s primary concern.
Employers need to understand why hiring you makes business sense.
When a law firm opens a position for a fifth-year transactional attorney, it typically needs someone who can handle a particular type of work with relatively little training.
A fifth-year litigator might be an exceptional attorney, but that does not necessarily mean they know how to draft and negotiate commercial agreements, conduct transactional due diligence, or manage a deal.
And if the employer has applicants who already possess those skills, it can be difficult to justify hiring someone who needs substantial training.
There is another obstacle attorneys often overlook.
An employer needs to believe that you understand the career you are trying to enter.
If your resume shows five years of litigation experience and nothing suggesting an interest in transactional work, an employer has little reason to feel confident that you have thoughtfully considered the change.
How do they know you will enjoy the new practice? How do they know you understand what the work involves? What happens if you spend six months learning the ropes and decide you preferred litigation after all?
These are legitimate hiring considerations.
The more specialized your experience becomes, the more intentional you may need to be about demonstrating why a transition makes sense.
Does It Get Harder the Longer You Practice?
Generally, yes. The earlier you transition, the easier it may be to reposition yourself.
A second-year attorney may have more opportunities to change direction because employers expect junior attorneys to need training.
By the time you are a seventh- or eighth-year attorney, employers often expect a level of independence and practice-specific expertise that makes a substantial pivot more challenging.
But I would never tell an attorney that it is too late.
I have seen litigators with approximately ten years of experience successfully change practice areas.
The question becomes how to create a compelling business case for someone to hire you.
Career Options for Lawyers Who Want to Leave Litigation
There are several directions worth exploring, but they are not equally accessible. Some build directly on litigation experience, while others require a more substantial investment in developing new skills.
| Career Path | Transition Considerations | Best Fit For |
|---|---|---|
| In-house litigation counsel | Often a natural extension of litigation experience | Litigators who want to manage disputes and outside counsel from inside a business |
| Employment counseling and workplace investigations | Relatively accessible for employment litigators | Employment litigators who enjoy witness interviews, policy analysis, and preventive advice |
| Compliance and regulatory work | May require specialized knowledge or a more junior position | Litigators who enjoy interpreting regulations and evaluating organizational risk |
| Transactional practice | More challenging without relevant deal experience | Litigators willing to build drafting and deal skills, often through a bridge role |
| Mediation and dispute resolution | Builds on negotiation skills but requires credibility and relationships | Experienced litigators with strong settlement experience and professional networks |
| Solo practice (hanging your own shingle) | Gives you full control over your practice area, but requires building a client base and running a business | Litigators ready to develop business and manage a practice, often starting on a limited basis |
| Legal operations and legal technology | Relevant for attorneys interested in systems, processes, and business operations | Litigators who enjoy improving workflows, managing projects, and implementing technology |
| Business and other JD-advantage roles | Broad possibilities, but may require a significant professional pivot | Attorneys ready to leave practice and apply legal skills to business problems |
1. In-House Counsel
In-house positions are attractive to many litigators, particularly those seeking to work more closely with a business.
However, “going in-house” covers a wide range of responsibilities.
Some companies hire attorneys specifically to oversee litigation, manage outside counsel, handle disputes, or advise on employment matters. These positions may provide a natural transition for experienced litigators.
Broad commercial counsel positions, on the other hand, often require experience negotiating contracts, advising business teams, and managing transactions.
One strategy I have seen work is moving from law firm litigation into a litigation-focused in-house role and then gradually expanding into other legal responsibilities.
This can provide an opportunity to develop transactional experience while already working within a business.
2. Employment Counseling and Workplace Investigations
For employment litigators, these can be relatively accessible transitions.
An attorney who has spent years handling discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or wrongful termination cases already understands many of the legal issues that arise in workplace investigations and employment counseling.
The challenge is demonstrating the ability to apply that knowledge in a different setting.
For example, an employment litigator pursuing workplace investigations might emphasize experience conducting witness interviews, evaluating credibility, analyzing employment policies, and assessing legal exposure.
If you have opportunities to assist with internal investigations or provide preventive counseling in your current position, those experiences can make the transition considerably easier.
3. Compliance and Regulatory Work
Litigators often develop skills relevant to compliance, including investigating facts, interpreting regulations, evaluating risk, and advising clients about potential exposure.
The challenge is that compliance positions may require specialized regulatory knowledge or experience building and administering compliance programs.
Depending on the role, you may need to enter at a more junior level.
You can begin strengthening your candidacy through continuing education, professional associations, and relevant certifications.
For example, attorneys interested in privacy may consider pursuing a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) credential through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
A credential alone will not replace practical experience, but it can demonstrate initiative and help you develop familiarity with the field.
4. Transactional Practice
Moving directly from litigation into transactional work can be one of the more challenging transitions.
Transactional employers often want attorneys who have already drafted agreements, participated in negotiations, conducted due diligence, and managed transactions.
However, I have seen these transitions happen.
One attorney I worked with was a sixth-year BigLaw attorney who was hired by a firm handling M&A and startup advisory work, despite lacking direct experience in that practice.
What made the difference?
The firm got to know her.
She demonstrated intellectual curiosity, thoughtful engagement with the work, and a strong capacity to learn. Her professional background and references reinforced the firm’s confidence in her.
Ultimately, the employer was willing to invest in the person.
That is an important distinction because a resume alone might never have gotten her through the initial screening process.
5. Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Attorneys who enjoy negotiation, problem-solving, and helping parties reach agreements may be drawn to mediation.
Litigation experience provides useful preparation, particularly for attorneys who have handled substantial settlement negotiations.
However, building a successful mediation practice can be challenging.
You may need additional training, a strong professional network, and sufficient credibility for attorneys and parties to trust you as a neutral.
For some litigators, mediation becomes a natural later-career transition after years of developing expertise and relationships.
6. Starting Your Own Practice
For attorneys who want to change practice areas, hanging your own shingle can be another way to create an opportunity.
Starting your own practice gives you more control over the types of matters you take on, the clients you serve, and the direction of your career.
You may be able to use your existing litigation experience to generate income while gradually developing a new practice area. Or you may decide to focus on an entirely different type of work.
Of course, practicing independently comes with its own challenges. You need to find clients, manage the business, and ensure you have the knowledge and skills to competently handle the matters you accept.
This is where mentorship can be particularly valuable.
Consider developing relationships with experienced attorneys in your desired practice area who can provide guidance, serve as co-counsel where appropriate, or help you identify issues you may not yet know to look for.
Technology can also make it easier to get started.
AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Harvey, and Legora can help attorneys research unfamiliar concepts, understand workflows, develop checklists, and identify questions to explore as they learn a new area of law.
However, these tools require careful verification, appropriate confidentiality protections, and independent legal judgment. They are no substitute for developing the competence necessary to represent clients effectively.
For some attorneys, solo practice becomes a satisfying long-term career. For others, it provides an opportunity to build experience and relationships that eventually make a transition to another firm or an in-house role possible.
If you are willing to take on the responsibilities of running a business, starting your own practice may give you more control over your career transition.
7. Legal Operations and Legal Technology
If you enjoy improving processes, implementing systems, managing projects, or exploring technology, legal operations may be worth considering.
Litigators often understand the operational challenges of legal practice, including inefficient workflows, document management, staffing, and resource allocation.
Legal operations roles, however, may require experience in budgeting, technology implementation, vendor management, or business operations.
Attorneys interested in this direction can begin by taking on operational projects within their current organizations, particularly those involving workflow improvements, AI implementation, or legal project management.
8. Business, Human Resources, and Other JD-Advantage Careers
Some attorneys discover that they want to leave the practice of law entirely.
I have seen lawyers transition into human resources, real estate, and even winery management.
These moves often require a different approach to career development.
Rather than focusing primarily on your legal credentials, you need to demonstrate how your experience can help an organization solve business problems.
For example, an attorney interested in HR might emphasize employee relations, investigations, conflict resolution, and employment law knowledge.
You may also need to develop new experience, accept a different compensation structure, or invest time in building an entirely new professional network.
For a broader exploration of these possibilities, see my article on alternative careers for lawyers.
Which Path Out of Litigation Fits You?
Five quick questions. Get a starting point for your next move.
Bridge Jobs: How to Move Toward the Career You Want
Sometimes the most effective transition involves an intermediate step.
I call these bridge roles: positions that allow you to develop relevant experience, relationships, or skills while moving toward your longer-term goal.
For example, imagine you are a commercial litigator at a large firm who wants to transition into transactional work.
You may struggle to convince another large firm to hire you directly into a transactional associate position.
But what if you moved to a smaller firm where attorneys handle both litigation and transactional matters?
You could contribute immediately through your litigation experience while gradually developing transactional skills.
Over time, you might build enough experience to move into a primarily transactional role.
Other bridge strategies might include:
Litigation to in-house disputes to commercial counsel. Start by managing litigation and outside counsel, then seek opportunities to participate in contracts, risk management, and business advisory work.
Employment litigation to investigations to employment counseling. Build on your understanding of employment law while developing preventive advisory experience.
Litigation to research and writing. If you enjoy legal analysis but dislike court appearances, depositions, or client conflict, a research-and-writing position may provide a more satisfying way to use your existing skills.
Litigation to legal operations. Take on responsibility for workflow improvements, technology implementation, or practice management, then use that experience to pursue a more operational role.
Litigation to education or training. Look for opportunities to mentor junior attorneys, develop training materials, teach CLE programs, or participate in professional education while continuing to practice.
A bridge role can also give you the opportunity to test a new direction before making a more substantial commitment.
And not every attorney needs one.
Sometimes an employer is willing to hire someone directly into a new practice area because they recognize the person’s potential.
The important thing is to remain open to different routes rather than assuming there is only one acceptable next step.
How to Make Yourself a Credible Candidate for a Different Practice Area
When I work with attorneys considering a career transition, I encourage them to focus on three things: self-understanding, relationships, and building evidence of their interest and ability.
Start With Self-Understanding
Before you can convince an employer that a career transition makes sense, you need to understand why it makes sense for you.
What are your strengths? What types of work energize you? What environments allow you to do your best work?
Think beyond the technical skills you have developed as a litigator.
Perhaps you are particularly good at understanding people, simplifying complex problems, negotiating, organizing information, or building relationships.
Those strengths may point toward different opportunities.
The better you understand yourself, the more convincingly you can explain why you are pursuing a particular direction.
Learn the Language of Your Target Practice
If you want to transition into privacy, employment counseling, compliance, or transactional work, begin learning how attorneys in those fields describe what they do.
Read job descriptions. Attend relevant CLE programs. Join professional associations. Consider certifications where appropriate.
Look for opportunities to attend conferences or participate in discussions with practitioners.
You want to become familiar enough with the work that you can have an informed conversation about the challenges and responsibilities involved.
This also helps you determine whether the work genuinely interests you.
Build Relevant Experience Before You Need It
One of the best ways to improve your candidacy is to begin developing transferable experience while you are still employed.
If you want to move into employment counseling, ask whether you can assist with advisory matters.
If you are interested in transactional work, explore opportunities to help with agreements or related projects.
If you want to move into legal operations, consider taking responsibility for improving a process or implementing a new system.
You might also explore pro bono opportunities, volunteer work, or appropriate independent projects.
For example, an attorney interested in transactional work might help a friend who is starting a business with incorporation documents or a commercial agreement, provided the attorney is competent to perform the work and complies with applicable ethical and employment obligations.
These projects can provide practical experience that you can accurately describe on your resume.
Do not overlook the possibility of starting your own practice, even on a limited basis.
If your employer permits outside legal work and you can comply with applicable professional obligations, you might begin building a small portfolio of clients and matters in your desired practice area.
For some attorneys, opening a solo practice becomes the transition itself. For others, independent work can help develop experience that makes a future lateral move possible.
Before taking on outside matters, carefully consider conflicts of interest, competence, malpractice coverage, confidentiality, employment restrictions, and other applicable rules.
The objective is to develop real experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the work you want to do.
Translate Your Litigation Experience Into the Language of Your Target Role
Your resume needs to help an employer see the relevance of your experience.
For example, a litigator applying for an investigations position might emphasize having:
Conducted witness interviews and evaluated conflicting factual accounts.
Analyzed employment policies and assessed potential legal exposure.
Prepared findings and recommendations based on complex factual records.
An attorney interested in compliance might emphasize:
Evaluated regulatory requirements and identified potential areas of organizational risk.
Advised clients on legal exposure and strategies for mitigating liability.
Coordinated complex investigations involving multiple stakeholders.
These descriptions should accurately reflect work you have performed.
The point is to make your relevant experience visible to someone hiring for a different set of responsibilities.
Why Networking Can Be More Valuable Than Sending Another Resume
I cannot overstate the importance of relationships when changing practice areas.
When you apply for a job through a traditional posting, employers are usually comparing your qualifications against a list of requirements.
When someone gets to know you personally, they have an opportunity to evaluate qualities that are difficult to communicate on paper.
Your intellectual curiosity. Your judgment. Your work ethic. Your ability to learn. Your personality.
I saw this firsthand with an attorney who transitioned from insurance defense into entertainment transactional work.
The opportunity began with a conversation at a women’s lawyers association event.
That conversation led to coffee, which led to an invitation to an entertainment industry brunch.
At the brunch, she happened to sit next to someone whose department had an upcoming maternity-leave opening.
That connection ultimately created an opportunity for her to transition into the field.
She had been putting herself in environments where she could meet people doing the work she wanted to do. Each conversation created another possibility.
Where Should You Start?
Start with people you already know.
Reach out to former law school classmates, colleagues, friends, and alumni. Ask whether they know attorneys working in the practice areas you are considering.
You can also connect with attorneys on LinkedIn, particularly those who actively share information about their work.
If you enjoy meeting people in person, bar association events, professional conferences, and industry gatherings can be especially valuable.
The initial objective is to learn.
Ask attorneys what their work involves, what skills are important, and what they wish they had known before entering the field.
As you develop relationships, people may begin thinking of opportunities, introductions, or projects that could help you.
You do not need every person you meet to offer you a job.
Sometimes one introduction leads to another, and the opportunity appears several conversations later.
Should You Take a Pay Cut to Leave Litigation?
For some attorneys, compensation flexibility can make a career transition easier.
If you are moving into a field where you have limited experience, accepting a lower salary may be a reasonable short-term investment in your long-term career.
But remember that an employer still needs a business reason to hire you.
Offering to accept less money does not necessarily compensate for a significant experience gap.
I encourage attorneys to consider compensation in the context of their broader career goals.
What experience will this position allow you to develop? What opportunities might become available after a year or two? Will you enjoy the work more? Does the role move you closer to the career you want?
A temporary pay cut can be worthwhile if it opens a door that would otherwise remain closed.
Of course, you also need to consider your financial obligations and the possibility that the transition may take longer than expected.
The important thing is to evaluate the decision based on where you want to go, rather than assuming your next salary must always exceed your current one.
Stop Investing All Your Energy in a Career You Plan to Leave
There is one more obstacle I see frequently in my coaching practice, and it has very little to do with the legal job market.
Attorneys are often exceptionally good at doing what is expected of them.
They spent years being strong students, earning good grades, meeting deadlines, and demonstrating that they could handle increasingly difficult work.
Those habits can make them successful lawyers.
They can also make career transitions harder.
I work with attorneys who know they want to leave their current positions within the next year, yet continue pouring nearly all their time and energy into being exceptional employees.
They volunteer for additional assignments. They struggle to set boundaries. They feel guilty about disappointing their supervisors.
By the end of the workday, they have little energy left to research opportunities, develop relationships, or build the skills they need for their next chapter.
At some point, you may need to reconsider where you are investing your effort.
That might mean having a conversation with your supervisor about your workload, asking for more flexibility, or declining assignments that are not essential to your responsibilities.
It might mean accepting that you no longer need to be the highest-performing attorney on your team.
You can continue doing good work while making room to invest in your future.
For attorneys who have spent their lives striving to exceed expectations, that can be a surprisingly difficult adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Leaving Litigation
Can a litigator switch to transactional law?
Yes. However, moving directly from litigation into transactional practice can be challenging because employers often prefer attorneys with relevant drafting, negotiation, and deal experience.
Attorneys can improve their chances by developing transactional experience through their current firms, smaller mixed-practice firms, appropriate independent work, and professional relationships.
Is it too late to change practice areas after ten years?
No. I have seen attorneys with approximately ten years of litigation experience successfully transition into different practice areas.
The longer you have practiced, the more important it may be to demonstrate relevant skills, a thoughtful career direction, and a compelling reason for an employer to invest in your transition.
Can litigation experience help you get an in-house job?
Absolutely. Companies hire litigators to manage disputes, oversee outside counsel, conduct investigations, and advise on litigation risk.
These roles can also provide opportunities to develop broader business and transactional experience, although the ability to expand your responsibilities depends on the organization.
How can lawyers gain experience in a new practice area without quitting their jobs?
Attorneys can seek relevant assignments at their current firms, attend CLE programs, pursue certifications, join professional associations, participate in pro bono work, and develop relationships with practitioners in their target fields.
Where permitted and ethically appropriate, independent legal projects or a limited solo practice may also provide valuable experience.
Should you take a pay cut to leave litigation?
A temporary pay cut can be a reasonable investment if it opens a door that would otherwise remain closed. Employers still need a business reason to hire you, so accepting less money rarely compensates for a significant experience gap. Evaluate the decision based on the experience the role will give you and where it moves your career.
What is a bridge role for lawyers changing practice areas?
A bridge role is an intermediate position that lets you develop relevant experience, relationships, or skills while moving toward a longer-term goal. For example, a commercial litigator who wants transactional work might join a smaller firm where attorneys handle both litigation and transactional matters, contributing immediately while building deal experience.
What jobs can litigators do outside of practicing law?
Former litigators have moved into human resources, legal operations, real estate, and business roles, among others. These moves work best when the attorney shows how their experience in investigations, negotiation, conflict resolution, and risk assessment helps an organization solve business problems.
You Have to Start Investing in Where You Want to Go
One of the hardest parts of leaving litigation is accepting that the experience you have spent years developing may no longer align with the career you want.
You have invested time, energy, and considerable effort into becoming good at something. It is understandable that you might hesitate to begin again.
But the years you have spent practicing law have also taught you a great deal about yourself.
You have developed judgment, learned to navigate difficult situations, and discovered what kinds of work you enjoy and what kinds of work drain you.
You can use that knowledge to make a more intentional decision about what comes next.
I have seen attorneys successfully transition into entirely different practice areas, move into business roles, and build careers they never imagined when they graduated from law school.
Those transitions required action. They required attorneys to learn new skills, develop relationships, explore unfamiliar opportunities, and sometimes accept the discomfort of being a beginner again.
At some point, you have to start investing as much energy in the career you want to build as you have invested in the career you are preparing to leave.
And the sooner you begin making that investment, the more opportunities you can create for yourself.
Considering a transition out of litigation?
At Law Life Coach, I help attorneys understand their strengths, evaluate career options, and develop practical strategies for making a change.
My work as both a legal career coach and legal recruiter gives me insight into what attorneys want from their careers and what employers look for when hiring.
If you are ready to explore what comes next, learn more about my individual career coaching services.