Attorney Happiness and the Pursuit of a Job

           There is a great deal of attention in the legal press lately about lawyers finding happiness and job satisfaction.  The timing is somewhat odd, since the market is so full of attorneys just trying to find work-any work--and new law grads attempting to grab their first law job.   The ABA Journal published an article about  the observations of positive psychology expert Dan Bowling,(who happens to also be an attorney) suggesting that making a lot of money in the profession does not equate to job satisfaction.  

            "Indeed, Bowling says, a lot of evidence suggests that the least happy lawyers are associates in big law firms making a lot of money, although there's no 'gold standard' study of the issue .Bowling believes that the law students with the best sense of well-being understand their own personalities and character strengths and pursue careers that will tap those strengths."

             The Journal  goes on to report that Bowling will conduct a three-year study  investigating the relationship between students' strengths and careers, in order to help them make job choices that better reflect their individual personalities.  He won't be the first researcher to focus on lawyer happiness.  University of Pennsylvania Professor, Dr. Martin Seligman's studies found a correlation between pessimism and success in law school.   But  to recent grads and those looking for a job in law, let's focus on happiness in positions beyond the traditional career path.

             In the New York Law Journal,  author Katherine Frink-Hamlett suggests three possible alternate career fields for recent law grads who don't want to or haven't had success seeking associate positions in BigLaw.  She encourages looking beyond traditional practice while developing skills that could help later if working in a firm suddenly becomes your heart's desire.  Frink-Hamlett  recommends the fields of  procurement because of the emphasis on contracts;  compliance, due to the focus on state and federal regulations, and Law Firm Administration.  Lexis Hub contributor Clarissa Freemen recently blogged about   non-traditional legal careers  and the transferable skills attorneys acquire in those jobs.  You might also appreciate the insights of Public Interest Law Initiative Director Mike Bergmann  on alternate careers in Public Service.   Probably the best advice in the current job market  comes from Frink-Hamlett as quoted  in the New York Law Journal,   "Stay flexible in your approach, be willing to look beyond the obvious, and just hang in there. There's a place for you; it's just a matter of time."