It’s not uncommon for people to switch careers throughout their lives, but making the decision to go to law school after starting your career in another field can be daunting. While many lawyers have taken a more linear route by attending law school after obtaining an undergraduate or graduate-level degree, those who enter the legal field later in their professional careers can also bring expansive value.
At Butler Snow, our attorneys bring diverse skill sets that not only elevate the work they do in their respective legal specialties but also provide expanded service to our clients. This blog post will explore experiences from three Butler Snow attorneys and discuss their perspectives on pivoting from previous career paths to becoming a lawyer, as well as key learnings from their journeys.
A Look Inside: Where Were They Before?
Butler Snow attorney Laura D. Heusel has been with the firm since 2017, working in the firm’s Environmental Law group. Before turning her expertise and attention to law, Laura worked as an environmental engineer in the public and private sectors.
Jennifer A. Svilar is a member of the Data Privacy Team and Commercial Litigation group. Prior to joining Butler Snow, Jen served as a Signals Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Army and held many roles, including Deputy Division Chief with the National Security Agency (NSA).
Last but certainly not least, Keith C. Mier, an attorney in the firm’s Labor and Employment group shares his insights. Keith proudly served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy and ultimately retired in 2012 to pursue work as a consultant in Human Resources and Labor Relations.
Navigating a Career Pivot into the Legal Field
In any career path, there can be moments of stagnation or plateaus that can sometimes signal a need for change – whether that is a complete career shift or just a new direction in the same field. “The need for inspiration, a new challenge and feeding a passion for learning can be reason enough to explore a new path,” notes Jen Svilar when reflecting on her decision to leave her public sector career and pursue law school. She continues, “There was a moment when I felt like I wasn’t being challenged any longer, and I decided I wanted to learn something new.” Svilar now focuses on data security and privacy, which her career in the NSA helped inspire.
Jen says, “I was very familiar with research, analysis and writing before starting law school, and those skills have definitely helped me be successful in my law career. It’s always good to push yourself to grow, and my second career in the legal field has allowed me to do that and so much more.”
Many attorneys note how important it is to have people around who can guide you through tough moments in your professional and personal life. Keith Mier describes advice that important mentors have given him along the way that impacted his decisions to take risks. He says, “Attorneys ‘practice’ law, meaning it is a profession that requires continued learning and that’s exactly what I was seeking when I decided to pursue this career.”
Jen adds to the importance of seeking advice from mentors when pivoting noting, “I was lucky enough to have a mentor who had also previously entered the legal field as a second career, and they provided me with a lot of support and motivation during the transition from law school to law firm life.” Navigating a complete career change can be daunting but having people who encourage taking the risk is an important pillar to the process.
Environmental attorney Laura Heusel remembers, “My mentors gave me the courage to get started and helped me get through the tough times when I questioned why I subjected myself to the pressure of law school after a 15-year engineering career.”
Learnings & Takeaways
Taking a chance on a second career provides a great opportunity to further advance a skill set and stay curious. Keith says, “There is so much to learn to become and remain a competent attorney that the learning mode is always on, and will remain on, for my entire legal career.” He continues, “My move toward becoming an attorney was jump-started by my role as a consultant. I had many clients that needed to avail themselves of the legal system, which required me to work with attorneys. This helped me decide to better serve my clients through handling issues in the courts first-hand.”
Laura feels that the timing of her career move and ultimately working for Butler Snow played a vital role in her success and fulfillment in this field. She notes, “I went to law school at the right time and when I had the motivation and support system in place. I don’t think I would have done as well as I did or ended up with a firm and work that I love if I had gone to law school straight out of college.”
While pursuing a new career path can be challenging, most attorneys note that they ended up in the right place at the right time. Jen shares that sentiment noting, “Despite tough experiences throughout the journey, it’s important that you never settle and always push yourself to learn and experience new things.” All three attorneys concluded that they are grateful for the journey and feel joy in helping others navigate similar paths.
These talented attorneys seemed to all agree on one thing: It’s worth the wait. Their experiences prior to being an attorney helped each of them further their expertise and bring a unique skillset to the table.
