Thanks very much to the LLB reader who sent in the recent New York Times article about “career associatesâ€: full fledged lawyers, who do full fledged lawyer work . . . but are excluded from the partner track, have reduced salaries (while working less hours.) This new tier of employees enables law firms to keep talented people on board while cutting costs.
What a perfect (and ironic) opportunity – having your “leave the law†plan actually funded by your law firm:  Make money, still pay the bills, spend more time with the family, spend more time planning your new business or venture.Â
Of course, one must first battle with the inevitable sabotage (a demotion will harm my career trajectory, my friends, family and colleagues will point and laugh, I can’t look at myself in the mirror, there is nothing else I can really do).Â
But once one realizes that there are other ways to satisfy one’s self worth, this is a golden opportunity to leave the law behind.
Go ahead, get demoted.