You Are A Lawyer: Take Risks and Change Careers in Law

Kyla Denanyoh
  • 5.0 (26)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Are you an ambitious lawyer who feels limited in life? A law student who daydreams about impacting the world? Did you struggle with the bar exam? Are you bored working as a lawyer? You Are A Lawyer is an interview-based podcast that promotes lawyers with fearless career changes, ambitious side hustles, and extraordinary lives. On this top-rated podcast, Kyla talks to law school graduates, attorneys, and lawyers about the risks they've taken, the joys (and challenges) of law school, and their transitions out of legal careers. You Are A Lawyer will motivate you to start that business, unpack some drama from law school, consider a nontraditional career, and push you to embrace the hobby you’ve been hiding. There are so many ways to use your law degree. Whether you’re working as an artist, tech investor, coach, or blogger, if you’ve graduated from law school, YOU ARE A LAWYER, and your law degree is valuable. Find more episodes and resources at www.youarealawyer.com. Contact Kyla with any questions: kyla@youarealawyer.com.

  1. Finding Your Niche in Legal Operations with SeNita McRae (October 2022)

    3D AGO

    Finding Your Niche in Legal Operations with SeNita McRae (October 2022)

    SeNita McRae is a legal operations professional with a background in broadcast journalism, public administration, and law. In this episode, SeNita shares how she built a thriving career in eDiscovery and legal operations, why passing the bar was not required for her success, and how every degree she earned eventually fit together. What Can You Do with a Law Degree After law school, SeNita’s career took an unexpected turn into eDiscovery and legal operations. Starting as a project attorney in document review, she gradually moved into litigation support, preservation coordination, and eventually legal operations roles embedded within large corporate environments. “This is an industry that I would stay in," explains SeNita McRae, on this episode of You Are a Lawyer.Her legal training allowed her to translate complex technical concepts for attorneys while also working directly with vendors and internal teams. SeNita’s experience shows how a JD can be a powerful credential even without bar licensure, particularly in operational, technology driven legal roles. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    37 min
  2. Building a Values Aligned Legal Career with John Lopez

    FEB 12

    Building a Values Aligned Legal Career with John Lopez

    John Lopez is the Legal Director of the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project, where he supports children charged as adults across Pennsylvania. In this episode, John shares how combining law and social work allowed him to practice in alignment with his values, and why treating people as people is central to meaningful legal advocacy. Lawyer Side Hustles Outside of his legal role, John co-founded a nonprofit called Toolshed Boxing with his sister, providing trauma-informed boxing and yoga programs for kids in the Lehigh Valley. While the programs involve physical movement, the real focus is connection, mindfulness, and helping young people feel safe in their bodies. “The real transformative thing is the relationship,” John Lopez expresses in Episode 231 of You Are a Lawyer.Through both his legal and community work, John demonstrates that advocacy can take many forms. Whether in courtrooms, classrooms, or parks, his work centers on presence, care, and helping people reconnect with themselves. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    23 min
  3. When Being a Lawyer No Longer Fits with Casey Berman

    FEB 5

    When Being a Lawyer No Longer Fits with Casey Berman

    Casey Berman is the founder of Leave Law Behind and a former in-house lawyer who helps attorneys transition into careers that better align with their skills, values, and lives. In this episode, Casey shares how he left traditional legal practice, built a remote business from Hawaii, and helps lawyers rethink identity, risk, and what fulfillment can look like after law. Lawyer Side Hustles Casey began Leave Law Behind in 2008 by writing online about his own experience leaving law. What started as a personal, cathartic project eventually gained traction as lawyers around the world resonated with his story and reached out for support. “People started reaching out and saying, can you help me and I will pay you for your time,” Casey Berman expresses in Episode 230 of You Are a Lawyer.Today, Leave Law Behind is a robust platform offering resources, coaching, and guidance to lawyers exploring new paths. Casey’s work reflects how side projects, creativity, and experimentation can grow into meaningful careers, especially when lawyers allow themselves to try something new without attaching to a specific outcome. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    31 min
  4. What Justice Looks Like When You Start With People feat. Bianca Van Heydoorn

    JAN 29

    What Justice Looks Like When You Start With People feat. Bianca Van Heydoorn

    Bianca Van Heydoorn is the Executive Director of the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project in Philadelphia. In this episode, Bianca shares how criminal sociology, reentry work, and lived experience shaped her leadership, and why meaningful justice work starts with proximity, dignity, and seeing young people as children first. Lawyer Side Hustles and Parallel Work While Bianca is not a lawyer, her work runs parallel to legal advocacy. She leads an organization committed to holistic legal support, positive youth development, and adolescent brain science, while also building sustainable infrastructure so the work can continue long term. “We should not be living to work but work should be an adjunct to our life,” Bianca Van Heydoorn expresses in Episode 229 of You Are a Lawyer.Bianca is also deeply intentional about leadership succession. She is actively working to prepare YSRP for a future executive director with lived experience of incarceration, reflecting her commitment to stewardship, shared power, and building institutions that last beyond any one leader. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    24 min
  5. A Law Degree That Travels With You with Michelle Words (October 2021)

    JAN 22

    A Law Degree That Travels With You with Michelle Words (October 2021)

    Michelle Words is a business law professor and licensed attorney who has spent the last seven years living and teaching abroad in the Middle East. In this episode, Michelle shares how her law degree became a tool for freedom, travel, and reinvention, and why choosing the life you actually want matters more than following a traditional legal script. Lawyer Side Hustles Michelle’s life abroad grew out of a moment of reflection and loss. After being laid off from her corporate role and losing a close friend from law school unexpectedly, she reevaluated what she wanted from life. Travel, time, and freedom rose to the top, leading her to pursue teaching opportunities overseas. “Life is too short and you need to do what it is that you enjoy,” shares Michelle Words in Episode 35 of You Are a Lawyer.In addition to teaching, Michelle hosts the Flipping the Script podcast, where she helps women navigate change and embrace new chapters. Through podcasting, mentorship, and future plans to support women of color living abroad, her work continues to center empowerment, self authorship, and the courage to rewrite your own story. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    34 min
  6. Soft Skills Every Lawyer Needs with David Sclar

    JAN 15

    Soft Skills Every Lawyer Needs with David Sclar

    David Sclar is a technology lawyer and the author of Workplace Strategies for Technology Lawyers. In this episode, David explains why soft skills are essential for modern legal careers, how he found his place in law after early uncertainty, and what lawyers can do to build careers that align with how they actually work. Lawyer Side Hustles David’s book grew out of real-world experience rather than personal branding. While working at a startup, he began documenting lessons learned from chaos, growth, and leadership. Over time, those notes became a concise resource designed to help lawyers work better with clients and colleagues. “I wanted to make this book as efficient as possible in giving people practical, useful information,” David Sclar expresses in Episode 227 of You Are a Lawyer.In addition to writing, David spends time mentoring and advising early-career lawyers. His work outside traditional legal practice focuses on helping others navigate uncertainty, find mentorship, and build careers that feel sustainable rather than performative. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    27 min
  7. When Advocacy Becomes the Career with Mary Ellen O'Connor

    JAN 8

    When Advocacy Becomes the Career with Mary Ellen O'Connor

    Mary Ellen O’Connor is a New York law firm owner who practices workers’ compensation and Social Security disability law. In this episode, Mary Ellen shares how she moved from teaching to law, built a firm rooted in advocacy and empathy, and created a legal career that supports both families and real impact. Lawyer Side Hustles In addition to running her firm, Mary Ellen has intentionally built a workplace culture that reflects her values. She leads a team of attorneys and staff with flexibility, empathy, and realism, offering split shifts, family-friendly policies, and an environment where people are treated as humans first. “We should not be living to work, but work should be an adjunct to our life,” Mary Ellen O'Connor expresses in Episode 226 of You Are a Lawyer.Rather than a traditional side hustle, Mary Ellen’s parallel work shows up in leadership and mentorship. She models what it looks like to build a legal business that prioritizes sustainability, inclusion, and respect, proving that success in law doesn’t have to come at the expense of family, health, or humanity. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    25 min
  8. Choosing a Different Kind of Legal Career with Akshay Verma

    JAN 1

    Choosing a Different Kind of Legal Career with Akshay Verma

    Akshay Verma is the Chief Operating Officer at SpotDraft and a former environmental lawyer whose career spans law firms, legal operations, and executive leadership in tech. In this episode, Akshay shares what it felt like to leave firm life, take a financial risk for his family, and build a career that better aligned with how he wanted to live and work. Lawyer Side Hustles Alongside his executive career, Akshay has become deeply involved in teaching and mentorship. He teaches at Santa Clara Law University and regularly speaks to law students and early-career lawyers about the evolving nature of the legal profession. These roles allow him to reflect on how dramatically the landscape has changed since he graduated and to help students see opportunities that didn’t exist when he was in their position. “The world is literally your oyster right now,” Akshay Verma expresses in Episode 225 of You Are a Lawyer.While Akshay doesn’t frame this work as a traditional side hustle, it reflects a meaningful extension of his professional identity. Through teaching and public speaking, he contributes to reshaping how lawyers think about success, fulfillment, and career flexibility. His work outside his day job reinforces the idea that a legal career can be expansive, iterative, and deeply personal, not just confined to a single title or track. This episode is produced by Skip the Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives.

    30 min
See All (241)

Trailer

5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

Are you an ambitious lawyer who feels limited in life? A law student who daydreams about impacting the world? Did you struggle with the bar exam? Are you bored working as a lawyer? You Are A Lawyer is an interview-based podcast that promotes lawyers with fearless career changes, ambitious side hustles, and extraordinary lives. On this top-rated podcast, Kyla talks to law school graduates, attorneys, and lawyers about the risks they've taken, the joys (and challenges) of law school, and their transitions out of legal careers. You Are A Lawyer will motivate you to start that business, unpack some drama from law school, consider a nontraditional career, and push you to embrace the hobby you’ve been hiding. There are so many ways to use your law degree. Whether you’re working as an artist, tech investor, coach, or blogger, if you’ve graduated from law school, YOU ARE A LAWYER, and your law degree is valuable. Find more episodes and resources at www.youarealawyer.com. Contact Kyla with any questions: kyla@youarealawyer.com.

Information