48 min
Jessica Medina leaves 14 years of law practice behind to pursue financial coaching The Lawyer's Escape Pod
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- Careers
Jessica Medina is a former big law litigator and SEC investigator who now runs her own financial coaching business. She helps big law attorneys who need a financial plan in place to allow them the freedom to explore new career options. Basically - she helps people avoid or remove those pesky golden handcuffs so many of us get caught in. Jessica tells us about her own journey of 14 years in practice, 5 and 10 year financial plans, and finding the right fit for her next career move. I think her story is very relatable in that she identifies herself as a risk-averse person. But, just because you value security or your timeline may be a bit longer does not mean you can’t be making a plan to open up options for your future self.
In today’s episode we discuss:
How a big firm career seemed like the only responsible option right out of law school as a single mother of twins
It’s great if a firm supports parents with free, onsite childcare, but there are still always challenges of balancing work and family time
When faced with the possibility of partnership, Jessica was forced to admit to herself that she didn’t want to continue down that road
Working for the SEC was a big improvement in terms of work/life balance, but also made it clear that practicing law was not Jessica’s forever dream
It’s hard to decide what to do when you’ve spent your whole life chasing one career path
In thinking through possible alternative careers, intuition told her that financial counseling (a “fun” hobby for her) felt right and aligned
It was hard to walk away from practice - both for prestige and financial security
Jessica did this on her own timeline, one that made sense to her
Entrepreneurship works different muscles, but you can learn new skills
Jessica now helps big law associates who are both “underwhelmed and overwhelmed” by their situation
Having a financial plan in order allows you to think more broadly about new career path options
Talk to people outside of your immediate work environment; include non-lawyers in your friend group
Competitive karaoke singers remind you that life doesn’t all have to be so serious
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelawyersescapepod/
Website: www.thelawyersescapepod.com
Guest Website: https://www.jessicamedinallc.com/
Jessica Medina is a former big law litigator and SEC investigator who now runs her own financial coaching business. She helps big law attorneys who need a financial plan in place to allow them the freedom to explore new career options. Basically - she helps people avoid or remove those pesky golden handcuffs so many of us get caught in. Jessica tells us about her own journey of 14 years in practice, 5 and 10 year financial plans, and finding the right fit for her next career move. I think her story is very relatable in that she identifies herself as a risk-averse person. But, just because you value security or your timeline may be a bit longer does not mean you can’t be making a plan to open up options for your future self.
In today’s episode we discuss:
How a big firm career seemed like the only responsible option right out of law school as a single mother of twins
It’s great if a firm supports parents with free, onsite childcare, but there are still always challenges of balancing work and family time
When faced with the possibility of partnership, Jessica was forced to admit to herself that she didn’t want to continue down that road
Working for the SEC was a big improvement in terms of work/life balance, but also made it clear that practicing law was not Jessica’s forever dream
It’s hard to decide what to do when you’ve spent your whole life chasing one career path
In thinking through possible alternative careers, intuition told her that financial counseling (a “fun” hobby for her) felt right and aligned
It was hard to walk away from practice - both for prestige and financial security
Jessica did this on her own timeline, one that made sense to her
Entrepreneurship works different muscles, but you can learn new skills
Jessica now helps big law associates who are both “underwhelmed and overwhelmed” by their situation
Having a financial plan in order allows you to think more broadly about new career path options
Talk to people outside of your immediate work environment; include non-lawyers in your friend group
Competitive karaoke singers remind you that life doesn’t all have to be so serious
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelawyersescapepod/
Website: www.thelawyersescapepod.com
Guest Website: https://www.jessicamedinallc.com/
48 min