Do You Get the Urge for Going, but Never Seem to Go?

“I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town. It hovered in a frozen sky, then it gobbled summer down. When the sun turns traitor cold … I get the urge for going, but I never seem to go.”

Joni Mitchell didn’t write these lines in her song, “Urge for Going ,” because she had lawyer friends who hated their jobs but never seemed to go for something better. But it could be an anthem for them, for unhappy people who want to make a change in their careers but who never seem to go.

Mitchell’s song, ostensibly about the coming of winter, is really about people who live unfulfilled lives because they don’t have the courage or the energy to change, while others get the urge for going, and they get the wings to go.

Many lawyers complain, at least to themselves, about the long hours, unappreciative clients, the tedium. the boredom, the poor quality of life, the nasty bosses and even nastier judges, and yet they endure.

“The warriors of winter, they gave a cold, triumphant shout. All that stays is dying, and all that lives in getting out.” They know there is a way out – they know of others who have left and found a new way — yet they endure.

“And bully winds came around, and push them face down in the snow.” Still they endure, face down in the snow, out of fear or laziness. There are many out there who do have the courage to face the unknown, to face their fears, and to find the energy it takes to make a change for the better in their lives. I am proud to have helped several thousand of them do so.

“I had a man in the summertime,” Mitchell writes, “but he got the urge for going and I had to let him go.”

I truly feel sorry for those who remain stuck and who have forfeited their lives. They follow the lyrics of the song. “Winter is closing in. I’ll ply the fire with kindling and pull the blankets to my chin. I’ll lock the vagrant winter out and bolt my wandering in.”

Some people bolt their wandering in. Others have the urge for going, and find the wings to go.

Which are you?

Thanks to Joni Mitchell and to Tom Rush, the foremost interpreter of this amazing song.

If you are an attorney and you’ve been thinking about exploring your career options and or discovering “what else is out there” for you, but are not sure how to even start the process, get in touch with our team today for a virtual cup of coffee. You will receive a confidential, no-cost consultation to discuss your situation and goals, and will also get expert advice on how to launch your job campaign.

The White-Collar Recession is Ending. Or is it?

A recent article by Chloe Berger in Forbes declared that “white-collar work is draped in …a dreary fog,” and it quoted Korn Ferry recruiter Mike Distefano who said, “change is afoot in the job market.”

It most certainly is.

Over the last several days, the stock market has been plunging, fears of recession are growing, and consumer confidence has been waning.

Forbes said the demand for middle- and top-third earners in 2023 dwindled to the lowest level in a decade. Worse, the article cited a report from Vanguard that said in 2024, hiring rates for those who make over $96,000 reached historic new lows.It is about to be getting worse.

The Forbes article noted that one-in-four people who lost their jobs last year were white collar professionals. It also said that “a whopping 40% of applicants said that they didn’t land a single job interview in all of 2024.”

Think about that. Qualified professionals who can’t even get an interview for a full year — in what was a pretty good economy. That is an amazing number. While thank goodness I can’t say this has happened to any of my clients, I have interviewed at least a few highly qualified attorneys who have gotten absolutely nowhere in their searches for a year or so.

One fellow – who used to make around $500,000 annually — told me he is thinking about selling his house and moving to a small apartment so that he can continue to make ends meet.

The fact is he is doing his job search in a traditional way. The traditional job search has gone the way of men’s white shoes and polyester leisure suits. Those days are gone. Over.

Winning a high-level job today requires a whole new approach, one using creativity, innovation, and yes, even daring. If your job search plan is to respond to classifieds, contact recruiters and network, your prognosis for success is very clouded.

While the Korn Ferry recruiter said there are signs that demand for white collar professionals may be awakening [Ed’s note: that was before this week’s economic news] , he warns it will still be challenging. He advises anybody, regardless of where they are in their careers, to stay one step ahead of the market, and to align their skills “to where the new jobs and demand might be. “

This, he noted, may be harder for those “already decades into their careers.” Indeed so. I work with clients from 35 to 65 (and up), who are well into their careers. Those over 40 face more challenges than their younger counterparts.

I agree with the Korn Ferry executive, but feel a key is developing skills that are not an extension to what you are currently doing (especially if the market is weak for your specialty) but instead are in areas that are more marketable in 2025. Figuring that out is another challenge, but one that is readily surmountable.

For example, if you are a litigator, but are good at training and developing younger attorneys, your skills in professional development may give you a plus in the marketplace. If you are successful in rainmaking, this talent may be more valuable in your quest for an in-house position than just your knowledge of the law.

The key to winning is to show employers you offer more bang for their buck than the people against whom you are competing. You need to establish your competitive edge

(For more on this topic, click here: https://www.careerstrategiesgroup.com/job-search-services/competitive-edge/. )

It is not your knowledge of the law that will get you your next job. Two things will do it. First, it is your knowledge of how to do a successful job search in 2025 — which is not necessarily how it was done in 2023 or 2024. Second, it is your ability to understand — and then to communicate – the skills that have made you good at what you do — that’s what you should be selling!

Do these two things and you will be a job search winner in 2025. If you need any help, get in touch!

[Author’s note: if you are facing a potential job loss, especially for civil service and JAG attorneys, I am preparing a free guide to how to get ready for a job campaign. I am not doing a slap-dash job but rather creating a document that will be insightful and helpful. To reserve your copy, email me at info@careerstrategiesgroup.com and put “Guide” in the subject line.]

If you want to read the Forbes article, here’s the link:https://fortune.com/2025/02/17/white-collar-recession-pummeling-office-workers-ending/

Take the Money. Then Run! Part 2

-My son, Harrison, during his graduation from Cornell.-

Since I gave up my national newspaper column with 3+million readers several decades ago, nothing has drawn the response that I have received from my article about my Ivy League son, Harrison, and why he should consider getting a JD along with his MBA.

Lawyers from top schools working at top firms can be making $500,000 by the time they are 30-31 years old. That’s a lot of money. But it raises a lot of problems for young lawyers who are able to get into the big leagues. The chief problem is staying there!

The gravy train runs on a very short track. The attrition rate at Big Law is about 20% per year (18% to 26% in the last few years). Some sage online said the half-life of a Big Law Associate is 3.1 years. That means many are counseled OUT by age 28-30. This is where the problem begins.

Most of these young lawyers are not going to be able to lateral to another Big Law firm. Skadden is not going to hire a young reject from Cravath. The best a youthful, laid-off lawyer can expect is that their firm will hook them up with one of its clients as a junior in-house counsel, or they will find a job with a smaller, much less prestigious law firm. Either way, they are facing a salary cut of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money they will never see again.

The truth is that these disenfranchised ex-Big Law Junior and Midlevel Associates ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY THEY WERE BEING PAID.

The law firms know this –they are buying talent for its future potential and what it may become over time. And just like the NY Giants $140 million investment in Daniel Jones, sometimes a promising prospect comes up short.

These 20-something lawyers don’t know diddle-squat yet – they haven’t yet had the opportunity to handle complex, meaty cases. When it comes to law, they couldn’t shine the shoes of most of my clients, who are talented, experienced lawyers in their 40s, 50s and 60s from solo to mid-size law firm practices who are making less than a first- or second year Big Law associate.

I feel sorry for the young lawyers who lose their jobs. For many, it’s the first time they have failed. They did great on their SATs, were magna cum laude at their Top 20 colleges, aced the LSATs, went to T14 Law Schools, made Law Review, and were hired by premier global law firms. Then the boom is lowered and they are in deep feces. And deep debt.

They could have college and law school loan payments of more than $2,000 per month. They are often living in apartments that are running $2,500 a month. Their Ferragamo shoes are $1,400 per pair. Membership at the Racquet Club is $300 per month. I don’t blame them if they are spending their money this way – hell, if I were 29 again and making a mint, I am not sure if I’d have the discipline to put it into a 401K and not into an M4. (Actually, I would have the discipline, but I was boring when I was that young).

One of these young ex-Big Law kids sought out my help after he lost his job. At the time, he was making around $400,000. After a few conversations, I did not accept him as a client because it became clear that he did not have any marketable talent. He told me no employers would even look at him, and he was selling his vintage Jaguar convertible to be able to pay his rent. I wanted to help him, but I don’t accept cases where I feel we can’t win. I have to believe my clients can bring significant value to an employer or I don’t take their cases. The guy ultimately found a job at an upscale coffee shop in Scarsdale.

Some young Associates make it through the Junior and Midlevel ranks and get into Year 6. I think my son Harrison could make it. But my advice to him was that as a 6th year, he should quit Big Law and get a life. I said he should either go in-house or focus on the business side of his education, and use his MBA.

Why this advice? I will address Life in Big Law in an upcoming edition. Stay tuned.

If you are an attorney and you’ve been thinking about exploring your career options and or discovering “what else is out there” for you, but are not sure how to even start the process, get in touch with our team today for a virtual cup of coffee. You will receive a confidential, no-cost consultation to discuss your situation and goals, and will also get expert advice on how to launch your job campaign.

Take the money. Then run! Part 1

My younger son is a pretty smart kid. He had a 3.97 as an Economics Major at Cornell. He is now in his first year at bank and is earning six figures plus a signing bonus. He’s 22 years old. In our discussions about his future, we talked about his getting an MBA, a credential that is normal for his career track. But we also talked about going for a combined MBA/JD.

This is perhaps the first time since I started counseling unhappy lawyers 30 years ago that I recommended someone consider becoming a lawyer. What has changed? I am almost ashamed of myself for what I am going to say, but it’s the truth:

It’s about the money.

First year attorneys in Big Law are starting at $225,000, with a $20,000 annual bonus and this year, an additional $6,000 bonus. That’s $251,000 for a kid 25- or 26- years old. By the time they reach age 30-31, at today’s rates they would be earning $455,000, or $480,000 with this year’s special bonus.

Imagine being 30-years-old and making almost a half-million dollars a year? Most of my clients don’t come anywhere near that figure after 30 years in the profession! Of course, this remuneration is only for the crème de la crème, the ones who graduate from the Top 14 law schools, and opt for careers in Big Law. But for young people like my son, this could happen.

I know what young lawyers have to go through for a career in a top-flight law firm. I know about the 70- and 80-hour weeks. I know about drudgery. The boredom. The cut-throat atmosphere. The demanding, belittling partners. The ungrateful clients. The complete lack of a personal life. The near-impossibility of having a relationship. I know about all of that. I have heard these stories from young lawyers time and time again.

But to be able to earn $1.7 million in 5 years? $2.26 million after 6 years? As a Dad, I’d have to counsel my son, “Suck it up, dude. Get the money.” I would also tell him that after 6 years, he should then, “Quit and go in-house or into business.”

It’s not a coincidence that while most of the lawyers who contact me for advice are well into middle age, there is also a big spike on the graph of callers aged 31. The sixth-year associates. The ones who want to have a life.

We will have more on this topic in the coming weeks.

Happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year to all of my readers!

Bruce

If you are an attorney and you’ve been thinking about exploring your career options and or discovering “what else is out there” for you, but are not sure how to even start the process, get in touch with our team today for a virtual cup of coffee. You will receive a confidential, no-cost consultation to discuss your situation and goals, and will also get expert advice on how to launch your job campaign.

DOGE’d GOVERNMENT LAWYERS & EXECUTIVES … Unjustly Facing a Challenging Future

[Author’s note: if you are a civil service attorney or executive, please see the special offer at the end of this article. Also, this is a Special Edition. We will be resuming our regular alternate Thursday schedule starting March 6]

The way the hatchet has fallen on tens of thousands of civil servants since the Trump inauguration is unconscionable. Families are now suddenly facing wrenching hardships, and the civil service professionals whose careers have come to screeching halts must now deal with some daunting challenges for which many are ill-prepared.

What kind of job can you get if you have spent 10 years as a lawyer for a regulatory agency like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when Washington has decided there is no longer a need for financial regulations? What kind of job can you get as a civil rights attorney for the Department of Education when protecting civil rights is no longer a government priority and when the private sector is being (strongly) encouraged to disband its DEI programs?

A traditional path for civil service professionals when changing jobs is to link up with another federal agency or contractor. That strategy isn’t going to work today – no one knows how many more government agencies will be shut down or hacked to bits in the coming weeks. While there will certainly be opportunities for some terminated civil servants, they won’t be easy to find.

As of Feb. 20, according to the Office of Personnel Management, about 75,000 federal positions are facing elimination due to the DOGE buyout offer. OPM – which has terminated its own probationary employees — also reports that 220,000 other federal probationary employees (less than 1 or 2 years on the job) are facing the axe.

That’s almost 300,000 federal jobs that are disappearing, not including cuts at the Pentagon. And not all of the people being terminated are probationary – the USAID has been shuttered and some 10,000 staffers are now jobless. The IRS is expected to lay off thousands more workers – certainly PWC and Deloitte are not going to absorb them all!

The surfeit of experienced civil service professionals who have been let go for no reason is going to make the competition more intense than ever for other federal government jobs. Let’s face it, the Trump-Musk machine wants to dismantle the civil service, so they won’t be creating many new jobs. Not in Washington. Not anywhere. Beating the competition and winning one of those few available civil service jobs is going to be a challenge.

On a broader scale, the District of Columbia region is going to be awash with white collar job seekers, many of whom are lawyers and executives. Career change – wanted or otherwise — is a subject on the minds of many of them. Since a transition into another civil service position is less likely than in the past, a career change of a greater or lesser magnitude is to be expected for most ex-government workers.

This will not be an easy process, which is why I am here in the first place. I have been guiding white collar professionals through complex career changes and job searches for 20+ years. There may be some opportunities on the state, county, city and town government levels. Even the non-profit and academic sectors may have some spots.

The private sector can be viable, especially for former government regulators who can move to the other side, and help the regulated. How much of a market there will be in this space is uncertain, as it is expected that many current regulations are going to be eliminated – and along with them, the need for compliance counsel. Nonetheless, the private sector is going to be the best bet for many discharged government attorneys and executives.

But there is another problem here: The perception of government workers. Public sector workers are often portrayed as lazy, incompetent and even evil, according to a Department of Justice Programs study.

Recent studies say civil servants are seen as “inflexible, boring, lazy, and go home on time.” This is complete bull poop. I have had the privilege of working as a career mentor to many, many public sector lawyers and executives. As a group, I have found them to be among the brightest and most dedicated, conscientious clients I have ever served. They take their work seriously and are there – often at great economic sacrifice – to help others, serve their communities, and to try to make the country better.

But the negative perception is real.

I experienced it myself early in my career when I was trying to make the transition from being an aide to the US Congressman to getting a job in the private sector. I thought the fact that I was working on legislation, researching complex issues, solving all sorts of problems for constituents, writing speeches and position papers – all of this – would result in the corporate world greeting me with open arms. Boy, was I wrong.

I had to fight my way past many misperceptions about government workers – the concerns mentioned above and more! – until I was able to get a private sector job. To this day, I remember my colleagues both in DC and in the District Office, as being among the smartest, hardest- working and dedicated people I have ever worked with. I felt honored to be working with them.

Fast forward a few decades-plus. Today, I am currently the part-time Executive Director of a state-funded consumer advocacy NGO. My personal practice, Career Strategies Group, has been very good to me, so my work as a contractor with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is my way of giving back and helping others. Once again, I have found the state government professionals with whom I work to be an extraordinarily talented, caring and hard-working group of individuals.

The Special Offer: I am offering a free guide specifically for Trump-Musk civil service victims to help them get started on their job searches, and to deal with some of the stresses of a sudden and undeserved job loss. This not something I will be putting together in a slap-dash manner – I am going to prepare something useful, thoughtful and original. It will take time to complete, but if you would like to reserve a copy, please email me with the word “Guide” in the subject line. I will also make myself available for a no-cost 30-minute consultation to discuss your job search questions.

If you are an attorney and you’ve been thinking about exploring your career options and or discovering “what else is out there” for you, but are not sure how to even start the process, get in touch with our team today for a virtual cup of coffee. You will receive a confidential, no-cost consultation to discuss your situation and goals, and will also get expert advice on how to launch your job campaign.

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