Legal Life Coach?

June 4, 2014 9:59 PM

Lawyers of Metafilter: I'm looking for recommendations for a legal life coach. I am in a professional and confidence rut right now in my lawyer life and I thinka lawyer life coach might be able help me. Have you used one or know someone who has? Throwaway email: [e-mail].
posted by anonymous to Work & Money (9 answers total)

I misunderstood your question on first read, but it sounds like you are a lawyer and looking for someone to help you out of your "professional and confidence rut". A life coach or therapist would not necessarily have to specialise in lawyers to be able to help you out (though in a lot of jurisdictions life coaching is unregulated, so be careful to get someone with suitable qualifications and experience). There are also "executive coaches" who come at things from a more corporate angle. However, if you feel it needs to be a lawyer, maybe you are really looking for a mentor (someone senior to you, but not your boss, who can encourage you and help you develop as a professional)? I wonder if your local organisation of legal professionals might have some advice about how to find such a person?
posted by Cheese Monster at 12:44 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

I agree with cheese monster--you probably don't need a coach who is involved with or specializes in the law. I used a coach when I was thinking about leaving big firm life, and I found it helpful. He gave me a framework in which to assess where I felt my strengths lay and what I would be looking for in a new situation. Two years in at my in house job, and it's been really great.

Good luck.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:37 AM on June 5, 2014

There are therapists who specialize in professional development (I may be using the wrong buzzword). I don't know about one for lawyers specifically, but that is what I would be looking for as opposed to a life coach who I would never consider unless I had a personal recommendation. I know a non-lawyer, but high level executive who went to one to deal with intense political pressures at work and found it hugely helpful.
posted by whoaali at 6:04 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Your local bar association may have contracted with therapists who are or specialize in law-career issues. Years ago, the Oregon State Bar ran an excellent program like this.
posted by mmiddle at 6:18 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

There is a lawyer-turned-therapist who writes an interesting blog here, and has a website for his therapy practice here. It says on his practice website that he'll do Skype or other videochat sessions for people who don't live near him.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 6:29 AM on June 5, 2014 [2 favorites]

They're coming soon, but these lime retreats look like they'd a good fit as a boost for you.
posted by moogs at 8:06 AM on June 5, 2014

Have you read The People's Therapist? He is a former biglaw attorney who now gives therapy, primarily to practicing attorneys.
posted by J. Wilson at 10:06 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

The Oregon bar has a program for that: the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program. Maybe your state or local bar association has something similar. You might also have luck picking up the scent by contacting The Other Bar, an organization for attorneys with "substance abuse" problems. (Obviously, you didn't mention substance abuse, but I think that organization would have information to get you closer to the type of person you're actually looking for.)
posted by spacewrench at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2014

Executive coaching, mentoring and therapy are all seem similar in some aspects however they have completely different desired outcomes.

Executive coaching is usually for a limited engagement and designed to help with a specific problem or issue and work through this or establish a managerial tool set for the executive to use in the future. Sometimes these engagments can go for longer periods to deal with highly charged political environments and working within dificult or intricate hierarchies.

Mentoring is typically as Cheese Monster noted, a senior person in the field assisting a younger/new entrant professional in establishing themselves and navigating the do's and dont's in the area of expertise. They can also bring the person along as they rise to prominence.

Therapy addresses psychological issues. The therapist and the client/patient work together to understand these issues and find solutions to address them.

Coaching, particularly executive/life coaching has a rather loose accreditation process. It is very much caveat emptor. The field is wide-open for many entrants with dubious credentials. Choose wisely and check references. Ask for recommendations from colleagues who have worked with and recommended their executive coach.

It sounds like you are in need of an executive coach for a limited engagement to help re-establish your professional prescence, create a framework for dealing with difficult people to ultimately have this better tool set for professional issues you'll likely encounter in the future. And maybe even a happier personal life too!
posted by vonstadler at 12:12 PM on June 5, 2014