Early in practice, I struggled with the fear and uncertainty that comes with doing complex work before you feel equipped to do it. I seriously considered leaving. Instead, I stayed, learned to navigate the parts of the job that had once felt overwhelming, and eventually became much more confident in my ability to handle uncertainty, risk, and unfamiliar problems.

As a fourth-year associate, I lateraled to the New York Tax Practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. I was later promoted to Partner, and a couple years later, I relocated to Dallas.

By then, another part of my career had become increasingly important to me.

The work I kept coming back to

Throughout my legal career, I gravitated toward teaching, mentoring, and helping other lawyers make sense of environments that can otherwise feel unnecessarily mysterious.

I helped junior and lateral associates acclimate to their firms, designed and taught continuing legal education programs, participated in recruiting and summer-program initiatives, and spent a great deal of time thinking about how lawyers learn, communicate, manage other people, and develop professionally.

I spent years exploring what might come next rather than expecting myself to identify the answer all at once. I considered different legal and nonlegal paths, took classes, experimented, talked with people in my network, and paid attention to the kind of work I found myself doing because I genuinely enjoyed it.

Eventually, the pieces fit together.

I left legal practice and founded The Sanity Plea, where I now work as a coach and strategist with lawyers, law firms, and other professionals, and as a speaker and educator.

I didn't find my path as a coach despite my time in Biglaw. I found my path because of it.

What I do now

Today, my work sits at the intersection of coaching and strategy.

I work with lawyers at various career stages, as well as with law firms, schools, and other organizations.

My work includes individual coaching, workshops and training programs, speaking engagements, and educational resources.

I bring two different kinds of experience to that work: years spent practicing and leading inside Biglaw, and formal training in coaching and behavior change.

Want to learn more about me?

I’ve talked and written more extensively about how my legal career evolved, why I left Biglaw partnership, and how the work I did there ultimately shaped what I do now.