Our Newest Books

 
Joan Bibelhausen, Minneapolis, MN – “I have the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of this book – and now the new 5th edition – and it just keeps getting better. (As a career consultant), I'm pleased to continue to recommend Arron’s work, and find the strengths of the previous editions all remain, and are accompanied by some invaluable new additions ... such as realistic advice about an on-line job search. This book can be read cover to cover, but it is also accessible and effective in pieces. It’s a tremendous resource for those who are seeking answers to their own career dilemmas, but is no substitute for the hard work and introspection that must accompany this process. If you're not ready to do the work you probably won't like the book. If you are a lawyer who really wants to explore change, it's the best publication available.”

Steve Seckler, Newton, MA – “In 1997, I reviewed the 3rd edition of this book for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Since that time, I have recommended this book to hundreds of lawyers who are looking for more career satisfaction. The new 5th edition is yet another improvement to what is already the classic text for lawyers who are questioning their career choices. No single book can provide all the answers; but this is a great place to start. The new edition adds more Internet resources and provides additional articles to help lawyers better understand their own likes and dislikes.”

An Amazon.com reader – “I have looked through practically every book on career change/transition for lawyers, and generally found them totally lacking in concrete advice as to lawyer-specific issues, self-assessment and options. This book not only hits the nail on the head as to reasons for dissatisfaction with the law, but offers sound ways to evaluate possibilities for change, both inside and outside the law, in terms of one's personal interests. And the examples of people who did make changes are very inspirational. The resources offered are the most comprehensive I've seen. Very valuable. If, as a lawyer, you question the path you are pursuing, this book will make you feel less alone in the process.”

An Amazon.com reader – “I bought this book in hopes that it would give me some direction for my summer job search. Although Law Practice Management Magazine says, ‘Every lawyer, law student or aspiring law student will find this book useful,’ I believe the book is truly only intended for already-practicing lawyers who want to make a transition into another area. It is completely unhelpful for formatting career goals while still in school. I have always been able to find something of value in the many law-related books I have purchased. Unfortunately, there was truly nothing here for a law student. This was the first book from Amazon that I have returned.”

An Amazon.com reader – I cannot believe the criticism of this book. This book is not for lawyers who are happy in their work, and who have found their niche. The thrust of the book is to assist lawyers who have either grown disillusioned with the pressures of legal practice or who have decided that they wish to apply their skills in another area.

You cannot read this book once and expect to apply the principles within a few days or weeks. This is a book for long term change and not for the impatient, which is a quality I suspect some of the negative reviewers have demonstrated. (Arron’s) book helped me enormously through a difficult career change. Without it, I would not have coped because the strategies and information contained in it take time to put into practice. If you take a long-term view, implementing the ideas, and regularly refer to the book when reviewing your progress, then this book is indispensable. The author has pinpointed with great accuracy the level of discontent in some quarters of the profession. These issues are not often discussed among professionals and can make for uncomfortable reading. This does not mean that they should be swept under the carpet and ignored. The techniques start with self assessment and identification of the unbelievable skills that we have acquired as lawyers.

Nowhere does the author criticize the profession or fellow professionals. Indeed she gives people positive strategies for reviewing the options available, making choices and taking action steps. If you want to make a career change within or out of the profession, this is the leading book and an essential guide.

A reader in Washington, DC – “Some of the people who have given this book negative reviews are obviously not the target audience for the book. This is NOT for law students looking for a job or for certain types of lawyers. This is for lawyers who are dissatisfied in their careers and are looking at career transition. For the target audience, this book in invaluable. Deborah Arron really understands the issues involved and helps navigate the reader through the problems with letting go of a bad situation, finding ideas for next steps and getting to a solution. There is no other book on the market that addresses these issues in the way this one does. I can't understand why people who aren't the target audience feel the need to trash the book publicly.”

An Amazon.com reader – “I found this book to be inspirational. As I read Deborah Arron's words could not surpress the "uh-huhs," my head nodding in agreement with her ideas. The book includes a practical approach to working on self-assessment, as well as follow-through about how to get "the job" once you have discovered it exists.”

Tina, Chicago – “I used Ms. Arron's book about a year ago to decide what career I should pursue when I left the practice of law. I bought other career-change books but found none of them to be as useful. I knew I wanted to stop practicing law, but was completely lost as to what career I wanted. I kept dragging my feet because I felt so unsure of what awaited me. As soon as I started reading Ms. Arron's book, I instantly felt that she understood exactly what I was going through. The self-assessment exercises really brought me a lot of clarity, and helped me decide what career I wanted to pursue. Her book also contains an abundance of valuable resources which I used to research my options. By the time I applied for my job as a career counselor, I felt 100% ready to leave the practice of law and was very excited about embarking on my new career. I had a much better understanding of my strengths, weaknesses, and values than I ever had before. Without this book, I think I would still be practicing law (or worse yet, I would have left the law for a job that suited me even less). I recommend this book to all the law school alums I counsel, and I have also recommended it to several lawyer friends who are struggle with the question of whether they should continue practicing law. Everyone I know who has read the book has enjoyed it as much as I have and found it to be just as useful. It is, without a doubt, the best career-change handbook for lawyers.”

A reader from Albany, CA – “There are a lot of books out there about career changing in general and getting out of law in particular. This is the only one I've found that really helped me to understand that I was not alone in my frustrations and disappointments in practicing law, and helped to get over the guilt and the ‘shoulds’ mitigating against the the career change. I recommend it if you are struggling with these issues.”

A reader from Westchester, NY – “I'm a third year law student. Before reading this book, I was paralyzed with fear. I felt enormous pressure to get a firm job, but at the same time I knew I didn't want to practice law, and didn't know how to get out. Now, after reading this book, I feel much more at ease about my possibilities.”

A reader from Philadelphia – “When I saw the title of this book, I thought it would be helpful to me in marketing myself as someone with a law degree and ONLY a law degree. I was unsuccessful in passing the bar exam after several attempts, and thought this book might be of some help after I drifted from one hellish temp job to another, usually as a file clerk or secretary. It wasn't, because the book does not address this situation. In reality, it is a career-change manual that only addresses people who have been licensed and in active practice, who either want or need a change of pace.

“The title of this book is really a misnomer. You really can't do much with just a law degree; you can do a whole lot with a law license and even minimal experience in practice. The bottom line is that, without a license, your efforts to market yourself will be tough. I have been on the verge of getting offers from very excited employers who, once they learned I didn't pass the exam, dropped me like a white-hot potato. And might I add, this was for a job that in no way required legal expertise, but where that training would have been mere icing on the cake. The difficulty in marketing yourself as a mere J.D. is profound. People will assume you have some intellectual deficit for not being able to pass; even employers who don't assume this will think you are only biding your time until you DO pass, and at such time will jump ship, so why should they bother hiring you? Even legal temping agencies didn't want me, because they wanted to boast they had LICENSED attorneys to fill temp slots. I'm sure this book does a fine job of addressing the burned-out lawyer who wants a new gig doing something else. But if the bar exam was a bust for you, reading this won't help. It would have been nice if Arron had addressed this segment of the J.D. population.”

An Amazon.com reader – “As a former attorney-turned-career coach for attorneys and JDs, this book is an invaluable part of my "tool chest." I also prescribe it for clients and for those thinking about career options in or out of the law. It is the best resource available today for the JD or attorney wanting something MORE. When I was transitioning out of the law after over 10 years of practice, this book was a godsend -- it offered a real understanding of a lawyer's life and a myriad of tried and true career options. The author profiles hundreds of non-legal careers actually transitioned into by lawyers. (In addition, the resources and references are the most extensive I've ever seen.) Dissatisfied lawyers feel stuck and immobilized -- not knowing what else to do but a slight variation of what they are already doing. While the book underscores the need for self-assessment (i.e., figure out what you really want to do, based on who you are and what really matters to you), it also provides grounding reassurances that the journey to a fulfilling "lively-hood" is to be taken at the pace and stride most comfortable to the journeyer. There is no "jumping into the void" strategy recommended here. The author's approach and recommendations are very pragmatic and practical -- which can be implemented by the busiest. The exercises are user-friendly and help the reader self-assess easily. It also provides the reader the ability to design a clear career path and undertake meaningful actions to progress. The book opens expansive frontiers for attorneys in a world where being in control of your career is absolutely necessary -- there are no clear paths to follow other than those one dynamically creates for Self.”

An Amazon.com reader – “Arron encourages a lot of self-examination. I picked up this book when I was sure that I wanted to stop being a lawyer after 19 years of practice. Well, I learned that what I needed to do was stop practicing law in a situation where I no longer saw clients. Frankly, a change of venue was what I needed more than anything. I saw an ad in the newspaper, applied for the job and now I am back in a position with a lot of client contact and in one of my favorite places in the world, Madison, WI. When I was done with MY self-examination, I gave it to a friend who, having made partner in a large law firm in Chicago, is working it through and may very well quit and become an Episcopal priest or deliver pizzas.”