Peer to Peer Magazine

MANDY'S STORY If someone asked me during my first year of law school if I thought of doing something other than practicing law after graduation, I would have been puzzled by the question. It wasn't until my third year in law school that I had a real aha moment about my career. A week into my third year of law school at Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Everyone was displaced, and I was given a new perspective on life. The impact of the hurricane and the events after it forced me to think about what I wanted to do after law school. I originally started law school with my sights set on practicing at a prestigious firm, spending most of my time in the courtroom as a trial attorney. After the hurricane, I challenged myself to focus on what was really important. I wanted to do something that would make me happy, something that wouldn't monopolize all of my free time, something I would be passionate about. I still loved the law, but I wanted to find a career where I could leverage my legal knowledge in a different way. A couple of weeks after the hurricane, I transferred to Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to finish out my last year of law school. While at Cumberland, I enrolled in an e-discovery course. I didn't know what to expect. I always had an interest in technology and the law, so it was fortuitous I could learn about how technology impacted how discovery was conducted, especially given the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were about to change. The class opened my eyes to an exciting new area of law and revealed a potential new career path. It was exciting to think how current and future technology would impact litigation, specifically the discoverability of information. It was an attractive niche that was a perfect fit for me. As a licensed attorney, it was challenging to find an e-discovery consulting position at the time. Most e-discovery companies wanted someone with a more technical background. However, I knew this was a booming industry, and I was confident I would have success. I knew I would have to pay my dues to gain a competitive advantage in the field. Having a law degree was an asset, but I needed hands-on experience and more technical understanding of the processes and procedures employed during discovery to be credible and successful. I began my career at a law firm in Birmingham, Alabama, working as a litigation support specialist. I was a member of the trial team, mostly working on product liability cases. I leveraged both my legal background and aptitude for technology to prepare the opening and closing arguments, and I worked closely with experts in the case to design illustrative exhibits to support their reports and testimony using various software programs. I was grateful for the opportunity to have diverse trial experience at such an early stage of my career. But I still wanted more e-discovery experience, so after two years of traveling from trial to trial, I made a change. I accepted a position as a consultant in the Kansas office of a large Midwest law firm, where I counseled clients on a variety of complex discovery matters and led large and small document reviews. I still wanted to position myself in a major legal market, so I moved to Dallas, Texas. I now supervise a team of attorneys, case managers and paralegals and consult on a variety of discovery issues. I have more flexibility in my schedule, which allows me to pursue more educational opportunities in my field and stay active in community projects. From my experience, there are pros and cons to pursuing an alternative legal career. As an attorney, it has been difficult to establish credibility among fellow attorneys because they don't align what I do with the practice of law. But I take the challenge in stride, and the fact I love what I do makes it all worthwhile. It has taken me many years to cultivate the expertise necessary to stay competitive and knowledgeable in this field. It's an ongoing task to stay current with relevant case law and technology trends that affect litigation, but an expert in any field should stay current in their discipline. Despite any drawbacks, my decision to pursue an alternative legal career is validated consistently by the satisfaction my career grants me and the discernible value I provide my clients. PROS AND CONS OF PURSUING AN ALTERNATIVE LEGAL CAREER PROS CONS More flexibility and control Difficulty establishing credibility among peers Better work-life balance Limited opportunities Variety of legal issues Requirements for additional expertise, training and/or knowledge Typically no billable hour requirements Typically lower compensation Peer to Peer 39

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