She says retoolers can offer to work pro bono in a new field or form alliances with experienced attorneys already there. And she agrees with everyone else who says most must risk significant income reduction to retool. Several experts agree that many retoolers will have to become sole practitioners and take the entrepreneurial risk themselves because their firms won't chance it. Meanwhile, Ms. Messman preaches detailed self assessment as the first step for those disenchanted with their chosen practice areas. She says they should learn more about their communities and network for the purpose of discovering attractive new niches in the legal world.
Lawyers have to follow general developments.
They have to scan the horizon. A key issue in retooling is for lawyers to learn to describe themselves in terms of their skills and commitments rather than their specific experiences. Mr. Wilson says some attorneys have retooled by candidly crafting a plan to slowly wean themselves out of their current field while continuing to work in it. No one advises retoolers to return to universities for advanced degrees. Disenchanted litigators represent the most difficult challenge, according to everyone including Rita Zaslowky, director of placement at the University of Denver College of Law.