Episode 56-Practicing Law with a Side Hustle (“Mindful Return”)

Counsel to Counsel - Career Advice for Lawyers

In many ways, practicing law and being an entrepreneur are completely opposite activities. Entrepreneurs are all about possibilities: What might be? What problems can we solve? Where are the gaps in the marketplace? Lawyers, on the other hand, spend their days identifying risks, thinking about what can go wrong, and managing those risks.

There are numerous examples of lawyers who have left the practice to pursue a law-related entrepreneurial opportunity. There are legal technology firms that have been started by former practicing attorneys. There are lawyers like me who have gone into legal recruiting and coaching.

There are also attorneys who decide to move in an entirely different direction and start a restaurant or some other business which is not law-related.

But what about lawyers who want to continue to practice law but operate a business on the side? My guest in this episode, Lori Mihalich-Levin, is someone who has done just that. Lori is a partner at the law firm Dentons. But she is also the creator of a successful consulting business. Lori and I discuss the genesis for her business, how she grew it, and how she balances her work as a lawyer with her business. Lori also talks about how practicing law makes her a better entrepreneur and how being an entrepreneur makes her a better lawyer.

Lori, is a partner in the health care practice at Dentons and the founder and CEO of Mindful Return. She is the author of Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave, and co-host of the Parents at Work Podcast. She is mama to two wonderful red-headed boys (ages 7 and just turning 10). Her thought leadership has been featured in publications including Forbes, The Washington Post, New York Times Parenting, Thrive Global, and The Huffington Post.