Career Self-Assessment

Many professionals, particularly lawyers, reach a point in their career when their current position just doesn’t feel quite right. Is it the nature of your current job, the firm you work for, or are you unhappy with the whole profession? Understanding what exactly the problem is will be critical to determining what the next step of your career should be. FindLaw’s Career Self-Assessment section offers free resources on a range of topics that can help you get started. Read more about the high-achiever blues, ask yourself if are you miserable or just adjusting, should you leave an employer before the two-year mark, and learn to estimate your market value.

Legal Career Assessment

Career Self-Assessment Articles

BCG Job Analysis Tool

Is your job 80 percent drudgery? Is the enjoyable 20 percent of your position enough to keep you happy? We're going to assume that because you're reading this, you want to continue pursuing your legal career.
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Are You Cut Out for Big Firm Practice?

How suited are you to the practice of law in a large law firm? Consider the three short statements below, and circle your answer true or false. The answer will be in the description that follows.
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Will Leaving an Employer Before the 2 Year Mark Send Up a Red Flag?

Is there really an unwritten rule leaving an employer prior to reaching the 2 year mark will send up a red flag for all other potential employers?

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Self-Assessment Strategies for Lawyers

Job 12:22 "Beam me out of here, Scotty!" Star Trek fans will remember this classic bail-out maneuver, invoked whenever Captain Kirk found himself surrounded by hostiles on a planet incompatible with earth life systems.
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Salary and Satisfaction in Your Law Job

In evaluating your law job, you may question whether you're being paid a fair amount, and when you should know when it's time to leave. Let our expert's answers help you navigate these questions.

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Getting Career Counseling: NCDA Consumer Guidelines for Selecting a Career Counselor

Career counseling requires the expertise of a trained professional. Be skeptical of services that promise you more money, quick promotions, better jobs, resumes that get speedy results or an immediate solution to a career problem.
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Estimating your market value.

I recently asked for a raise. My boss told me to give him proof that other law firms in the area pay their paralegals more money that I am being paid. How can I obtain this information.
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How long should you take to decide that your current firm is not right for you?

How long should you take to decide that your current firm is not right for you? I am a new attorney and I have been at a law firm for almost 5 months. It's not what I expelected.
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Am I Miserable in My Legal Job or Is It Just an Adjustment Stage?

How do I know whether I am hopelessly miserable in my legal job or if I am just going through the adjustment stage that every young associate must endure with when beginning life at the firm.
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Assess Where You Are Going

Take a minute or two to read the exercise below. Place a check next to the statements that apply to you.

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