Trusting Yourself to Make the Career Pivot feat. Misty Leon

3 hours ago

3 min read

Misty Leon returns to You Are a Lawyer after leaving her corporate in-house role to launch Practical Counsel Advisors, a consulting firm helping small and mid-sized law firms improve their operations and navigate AI. In this episode, Misty shares why she stopped waiting to make her career change, what lawyers should understand about adopting AI, and why sometimes the most important career question isn't whether you can do something, but whether you still want to.

About This Episode

Background

Misty Leon has experienced the legal profession from several different perspectives. She spent approximately twelve years in Big Law, became a partner at a smaller employee benefits boutique firm, moved in-house, and most recently left her corporate legal role to launch Practical Counsel Advisors. Her consulting firm now helps small and mid-sized law firms become more intentional about their processes, operations, documentation, and approach to AI.

“There was nothing really wrong with it, but yet realizing I just didn't feel that fulfilled in what I was doing," shares Misty Leon on You Are A Lawyer.

That realization developed over several years rather than through one dramatic breaking point. Misty enjoyed many aspects of working in-house and wasn't trying to escape an unbearable job. Instead, she began recognizing that her years of experience inside firms and on the client side could be used differently. Eventually, the question shifted from whether she could start consulting to why she was continuing to wait.

Why Law School

Misty's legal career has given her much more than expertise in a particular practice area. Over more than two decades, she developed the ability to identify problems, assess risk, communicate clearly, persuade people, understand client expectations, and see how legal businesses operate from multiple perspectives. Those skills have become the foundation of a business where she is no longer actively practicing law.

“Being a lawyer teaches you all these great skills, how to solve a problem, how to analyze risks and prioritize, and how to persuade people," explains Misty Leon on Episode 262 of You Are a Lawyer.

Misty's career illustrates why the value of law school doesn't disappear when someone steps away from traditional practice. The analytical and communication skills lawyers develop can transfer into consulting, operations, entrepreneurship, technology, and countless other fields. For Misty, leaving active practice didn't mean leaving her legal experience behind. It meant finding a new way to use it.

What Can You Do with a Law Degree

Misty has already reinvented her legal career multiple times. She moved from Big Law to a smaller firm, became a partner, went in-house, and ultimately became a business owner. Her journey shows that lawyers don't have to know exactly where their careers will end when they're choosing their next step, and they certainly don't have to stay in one lane simply because they've invested years in it.

“I think they could do anything with their law degree. And I think if you go do something with that law degree for some period of years, you can do something else," shares Misty Leon on Episode 262 of You Are a Lawyer.

For young lawyers who aren't ready or able to make a dramatic change, Misty recommends starting smaller. Build your network. Find someone doing work that interests you. Take a certification. Develop expertise in an emerging area. Each small step can move you closer to a different career without requiring you to have the entire transition figured out today.

Lawyer Side Hustles

Misty didn't wait until leaving her corporate position to begin creating her next chapter. She spent months preparing Practical Counsel Advisors while continuing to work full time, using AI and other tools to help build the infrastructure of the business. The transition required additional work and less certainty, but it also gave her the opportunity to test her ideas before making the leap completely.

"I've always found the best way to get started is to just take that first step,” Misty Leon expresses in Episode 262 of You Are a Lawyer.

That first step doesn't have to be quitting your job tomorrow. Misty's story shows how a future business, side project, new skill, or professional interest can begin alongside an existing legal career. The important part is moving beyond thinking about what you might eventually do and finding one tangible action that moves you toward it.