The first years of my professional life I spent practicing law. I was running my own law firm. My main focus was on divorce and criminal law. Interesting mix, I know. In family law, I worked mostly with women, who were considering filing for divorce and custody, while in criminal law, I worked mostly with men who committed various crimes or offenses, anything from possession of a weapon to burglary and robbery.
Divorce cases are very technical and emotional at the same time. They require well-written agreements on major issues such as child support, custody and parenting arrangements, spousal support and property issues, while they are full of human drama and emotional turmoil. Criminal cases are not less complex or heated either.
The one common thing, I found, between divorce and criminal cases is that they both require the lawyer to act not only as a legal advocate, but also as a counselor for the client.
Legal Counseling: my Favorite Part of Being a Lawyer
Legal counseling is solely about helping clients make the best legal decisions they can. In reality, however, a good lawyer does much more than that, because legal problems hardly ever exist in a vacuum, but rather they are interconnected with personal, professional and even psychological issues.
I always found the counseling piece of my work the most rewarding. I’ve always felt my strengths were in working with parties by listening and supporting them emotionally or even spiritually.
I had stopped practicing law over 10 years ago in Hungary and I moved to Canada. From there, I went back to school doing my masters, worked as a career adviser for graduate students, then as a policy development specialist for the Provincial Government.
After more than a decade, now I’m back to “counseling” again. Except, this time it is not legal counseling. Much better. I am a career success coach in Canada.
How Being a Former Lawyer Helps Me to Become the Best Coach in Canada
How I came to career coaching is an interesting story with full of twists and turns. Looking back, I’ve always had what it takes to become a good career coach. I was always engaged in supporting clients, fellow students and colleagues in seeking career changes. I did it out of a desire to help others change their lives for the better and find their purpose. These were also my goals as a lawyer.
Helping someone through a difficult process requires attention and empathy, whether the professional is a lawyer or a career coach and whether the problem is legal or personal.
I’m a better coach because I was a lawyer.
Here are some of the most important qualities I have as a coach, due to the fact that I was a lawyer before:
- Being non-judgmental, because no story is black and white
- Actively listening to the client and their stories
- Providing encouragement and support
- Giving realistic and practical advice
- Having candid conversations
- Displaying a great deal of creativity in problem-solving
- Not giving up on a client easily and not letting the client give up
- Keeping the clients motivated over a longer period of time
What Does a Career Coach Do?
Being a career success coach is the most rewarding career. The center of my work revolves around helping my clients find their meaning in life and choose their career in alignment with whom they truly are. We’re doing this by listing their strengths and weaknesses, and their abilities and aptitudes to find the best options for them.
At some point in our lives every one of us works, so at times, everyone might benefit from a career coach.
Because I started my work life as a lawyer 15 years ago and since then I have gained tremendous experience in different fields, I can pull from these experiences to better serve my clients. I learned many life lessons and developed several abilities that can be used in coaching.
I’m glad I chose to go after my dream and became a successful career coach in Canada, and even more grateful that my work as a lawyer prepared me for it.
