Has anyone switched their practice area? I recently went from government to private. It feels a bit like professional suicide.

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Very few career moves are actually "professional suicide" as long as you continue to gain experience and work on matters that you are able to tell future employers (or clients) about. But maybe take my perspective with a grain of salt, because I don't give a damn about prestige and just like working legal jobs that pay my bills.

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Is “private” really a practice area? Or even “government”? Same with “in house”. A private corporate attorney and a private insurance defense attorney have practically nothing in common with their practice areas. Just like a government federal prosecutor with the DOJ won’t have much in common with a regulatory attorney in the FDA. I’m an in house Product Counsel and my job is much different than an in house IP attorney.

Not sure what aspect would be professional suicide without knowing what your actual practice areas are.

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Private is hard to get started in, there’s a longer lead time as you build up clients and cases and relationships. Give it 6-12 months before evaluating.

Wow what practice area did you switch to? This seems not only dramatic but highly unlikely.

Prosecutor to family law.

F

What does “F” mean?

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F

How long did it take / was it difficult to make the switch?

Went from criminal to data privacy in tech. I mat have shell shock.

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