This isn’t a post that directly relates to solo practice, though the lessons that it offers will apply. Instead, it’s about the serendipitous way that your passions can lead you to a job that truly fits – which is something that many of us have in fact found in solo practice.
Consider this New York Times profile of Thomas Rogers, a former biglaw attorney who is the president of Tivo. The profile describes that when he was a kid, he was such a huge TV fan that his parents bought him a subscription to TV Guide. In addition to the TV listings, the section about the FCC caught his interest as well. Rogers went on to law school, but turned down an FCC position for biglaw practice. But TV stayed on his mind and helped him catch his first big break:
In early 1981, I read that Timothy Wirth of Colorado had been named head of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance. I wrote him, and his staff invited me for an interview. I told a top aide the story about reading TV Guide and she said, “At least that’s different.” I became one of four lawyers on the staff.
From the Hill, Rogers went in house to a cable division of NBC and then on to Tivo, where he became President and CEO.
Sometimes, you need to leave the law to follow your passion. But perhaps, like Rogers, you can also find a way to marry what you love with your legal practice.
Related posts:
- Solos Do Everything Biglaw Does, Only Backwards and in High Heels
- Do What You Love
- When You’re the Boss, You Don’t Beg For Work Life Balance. You Make It So.
- Second Career for Disbarred Lawyer
- Does the ABA Support Solos…Let’s See
