Leaving The Law: What Drove One Lawyer to a High School Classroom
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This episode is presented by The United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corp.
When is enough...enough?
Jaye Lindsay decided he'd had enough just 3.5 years after graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Law. His first job out of law school wasn't glamorous, but the steady pay and hands-on litigation experience made up for a lack of health insurance and low hourly wages. But over time, he wanted more work-life balance and a better standard of living for his wife and new kids.
Jaye tried a new firm in rural Illinois. It collapsed after a month. He tried going solo back in Chicago. It only allowed him to barely get by. He signed on with another firm at an hourly rate while maintaining his solo practice. But he wasn't crazy about the lack of benefits or the type of work, which wasn't even consistent. Finding it impossible to manage his average-size debt load, Jaye decided to move with his family to Florida and become a high school special education teacher.
This non-traditional episode is about more than Jaye's decision to become a teacher and practice law on the side. It's also a window into the economics of small law firms, the trade-offs that clients face when they cannot afford a lawyer, and how people juggle and evaluate life priorities.
This episode is hosted by Kimber Russell, an account executive at Planet Depos, an international court reporting firm. It is sponsored by Barbri Law Preview and Top-Law-Schools.com.
Previous Episodes
- Episode 0: Introduction to I Am The Law, a Series of Interviews
- Episode 1: Family Law (MA): Mediation, Conciliation, Litigation, and Guardian Ad Litem for Child Custody, Divorces, etc. [Small Firm]
- Episode 2: Personal Injury (TN): Settlement Negotiation for Vehicle Collision Plaintiffs While Confronting Sexism [Solo Practice]
- Episode 3: Patent Law (CA): Litigating and Prosecuting Patents at a [Large Firm]
- Episode 4: Public Defender (GA): Representing Alleged Criminals Who Can't Afford a Lawyer [Government]
- Episode 5: Real Estate Law (NC): Residential Home Transactions [Solo Practice]
- Episode 6: Administrative Appeals (CA): Obtaining Writs of Mandamus to Assist Aggrieved Government Employees [Solo Practice]
- Episode 7: Immigration Law (TX): Navigating the Administrative Maze for Immigrant Clients and Their Families [Small Firm]
- Episode 8: Running a Transactional Legal Services NGO for 501(c)(3)'s
- Episode 9: e-Discovery (OH): Reviewing Electronic Documents for Litigation Support at a [Large Firm]
- Episode 10: Personal Injury (LA): Representing Medical Malpractice Plaintiffs [Solo Practice]
- Episode 11: State [Government] Counsel (TN): Health Policy and Medical Professional Prosecutions
- Episode 12: Maritime Injury (WA): Making Sea Workers Whole [Small Firm]
- Episode 13: Suing Debt Collectors (MN): Consumer Protection Federal Litigation [Small Firm]
- Episode 14: Criminal Defense (VT): Pleas, Fees, and Justice [Small Firm]
- Episode 15: Corporate Healthcare at a Chicago [Large Firm] (IL)
- Episode 16: Assistant U.S. Attorney (OH): Prosecuting [Federal] Drug Laws
- Episode 17: Insurance Defense Litigation (SD): Pre-Trial Practice at a Mid-Size [Law Firm]
- Episode 18: Project Management: Economic Development in St. Louis (MO) [State Government]
- Episode 19: Military Attorney (Worldwide): Full-Spectrum Counsel to Warfighters and the [U.S. Military]
- Episode 20: General Practice (DC): Emerging Law Around LGBT Issues [Small Firm]
- Episode 21: Video Game Law (NYC): Starting a [Solo Practice] with Niche Clients
