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Megan Patten, now a senior analyst at the Australian Energy Regulator, spoke with Jerome Doraisamy on The Lawyers Weekly Show to discuss her move away from the legal profession.  

Since childhood aspirations of becoming a lawyer, Ms Patten’s choice to leave the industry altogether was not considered lightly. She reflected on her roles as a family lawyer and working in a wills and estate firm, but she still felt certain about her decision to leave in 2021 after two years in the field.

Her disillusionment “was like a bus hitting me basically”.

“I was so busy and overwhelmed by the work that I didn’t really have the space to sit with it and realise what was going on. So, it hit me quite suddenly,” she said. 

Ms Patten expressed the emotional distress involved in being a family lawyer and described her choice to step away as a “protection mechanism”.

“I think it was very much a bit of an identity crisis as well. At that stage, I was doing a lot of things in law and it had sort of become a part of my identity, and I didn’t really know who I was without that title. And I had no idea what my life was going to look like without that,” she said.

She commented that separating her own goals from the demands of the legal world was an integral step.

“I looked at what my life might look like staying in law in the future and the things that I wanted for my life, and they didn’t align,” revealed Ms Patten.  

“In my gut, I felt like it was absolutely the right decision.”

After taking necessary time away to focus on her psychological wellbeing, she was able to re-evaluate what types of roles would allow for a healthy professional environment. 

“I was worried about going back into the corporate world that I wouldn’t have a work/life balance, and that was really what I needed,” Ms Patten said.

Now in her current role as a senior analyst for a government agency, she said: “I very much have a bigger sense of purpose than ever, to be honest, in the work that I’m doing now.”

Ms Patten offered advice to other lawyers experiencing vocational unfulfillment and encouraged the transferability of legal skills into other industries.

“Definitely take the time to really think about how you’re feeling, where you’re at, what you want from your career. And really make sure that the demands that often the legal profession expects from you, or requires from you, align with your personal situation. So, whether that’s your morals and what you want out of life or how it’s impacting your mental health, really take stock of that,” she advised.

“It’s definitely been the best decision I’ve ever made to leave.” 

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Megan Patten, click below: