Why this ex-lawyer left the profession to help other lawyers thrive

While many lawyers set their sights on the profession early in life, Kormanik’s path was markedly different, as becoming a lawyer wasn’t something he had planned – or even considered – until much later in life.

“The law was a second career for me. I did not grow up thinking that I was going to be a lawyer. Actually, I didn’t do well in school at all. Initially, I wasn’t mature enough, and so I pursued another career path,” he said.

“Then, when I was 35 years old, I had a house, I had a mortgage, I had a dog, I had a wife, I had a daughter. I went home one day and said, ’Honey, I’d like to go to law school.’ She was a bit shocked by my request and my statement, but she encouraged me to go for it, and I went for it.”

With his wife’s full support, Kormanik threw himself into his legal studies, excelling academically and ultimately building a successful and rewarding career in law.

“I did very well in law school and then practised for 25 years. And I loved every minute of the practice of law. I did not leave the law because I was burned out or stressed out. I loved being a lawyer,” he said.

Kormanik explained that he didn’t end his legal career due to a loss of passion for the profession; instead, he was compelled to answer a deeper calling.

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“I loved being a lawyer. I did not leave the legal profession because I was burnt out. I did not. It’s very important. I changed because when I looked up at my horizon, my future, I decided after a lot of deep thoughts and hard work, that there were two things that I wanted,” he said.

One of the main reasons behind Kormanik’s decision was his desire to make a “bigger” impact, not just within the legal profession, but beyond it.

“I wanted to have a greater impact on the world. I think that we are all placed on the planet to change the world, whether that is just one person’s world or the world at large. Right. I think that we’re all put here to do great things and to change the world,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that I was doing very important work, and I was having a great impact on my clients, on my partners, on my law firm, on my family, on my community. But I felt like going bigger, just to go bigger.”

Additionally, Kormanik shared that his decision was also motivated by the desire for greater geographical freedom in his work as a professional coach for lawyers.

“The second thing was that I wanted to be geographically independent. I wanted to be able to work with anyone around the world, from anywhere around the world. That’s what I saw for my future,” he said.

“It was just a matter of, can I continue to practise law and have those two things? If I could have, I think I would have, because I did enjoy it. But I decided that I couldn’t, especially the geographic independence part.”

These more profound reflections prompted Kormanik to consider what he called his “third chapter of service” and who he would serve in his next career.

“Those two things drove me to step back and think, OK, what’s the third chapter of service? The first was in healthcare. The second was as an attorney. What’s the third chapter? And it had to be, for me; it had to be working with attorneys because I love them,” he said.

“They do hard things every day, make them look easy, and they impact people’s lives every day. And so I love lawyers. So, how could I serve attorneys?”

It was out of his deep love for the profession – and the people within it – that Kormanik’s coaching practice was born.

“Coaching is the way that I decided to do it. It really fits my personality [and] fits who I am. It fits my desire for service, my sense of adventure, my drive for others’ success. I am happiest when I see success, so those three things really kind of led me to coaching attorneys,” he said.