A whole month has gone by since I started to make my post-law transition and I’m finding that one of the hardest parts of the transition is saying, “No” when people ask me for legal advice.

That’s because, for nearly 40 years, I’ve been saying, “Yes”, and my instinct is still to go immediately to the “legal answer” to their questions.

And it’s not that I’ve forgotten all my law over the past month. In fact, my reading and writing have probably taken me deeper into some aspects of it.

I think it’s really about being intentional and being committed to working in a different paradigm and modality – a different way of relating to legal knowledge and the constraints law places on people…

…And it’s also about tuning into new voices, new influences, new and different ways of experiencing the old, familiar knowledge. That’s maybe the most exciting part. It’s also the scariest.

I can see it will take me a while.

So, if you ask me and I say, “No”, maybe we should still talk. Maybe there’s a different question – perhaps a better question. One that can lead to a better answer.

Staying resolute