Onward Insights - April 2025
Welcome to the April edition of Onward Insights.
There’s a specific kind of career dissonance that sneaks up on you. You’re still performing. Still billing. Still saying, “Happy to circle back!” with a smile that feels vaguely detached from your soul.
But beneath the surface, something’s shifted.
You start asking yourself quiet questions between meetings. Like: What am I even doing this for? Or How did I end up optimizing for goals I don’t actually care about anymore?
This month, we’re digging into that moment. We’re calling it Aligned Ambition — the pivot away from externally defined success toward something more grounded, more personal, and frankly, more sustainable. Not in a “drop everything and start a boutique firm in Vermont” kind of way. But in a “pause, recalibrate, and make smarter moves” kind of way.
Because sometimes your firm’s values and your own don’t align — and walking out the door isn’t immediately feasible (see also: mortgages, market conditions, and… life). So what then?
You stay. But you stay strategically. You get clear on what matters. You redraw your boundaries. You stop gaslighting yourself into thinking the misalignment is “just a phase.”
This issue is for anyone who’s somewhere in the middle — not ready to leap, but no longer content to settle. We’re talking about how to stay without losing yourself, how to find direction when the map changes, and how to make progress that’s actually yours.
Let’s get into it.
In a landscape where associates are making headlines for principled departures from BigLaw firms, it's easy to assume that immediate resignation is the only honorable response to values misalignment. But sometimes, staying isn't a lack of courage, it's a strategy.
What "Misalignment" Actually Feels Like
It starts subtly. Not as a dramatic moment of clarity, but as a persistent discomfort that's difficult to name:
Exhaustion that isn't burnout. Even when you manage to carve out time for rest, you still feel deeply drained after client calls or partner meetings. The exhaustion persists because it stems not from workload alone, but from the emotional labor of constantly reconciling your values with your daily work. A deeper fatigue that no amount of sleep seems to fix.
Feeling like a version of yourself you don't recognize. You notice yourself staying silent during discussions where you once would have spoken up. Your professional identity begins to feel like a costume rather than an authentic expression.
Silencing your instincts in meetings. That internal voice that used to guide your best work? You've learned to mute it when it conflicts with firm priorities or client goals.
When Leaving Isn't an Option
While principled resignations make inspiring headlines, they're not always immediately possible:
Market volatility. While certain practice areas remain hot, others have dramatically slowed or stopped hiring altogether. Firms that anticipated a booming business market are now recalibrating their hiring needs as those expectations haven't materialized. This creates an uneven landscape where lateral moves require more precise timing, targeted positioning, and patience than in recent years.
Family obligations. Financial responsibilities to partners, children, or aging parents can make even a brief gap in employment unworkable.
Fear of reputational risk. In specialized practice areas, maintaining relationships and reputation require thoughtful transitions rather than abrupt departures.
How to Stay — Strategically
Staying doesn't mean surrendering. It means getting strategic:
Redraw internal boundaries. Be clear about where you can and cannot compromise. Perhaps you'll decline certain assignments while actively seeking others that better align with your values.
Reconnect with parts of the work you do believe in. Even in environments that feel misaligned, seek out aspects of your practice that still resonate with your core values. This might mean focusing on substantive legal work with clients you respect, building mentoring relationships with colleagues who share your outlook, or finding independent pro bono opportunities outside the firm's institutional commitments (if possible). Look for discrete projects where you can apply your skills in ways that remind you why you became a lawyer, without compromising your principles.
Set a timeline and concrete milestones for your eventual move. This isn't about procrastination, it's about preparation. Define what needs to be in place before you can make your move (financial runway, network development, specific skills acquisition) and work methodically toward those goals.
From a Recruiter's Perspective: You're Not Stuck. You're in Process.
What we've seen over two decades of legal recruiting is that the most successful career transitions are rarely impulsive. They're strategic. They're thoughtful. And they often involve a period of conscious navigation through misalignment.
The difference between feeling trapped and feeling in control isn't always your circumstances, it's your perspective and your plan.
➡️ Feeling this tension? You're not alone. Book a confidential, no-pressure call with us to talk strategy. We understand that career decisions aren't just about compensation and title — they're about finding alignment between your work and your values.
From the Recruiter's Desk: "I Talk to Lawyers Every Day Who Are Quietly Disengaging"
One of the most common things I hear lately isn't "I hate my job." It's "I know this isn’t the right place for me long-term" or "This culture is sucking the life out of me." These aren't just workplace complaints, they're signs of a deeper misalignment that makes Monday mornings increasingly harder to face.
I hear your fears about loyalty being weaponized against you when you simply want to explore options that better fit who you've become. And I understand the complexity of enjoying your colleagues while knowing the environment isn't sustainable.
The truth is, career alignment doesn't require a perfect firm or sacrificing relationships you value. It starts with giving yourself permission to acknowledge what isn't working without immediately jumping ship, and then creating a strategic path forward that honors both your current reality and future potential.
Founder & CEO, Lacie Marshall
💬 Real Talk: A Candidate's Story
"The Long Game: When Patience Meets Purpose"
A mid-level corporate associate first reached out focused primarily on compensation, understandably frustrated at putting in Big Law hours without the matching paycheck. Though their firm eventually adjusted the compensation structure, something had shifted internally. Over two years of thoughtful conversations, their priorities evolved beyond just the salary numbers. They began methodically defining what true professional satisfaction looked like: the right culture, sustainable expectations, and growth aligned with their values. While many would have jumped at the first decent offer, they patiently built relationships and evaluated opportunities against their newly clarified criteria. Last month, they accepted a position that recognizes both their financial worth and personal priorities — proof that knowing when to wait can be as powerful as knowing when to move.
Resources
🎯Career Values Alignment Toolkit
Introducing your go-to guide for making career decisions with confidence and clarity. This toolkit helps you identify your core values, evaluate whether your current role aligns with them, and navigate important workplace conversations with intention.
The Toolkit Includes:
Closing Thoughts from Onward
Career misalignment doesn’t always crash through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man. Sometimes, it’s quiet. A creeping disinterest in the work, a shift in values you can’t unsee, or just that voice in your head whispering, “This can’t be it.”
If that’s you, you’re not broken. You’re just outgrowing the version of success that used to fit.
We talk to smart, driven attorneys every day who are hitting their goals but feeling stuck, not because they’re ungrateful, but because their career path stopped aligning with who they’ve become.
Here’s the good news: You don’t need to have it all figured out. But you do need to stop pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. That kind of emotional labor? It’s not sustainable, and it’s not required.
If you're starting to sense that something’s off — even if you’re not sure what comes next — we’re here. No dramatic leaps. No LinkedIn life pivots. Just honest conversations about what matters to you now and what you want to build going forward.
Sometimes clarity starts with admitting, “This isn’t working.”
The rest? We can figure out together.
