You Are A Lawyer: Take Risks and Change Careers in Law
You Are A Lawyer is a career podcast for lawyers, law students, and law school graduates exploring alternative legal careers, career changes, entrepreneurship, side hustles, and all the unexpected ways to use a law degree. Hosted by Kyla Denanyoh, You Are A Lawyer features candid conversations with attorneys and law school graduates who have taken risks, changed careers, started businesses, survived the bar exam, pursued creative interests, and built lives that don’t fit the traditional lawyer mold. Some guests still practice law. Others have taken their JDs into technology, investing, education, media, coaching, entrepreneurship, and careers they never imagined when they started law school. If you’ve ever wondered: What else can I do with a law degree? You’re in the right place. Whether you’re considering leaving the law, searching for JD-advantage careers, building a business or side hustle, questioning your career path, or simply curious about what other lawyers are doing with their lives, You Are A Lawyer gives you real examples of what’s possible. Because your law degree doesn’t have to determine your job title. There are countless ways to use a law degree and no single definition of a successful legal career. If you’ve graduated from law school, you are a lawyer. Discover new episodes, career resources, and the Career Possibility Directory at YouAreALawyer.com. Recommend a guest or say hello: hello@youarealawyer.com
Episodes
Nikita Lamar is a Texas attorney, entrepreneur, mediator, and author who built a virtual law firm while living in Mexico. In this episode, she shares how taking an unconventional path to law school shaped her career, why estate planning became deeply personal, and how lawyers can create careers that fit their lives instead of fitting into outdated expectations.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Nikita's entrepreneurial mindset e...
Lee Rudin is a New Orleans personal injury attorney and founder of Get Rude, a law firm built around bold branding, authentic marketing, and exceptional client service. In this episode, Lee shares why he left defense work to represent injured people, how building a recognizable brand has transformed his practice, and why lawyers shouldn't be afraid to show their personality.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Building Get Rude was...
Sam Mollaei is a California attorney, entrepreneur, and founder of Legal Funnel. After realizing traditional legal practice wasn't the life he wanted, Sam built multiple virtual law firms and now teaches attorneys how to automate client acquisition, streamline their businesses, and create practices that are virtual, scalable, and designed for freedom.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Legal Funnel began after Sam successfully applied onl...
Ruma Mazumdar is a New Jersey real estate and estate planning attorney who built a successful virtual law firm after leaving Big Law. In this episode, she shares how working as a paralegal shaped her legal career, why she chose entrepreneurship despite growing up around family business, and how redefining success led her to build a practice that supports the life she actually wants.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Launching her own l...
Jay Coleman is a criminal defense attorney, probate attorney, Social Security attorney, and law firm owner based in Arkansas. Returning to You Are a Lawyer six years after his first appearance, Jay reflects on how his career has evolved, the realities of running a law practice, and why finding balance has become just as important as building a successful legal career.
Lawyer Side Hustles
For Jay, entrepreneurship w...
Amber Johnson is an attorney whose legal career has evolved from civil rights and compliance work into helping small businesses compete for multimillion-dollar airport contracts. In this episode, Amber shares how her law degree opened unexpected doors, why transportation is full of legal careers beyond aviation law, and how lawyers can use their skills to build stronger organizations and stronger communities.
Lawyer Side H...
Anjie Vichayanonda is the founder and CEO of Leg Up Legal, a mentorship platform that connects aspiring law students with attorneys before they apply to law school. In this episode, Anjie shares how mentorship changed the course of her own career, why exposure matters before making the investment in law school, and how lawyers can use their knowledge to create opportunities for others.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Leg Up Legal began as an...
Bob Hartmann is a criminal defense attorney, author, and rainmaker who has spent nearly four decades building a successful law practice. In this episode, he shares why bringing in business is one of the most important skills lawyers can develop, how entrepreneurship created the lifestyle he wanted, and why lawyers should stop being afraid to build careers on their own terms.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Bob’s side hus...
Daniel J. Hennessy took an unconventional path to law school. After years working in ministry, education, nonprofit leadership, and even serving in Rome with the Vatican Museums, Daniel enrolled in law school in his forties. Today, he works as in-house counsel for a national real estate development company, helping cities bring transformative projects to life while maintaining the family-focused life he and his wife envisioned. &nb...
Santiago Cueto is an international business attorney, law firm owner, and author based in Miami, Florida. In this episode, Santiago shares how an interest in global affairs led him to law school, why he always envisioned owning a law firm, and how lawyers can build successful careers by combining legal knowledge with communication, leadership, and business development.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Beyond practicing law, ...
Katherin Hervey is an award-winning filmmaker, artist, former public defender, and co-founder of On the Border Films. In this episode, Katherin shares how her legal background shaped The Prison Within, why storytelling became her form of advocacy, and how creativity helped her continue the work of justice outside traditional practice.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Katherin’s creative work is not a side project anymore. It is he...
Jennifer Gardner is a trial attorney, administrative judge, speaker, and law firm owner based in Los Angeles. In this episode, Jennifer shares how she built a career rooted in leadership and service, why lawyers need stronger communication and influence skills, and how legal professionals can use their creativity far beyond traditional practice.
Lawyer Side Hustles
In addition to running her law firm and serving as an adm...
Wendy S. Meadows is a family law attorney, mediator, coach, adjunct professor, and author of Sparkle & Grit. In this episode, Wendy shares how burnout pushed her to rethink her career, why coaching became a natural extension of her legal work, and how lawyers can build lives that actually fit who they are becoming.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Wendy’s coaching business grew out of her own burnout and reinvention. W...
Kristyan Gilmore is an attorney, professor, consultant, and founder of To Be Free, a business advisory company focused on helping entrepreneurs align their work with their values. In this episode, Kristyan shares how the 2008 financial crisis reshaped her legal career, why she believes lawyers should “find their voice,” and how she built a life centered on freedom, teaching, and creative entrepreneurship.
Lawye...
Patrick Jester is a metrology consultant, law school graduate, and JD Advantage professional who built a meaningful career outside traditional legal practice after facing repeated bar exam setbacks. In this episode, he shares how he navigated disappointment, trusted the process, and created a path that aligned with his skills, faith, and long-term vision.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Beyond his primary career, Patrick has remained comm...
Elaine Lee is a lawyer, travel journalist, and author of Go Girl: The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure. In this episode, Elaine shares how she built a legal career rooted in civil rights work, how a trip to Paris changed the trajectory of her life, and how she designed a lifestyle that allows her to travel the world while still using her law degree.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Elaine’s “side hustle&r...
Anne Marie Engel is a lawyer, fractional general counsel, and self-described accountability architect. In this episode, Anne Marie shares how her 30-year legal career led her to rethink the role of lawyers in business, why accountability and fiduciary duty are being lost in the profession, and how she now helps companies prevent problems before they start.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Anne Marie’s current work as an accounta...
Sean Olson is a trial lawyer and founder of Olson Law Firm in Colorado. In this episode, Sean shares how he transitioned from journalism into law, built a personal injury firm from a solo practice into a growing team, and why he still makes time for the courtroom even as a CEO.
Lawyer Side Hustles
What started as a solo practice eventually became Olson Law Firm, a growing personal injury firm with multiple attorneys and a full su...
Caroline Vickers is an attorney, entrepreneur, and founder of Bar Prep Champs, where she coaches first time and repeat bar takers to pass the exam with strategy and confidence. In this episode, Caroline shares how her own law school experience shaped her career, why mindset is the missing piece in bar prep, and how she built a business helping lawyers overcome shame and finally pass.
What Can You Do with a Law Degree
Caroline&rsq...
Aman Costigan is a former law firm partner, life strategist, yoga teacher, podcaster, and financial independence advocate. In this episode, Aman shares why she left the law from a place of happiness and completion, how she and her husband planned their exits strategically, and why financial literacy is the key to career freedom.
Lawyer Side Hustles
Today, Aman introduces herself as a life strategist, vision board workshop...
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