In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg welcomes Shauna Bryce, a Harvard Law School and Johns Hopkins graduate, and the founder of Bryce Legal. Shauna shares her journey from a traditional legal career to becoming a renowned coach and consultant helping lawyers achieve success, fulfillment, and happiness. Their conversation explores how Shauna’s career path defied expectations, the realities of law firm life, and how she now guides attorneys through career transitions-especially in today’s climate of uncertainty.

Key Topics Discussed

• Shauna’s Career Journey: Shauna describes her path from law school to practicing law in firms and in-house, and ultimately stepping off the partnership track to pursue her passion for coaching and professional development. She reflects on the challenges of making unconventional career choices and the importance of following her instincts-even when it meant leaving the “brass ring” of partnership behind.

• The Reality of Law Firm and Corporate Environments: Drawing on her experience as a Chief Legal Talent Officer and Chief Diversity Officer, Shauna discusses the difficulties of driving change in risk-averse, conservative environments. She highlights the challenges of implementing lasting diversity and inclusion initiatives and the disappointment of seeing progress rolled back.

• Current Legal Market Trends: Shauna shares insights into the current legal job market, noting a surge in government and public sector lawyers seeking new opportunities amid layoffs and uncertainty. She observes increased risk aversion among lawyers and a general sense of fear about the future, leading many to reconsider job changes or prepare for worst-case scenarios.

• Coaching Lawyers Through Uncertainty: Shauna explains her approach to coaching lawyers who are anxious about the future. She emphasizes the value of process and structure-helping clients distinguish between rational and irrational fears, and building practical roadmaps to address their concerns. Her method involves partnering with clients to break down overwhelming challenges into manageable steps.

Notable Quotes

“I had so many people tell me, ‘You’re crazy to not want this [partnership].’ And I just kept thinking, I just don’t want this for me, and I don’t want this for my life. So I’m very happy that I followed my heart, and that brought me into the work that I do now in lawyer development, career development, and all of that.”

“Law firms tend to be really risk averse settings, and they tend to be very conservative in their decision making. It is really, really hard to effect change, even minor changes.”

“One of the major things that I’m seeing in this market is fear. Fear of the uncertainty… And I think this is one of those moments where lawyers’ risk aversion, sort of by nature, by training, might actually be helping them because they are really thinking about worst case scenarios and preparing for them.”

Actionable Takeaways

• For lawyers feeling uncertain about their careers, it’s helpful to separate rational from irrational fears and use structured planning to regain a sense of control.

• Change in traditional environments is difficult; real progress requires deeply embedded values, not just performative programs.

• Nonlinear career paths can lead to greater fulfillment-trusting your instincts and being open to new opportunities is key.

Listen & Subscribe

• Connect with Shauna on LinkedIn
• Bryce Legal

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