The art of reinventing yourself
The art of reinventing yourself Author: Philip Beddows Published in The Lawyer: 10th July 2006 Peter Barton, a former partner at Travers Smith, who now holds several non-executive directorships including with Alliance & Leicester and the Guinness Trust Group, recently offered some sound advice to lawyers considering a career change. He was generally upbeat about their overall chances of success (The Lawyer, 1 May). While I agree that change comes easily for the lucky few, for most it is seriously hard work. In fact, not all lawyers can make the shift into another career. And for those who do, not only is it hard work, but it is also challenging. For a start, they have to battle against the stereotypical image of their profession. Despite living in a modern and apparently open-minded society that talks a lot about diversity, we are still suspicious of people reinventing (or rebranding) themselves. To illustrate the point, many lawyers seeking a caree