You CAN leave (big) law.
Alleviate your anxiety, discern your next step and do it now.
Welcome! You’re in the right place.
You are ready to say YES! to fulfilling work and reclaim your life yet you…
- Can never take a day off
- Struggle to focus on the things that are most important
- Are dissatisfied with your work/life balance
- Do NOT want to continue on the path your on
- Feel constant pressure from work demands
- Want to make a change, but don’t know where to start
Imagine this…
It’s a year from now. You wake up with a smile on your face. The dread of of your (big) law life is fleeting memory.
You are living a whole new life. You GET to spend days doing work that is fulfilling and meaningful! You read for pleasure again. You have the time, energy, and are present with the people who mean the most to you.
You shut your laptop on Friday, and no longer have the “Sunday scaries.” Excitement tingles through your body as you get ready for your week ahead!
You enjoy a weekends or vacation without working! You are free from worry about your hours, or who’s going to tear you a new one for not responding immediately to emails.
You sleep well at night and wake up refreshed. You feel clear, aligned and deeply satisfied with who you are, where you are headed.
How does that sound to you? Almost too good to be true?
I don’t blame you for feeling that way. In fact, I’ve been exactly where you are. I remember what it was like:
Never being able to take a day off. Struggling to focus on the things that were important to me. Feeling constant pressure from work demands. Giving 150% every day, yet still feeling it’s not enough. Knowing that you need to make a change, but not knowing where to start (and not having any time or energy to figure it out!)
What We Do
The mission of WILL is to end the suffering of women lawyers.
We help you to SEE and LEVERAGE your unique brilliance.
You carry that into a career that powerfully aligns with your life and soul!
Hi, I’m Elena Deutsch, the founder of WILL – Women Interested in Leaving (big) Law.
I started WILL when I felt called to help bright, brilliant women lawyers who no longer want to toil away in (big) law, and didn’t know what else to do.
Many people ask if that’s my story too. It’s not. My dad was a lawyer and as a kid I always thought I’d be one. That all changed when I was 14. He didn’t come home one night because he was arrested for trying to embezzle money from a client.
I worked in public health until I discovered coaching. It felt like coming HOME! I did my coach training at NYU while working 4 days a week and raising young kids. As soon as I started coaching, I attracted lawyers. I joined a friend in his consulting firm where I coached women lawyers in big firms.
Whenever I’d ask these amazing women about their goals or if they wanted to make partner, they’d whisper, “Can I really talk with you about this?” After assuring them of confidentiality, I’d help them discover what they truly wanted to do.
After helping another big law attorney land a dream job (with unlimited vacation days!), I literally felt the idea for WILL shake me out of bed. Since then, WILL has helped dozens of women leave (big) law and feel free.
One of the biggest joys has been to witness the amazing ripple effects… seeing members and alumni be present with their partners, kids, friends and family. And mostly, with themselves.
Here’s a WILL story for you:
Laura was working with a fifth-year litigation associate in a big firm in LA.
She had money saved and had gotten clarifying ideas from her “WILL work”. But the pressure and stress of working in (big) law made it almost impossible to explore her new ideas. She decided to leave her job during the pandemic without something else lined up.
It was during the 2020 campaign. She volunteered for Biden and went to work for him in Detroit. After the election, she didn’t want to move to DC and definitely didn’t want to go back to practicing law. She knew she wanted to work for a progressive political candidate or elected official. Her end goal would be to be someone’s chief of staff.
Those conversations led her to connect with a female candidate running for City Council. (Who also happens to be a former big law attorney.) She’s worked her way up from volunteer, to campaign coordinator and is now the paid Campaign Manager. If this candidate wins, guess who’s in line to be her chief of staff?
I saw Laura recently while I was in Los Angeles and she said this:
“I’m using all the things that I’m good at, talking to people, building relationships and moving things forward. And it feels easy and fun. I never thought work could feel this way.”
Real results in WILL…
Before WILL I was panicked. I knew I had reached the end of my rope, and I was ready to leave. I felt trapped and scared.
WILL was like a ray of hope. I loved knowing there were other women out there like me, plus a whole program dedicated to this one common issue.
Because of WILL, I’ve made a healthy move, I feel like I’m in an entirely different place in my life right now.”
Working with Elena and WILL has done more to help me grow professionally in the past 8 months, than I have in the past 8 years. I was not confident about my job paths/prospects for quite some time and the work we have done has transformed me. I am very excited for the next chapter professionally, and I didn’t think that was possible.
Thank you! My new affirmation this week: “I have a law firm that makes $250K/year and has a positive impact in the world.”
In WILL Transform you…
Discover your TOP skills, interests, and values
Generate ideas for new possibilities that excite and inspire you
Quiet your inner critics, doubters and skeptics
Set and enforce new boundaries for what you are and ARE NOT willing to do
Speak with confidence and clarity about what you want so others can help you find it
Create a plan that you can follow
Feel powerful in yourself again
In WILL Transform, we start with YOU.
Everyone has different strengths, skills, interests and values. In WILL, we help you become crystal clear on YOUR gifts, talents (yes you have them!) and desires. We help YOU generate a list of possibilities that excite, inspire AND align with your values.
Through WILL, you easily discern whether an opportunity is right for you or not. If the answer is yes, you are ready to pounce! If not, you conserve the time and energy it would have taken to write a cover letter, tweak your resume and wonder if you’ll ever hear back.
When you have this level of clarity and certainty, doors start to open! Opportunities magically appear out of thin air. I’m not joking when I say that I’ve heard these exact words come out of many WILL members’ mouths.
It’s because you are actually doing something, instead of just thinking about it.
Maybe you’re feeling a little skeptical at this point…
What I want to tell you is this: I believe you can do this.
My belief isn’t just some feel-good blanket statement. It’s based on tangible evidence. This process has worked for DOZENS of women who have been in your position.
It’s not always easy.
You’ve got to do the work. No one else can do it for you.
I constantly hear women lawyers say, “I’m not afraid of hard work.”
If that’s you too, awesome! Let’s put that work ethic into effect for YOU.
In the WILL Community, there’s a collective power and purpose. You can tap into the energy, compassion and might of ALL the other women in the room!
Seeing what they are capable of fuels you to believe and go for your dreams too!
WILL Transform guides you to discover new possibilities.
We call this process EASE, which stands for:
- Elements – Clarify your unique skills, interests, values and the specifics of what you want in your work and life
- Appealing new possibilities – Generate a list of inspiring new options from YOUR elements
- Study and research – Learn how to have conversations that open doors and expand opportunities
- Engage in consistent mindset work to fuel action. Learn how our thoughts create results, and how to shift out of a negative mindset into one that drives you!
In WILL Transform, we hold your hand through a proven process.
The magic of WILL Transform is the synergy of these three components:
Course:
WILL Transform guides you step-by-step through a linear process. It takes the guesswork out of: “How do I figure this out?” guides your journey.
The course is hosted on a user-friendly platform that can be accessed anywhere from your phone, computer or tablet. Make progress while washing dishes, walking the dog or avoiding work.
The course includes:
- Six learning modules with short (!) lessons that were designed for busy lawyers (most are under 10 minutes)
- A pivotal Harvard Business Review article to create more energy and time
- Tools that guide your progress and document your journey
- Interviews with women who’ve left (big) law about how they did it
- Meditations and bonus materials to calm your anxiety, make effective decisions and create a new relationship with money
Coaching:
If you were able to make the changes on your own that you want, you would have done it by now. Coaching is a tool to help you become the person you know you want to be.
In WILL Transform, you are paired up one-to-one with an amazing, loving and skillful WILL coach who shepherds you through the process.
Your 1:1 WILL coach partners with you to:
- Guide you with love, focus, and accountability
- Quiet your inner critics and create new, expansive beliefs
- Strategize practical next steps
- Brainstorm amazing new possibilities that excite and inspire you
- Propel your in a forward momentum
Community
Gather with other smart, kind women attorneys also making their way out of (big) law. Everyone in “the WILL room” is there to shed the (big) law mentality and definitions of success, and design a career and life filled with greater predictability, purpose and enjoyment.
When you hear other members speak, you see yourself reflected through their words.
Jenny, a WILL member, said of her experience: “It was like she was in my head! She was saying aloud the things I’ve thought. It made me feel less alone. And that I wasn’t a freak.”
In order to participate in the WILL Community, everyone makes a confidentiality pledge. Then, you get to immerse yourself in:
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- A safe place where you connect with other women lawyers focusing on the same things
- Support, a shared experience and being around others who “get it”
- Facilitated conversations focused on progress, new perspectives and possibilities (not gripe sessions!)
- Love, support and understanding
- Training and deeper dives into topics such as mindset, money and manifestation
- An alumni network of former Members who are happy to help you with connections and introductions
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Bonus! Register by Friday, October 8th and
you’ll be eligible to join for the Sunday Sprint!
Learn how to curate miracle mornings and more alongside WILL Members and Alumni.
Flourish and finish the year strong! Begins October 10th!
All of these assets plus bonuses are valued together at $11,503!
However, when you decide to join us in WILL Transform, you’ll invest just $4997.
What would it be worth to you to regain control of your time, life and freedom? To know that you have access to the support and guidance to achieve your deepest wish?
Ready to get started today?
WILL Transform
Single Payment- Duration :: 6 months live support
- Lifetime access to WILL Transform Online Course
- StrengthsFinder Assessment
- WILL Community
- Specialized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
WILL Transform
Payment Plan- Duration :: 6 months live support
- Lifetime access to WILL Transform Online Course
- StrengthsFinder Assessment
- WILL Community
- Specialized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
WILL Transform VIP
Extra Features- Duration :: 6 months live support
- Lifetime access to WILL Transform Online Course
- StrengthsFinder Assessment
- WILL Community
- Specialized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
- 1:1 Coaching w/ Elena
- Custom WILL Assignments
Before WILL, on a good day I was treading water, on a bad day, feeling underwater.
Now I am swimming towards something new career-wise. I’m thinking about even more people I can reach out to. Going through this process and having these conversations has given me so much clarity.
I’ve gotten more gains from my investment in WILL than from anything else I’ve done self-improvement-wise in my life. In retrospect, I never would have questioned the money like I did.
WILL has been personal, deep, and transformative….so much more than ‘Find a new job.’” I’m a better spouse, mother, sister, aunt and friend. This is going to pay off for the rest of my life.
“In order to have something you’ve never had, you need to do something you’ve never done.”
If you could have made this change on your own, you would have.
Let’s imagine you could go to the store and buy “WILL Transform” in a box. You take it home, open it up and try it on. If it doesn’t work for you, you can return it!
If you don’t try, you’ll never know.
In WILL Transform, you learn how to do something you’ve never done.
Choose to believe you’re capable and will succeed.
Then watch the quality of your life improve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I’m not sure I want to leave the practice of law. Do I have to in order to join WILL?
A: Not at all! About 60-65% of WILL Members continue practicing law in their next role. It might be an in-house job, starting their own practice or continuing in their firm temporarily.
If they choose to stay at the firms or within the field of law, it’s an intentional, proactive decision.
Members often do this while they explore something else, develop a side business, or get new training or certifications. Some practice part-time to make money while investigating new opportunities.
You’ve invested a lot in becoming a lawyer. In WILL, we help you leverage that for a role that feels like it “ticks all the boxes.” That might be in law or something else entirely.
Q: How long will it take? I want out now!
A: Everyone’s WILL journey is different. No two are alike. However, this much is common: as soon as members begin WILL, they experience relief.
The Welcome & Foundations Module (that you gain access to immediately upon registration) will completely change how you manage your time and energy! You learn how to set and enforce boundaries so that your “no” results in more space and peace.
You make new decisions that prioritize your mental health and physical well-being.
Use that time to focus on the WILL work, and make a plan that helps you move out as quickly as possible.
Most firms don’t want to lose you. Most WILL members don’t want to rage quit. They choose to leave their firms with the relationship intact. You might be able to negotiate a leave of absence to give you a break and chance to recuperate. Many WILL Members have done this and are happy to share their experience.
Some women have decided to leave (big) law or their job before they have something else lined up. Whereas you might experience “What are you crazy?” from others in your life if you float this idea, in WILL we help you explore and support what’s going to serve your highest self.
Members often come to this depleted, exhausted and physically and mentally at their edge. We help you make a decision that doesn’t ignore finances, but does not focus solely on that. You make decisions based on what’s going to be best for ALL of you, not from fear.
You explore how you can fast track your progress and experience more immediate relief on a Community Call, or with your Coach.
Q: How much time should I dedicate to WILL each week?
We know it feels like you don’t have time. That’s part of (big) law – to keep you in fear that you are behind, and will never catch up on your billable hours.
Big law is designed to keep you so busy so that you don’t see how you could do anything else.
Do you want to continue and give your time/energy/life force to them? Or do you want to sanction time for you to do the work that helps you get out?
The choice is yours.
If you are interested, but believe you don’t have the time to do WILL, stop and think about that.
Time is our most valuable commodity. You can make more money.
You can never buy more time!
Do you want to continue spending your precious time and life force the way you are?
If not – WILL provides the structure, support and community to help you prioritize you! Members have told us, “When I made the investment, I dedicated the time to do it.”
One hour a week is enough to make amazing progress. It may not feel like you even have this. We will help you find, create and CLAIM your time foR your top prioriites – including sleep, your loved ones and YOU.
Q: I’m a junior and I hate it. I’m scared because I fear I may be giving up on law too soon. Is WILL for me?
A: WILL serves everyone from first years to 25+ year partners. If you hate it, and want to figure out what else you could do NOW as opposed to 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now, join us.
There’s often this thought about “sunk costs,” but what do you want to keep sinking your time and energy into?
How good would it feel to know what else you could do?
There’s a belief that you have to stay in big law to pay off your loans. That’s often based on the assumption that you will go from big law money to zero!
What about measuring “riches” only in dollars? How does your happiness, well-being and mental health factor into your decisions?
The bottom line, the only time we have is the present moment. If you want to speed up your journey to clarity, new possibilities, even joy – you can begin NOW.
Q: I’m a long time practitioner of law. Can I really make a change?
It is not too late for ANYONE. One thing I’ve heard fairly often is: “I’m too old. There’s nothing else I know how to do. No one wants to hire an overqualified lawyer.”
These are stories you are holding, but are they 100% true?
If you are open to exploring new beliefs that fuel new energy, action and results, then you can absolutely make progress in WILL.
We’ve had lawyers who practiced for 20, 30+ years make significant changes and leave the practice, start new careers and land amazing dream jobs. You can too.
Q: What if I can’t attend the Community Calls? Or I don’t want to because I’m worried that someone in my professional circle will find out?
A: First, all Community Calls are recorded and you receive the recording the next day. One Member, who made great progress, never attended a single live call, but the recordings were her favorite part of the program. She listened to all the calls afterwards, and related to all the women, even if she didn’t attend live.
Secondly, you can be anonymous on the calls. We meet via Zoom, and you can change your name, and not put on your video. It’s up to you.
Plus, everyone takes a confidentiality pledge to participate.
The Members who make the most progress the quickest attend and participate in the Community Calls. They ask questions, offer support for each other, and receive coaching to see new perspectives.
It’s also a boundary setting practice to block the Community Call time and protect it fiercely! Instead of “seeing if you can attend,” we encourage Members to put the time on their calendars and tell people that they are not available then.
This gives you ample opportunity to practice saying “YES!” to yourself first, and “NO” to the firm demands of your time and energy.
(You learn this boundary setting method as soon as you enroll!)
Q: What if I want more coaching? What if I am not done at the end of six months?
A: Both more 1:1 coaching and an easy month-by-month continuation process are available to keep your momentum going until you achieve your goals!
Q: What else do WILL members go on to do after the program?
A: Immediately following WILL, past and current members have gone on to…
- Work in epic real estate development, managing large scale projects
- Move into a learning and development role within their law firm
- Leave their law firm for a smaller, kinder practice
- Go to in-house roles at start-ups
- Do hybrid/business roles at start-ups
- Begin graduate programs in fields as diverse as mechanical engineering and nutrition science
- Choose to stay in their firms to save money, pay off loans, and do more informational interviewing
- Start a blog
- Launch their astrology business on the side, and grow it while still working at their firm
Here are some of the things that WILL members are working towards as they go through their WILL journey. Goals are big and small. It’s about creating a life that you enjoy and fully inhabit. Members have achieved and desire to……
- Become a public speaker and writer who helps women feel less dead inside
- Lead forest therapy guided hikes to heal lawyers and queer youth
- Needlepoint
- Raise scholarships money for marginalized kids to attend a very special summer camp
- Write children’s books
- Blog about feminist romantic fiction
- Refurbish old houses in New England so that they are energy neutral
- Write screenplays
- Become a comedian
- Write detective novels
- Guide white water river raft tours
- Positively impact nutritional social disparities
- Reform the foster care system
- Adopt children
- Have a baby
- Open their own interior design firms
- Become a chief of staff for a progressive politician
- Teach mindfulness and conscious play to lawyers and other adults
- Bake cookies over the holidays with their daughters
- Build an alpaca resort and enterprise
- Create social impact data art
- Tell the stories of black and brown girls and marginalized people
- Use the power of storytelling for social justice
- Enjoy work that is remote and flexible, so they can drop off and pick up their kids from school
The point is: no two WILL members’ dreams are identical. There is no one else like you. Your dreams are held sacred and nourished within the WILL community.
Q: Are you a lawyer too? Why are you doing this?
A: You can read more of my backstory on my About page, but in brief, I’ll share this.
My dad was a lawyer who lost his way. I always thought I would be a lawyer until he got arrested for trying to embezzle money from a client. It didn’t feel like a path I wanted to follow after college.
My mom was a social worker, family therapist, artist and student of metaphysics.
I always knew that I wanted to help people. During my career in public health, I discovered coaching, and I kept attracting women lawyers to me.
For me, coaching is about unleashing the power that you have within you to do good in the world.
Most women who are drawn to WILL want to do something more meaningful during their time here on earth. They’re either not sure what that is, or they’re afraid to say it out loud. They’re also afraid of what other people will think, or simply failing.
Mostly, they’re afraid they will reach the end of their life and regret not being courageous enough to try.
Helping people name and go for their dreams has been one of my greatest joys in WILL.
I want to help you unleash your power on the world.
The benefits not only impact members’ professional lives. Marriages improve. Parents become more present. You enjoy events with family and friends, without being glued to your laptop or phone.
The positive ripple effects of all this are beyond measure!
Ready for YOUR next step?
Enroll today!The one-on-one coaching has been amazing. And, I went into WILL skeptical about what I would get from the group calls. Honestly, that was a real awakening for me!
What an amazing community of women this is! The community of like-minded women are smart, and they want to write their own story and not follow the norm. That’s inspiring for me!
It’s never a waste of time or money to explore yourself, who you are, and remind yourself of your values and what’s important to you. We get bogged down by the daily grind, especially in big law. Taking the time to care for yourself is important and WILL allows women to do that.
In WILL, I leaned into my interests. I love learning new things, and that’s when I’m happiest. I had just gotten into Formula 1 racing, and I sensed that there was an entire ocean that I could just dive into and never get tired of. I applied to graduate school for mechanical engineering and got accepted to my top choice schools!!
Through WILL, I’ve gained the confidence to go forward and use the mindset tools. I’ve been able to push through a lot of fear, and learned that sometimes you just have to do it, even if it’s scary.
Still wondering if this is the right investment for you?
The first thing I’d like to say to you is that. I get it. This is a big decision, and even if you know deep down it’s right for you, you might have questions or concerns. I’d love to have an honest chat with you one-on-one. Click here to book directly on my calendar.
On top of that, I want to make sure you know that we have a built-in WILL Transform guarantee.
If within the first 14 days, you show up, do the work, and attend or listen to the Community Calls, and you are not satisfied, we will give you your money back (minus a fee for any 1:1 coaching sessions you’ve had in that time).
We would ask you to show your work. This is not an “I bought it, but got too busy with work” money-back guarantee.
This is an “I put in the work and gave it a whole-hearted effort, and it’s not for me” guarantee.
Fair?