Coaches for lawyers returning to practice
Coaches for returning lawyers help attorneys come back to practice after a career break, whether it was for caregiving, health, a family move or another career. Our guide to returning to law after a career break covers the steps and returnship programs; this page lists the coaches. This directory lists 5 coaches who name returning to law as a focus; 2 of them offer a free consultation.
The 5 coaches
Filter them by stage, format or state.
From public sources, A to Z
5 listings
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- Based in
- Portland, OR
- Meets clients
- Virtual
- Free consult
- Offered
- Published price
- Not confirmed
Susanne Aronowitz:
I have helped thousands of lawyers and other professionals achieve their goals.
Also helps with Career change, Job search, Leadership
Credentials and background: Law school career services experience.
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Shauna C. Bryce
Bryce Legal
- Based in
- Not confirmed
- Meets clients
- Not confirmed
- Free consult
- Not confirmed
- Published price
- Not confirmed
Shauna C. Bryce:
Shauna Bryce is a lawyer coach, as well as former AmLaw 100 Chief Legal Talent Officer, AmLaw 100 / 200 attorney, and in-house counsel.
Also helps with Career change, Job search, Partner track and 1 more
Credentials and background: JD, Coaching certification. Big Law experience, in-house experience and 1 more.
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Elizabeth Munnell
EHMunnell
- Based in
- Not confirmed
- Meets clients
- Virtual and in person
- Free consult
- Not confirmed
- Published price
- Not confirmed
Elizabeth Munnell:
I provide career coaching services to law firms, lawyers, law schools and law students
Also helps with Business development, Women lawyers, New lawyers
Credentials and background: JD. Big Law experience.
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Carroll Welch
Carroll Welch Consulting
- Based in
- Not confirmed
- Meets clients
- Virtual and in person
- Free consult
- Offered
- Published price
- Not confirmed
Carroll Welch:
Carroll is an executive, career and leadership coach who has helped hundreds of professionals in transitioning, relaunching or advancing in their careers.
Also helps with Career change, Job search, Leadership
Credentials and background: JD, ICF PCC, Coaching certification. Law school career services experience.
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Alex Williamson
Cor Talent Strategies, LLC
- Based in
- Not confirmed
- Meets clients
- Not confirmed
- Free consult
- Not confirmed
- Published price
- Not confirmed
Alex Williamson:
We help individuals and organizations align work and life, develop values-based strategy, and drive sustainable results.
Also helps with Leadership
Credentials and background: JD, ICF ACC, Coaching certification.
That is every coach who lists returning to law after a break, in the order above. Verified listings come first, then everyone else from A to Z by surname. No coach pays to be listed or to rank. Browse all 198 coaches.
Know a coach who works with lawyers and is not listed? Coaches can ask to be added on the For coaches page.
Returning to law at a glance
None of the 5 listings shows a published price, so ask on a first call.
The numbers
- Coaches listed
- 5
- Verified by the coach
- 0
- Work with partners
- 2
- Work with law students
- 1
- Meet by video or phone
- 3
- Meet in person
- 2
- Offer a free consultation
- 2
- Show a published price
- 0
- Have Big Law experience
- 2
Computed from the listings on October 16, 2026.
Who it is for
- Lawyers who stepped away to raise children or care for family.
- Lawyers returning after an illness, a spouse’s relocation or time in another career.
- Lawyers who never practiced after law school and want to start now.
- Lawyers who left firm practice and want to go back, including to a firm they left.
By career stage
- Partners 2 coaches who work with partners
- Law students 1 coach who works with law students
- Associates 1 coach who works with associates
When to hire one
- Several months before you want to start, so you have time to refresh skills and contacts.
- When you are unsure whether to return to your old practice area or try a new one.
- When you need a clear, short way to explain the gap.
- After an offer, to negotiate a schedule and settle into the first months back.
Before you start
Check your bar status first: what it takes to reactivate an inactive license, and whether you owe continuing legal education credits. Contract work, pro bono matters and CLE courses can refresh your skills and give you recent work to talk about in interviews.
Firms do hire back lawyers who left. In the NALP Foundation’s attrition survey, boomerang associates were 6% [1] of associate hires, so a former firm is worth a call.
When you are ready to apply, job search and lateral move coaches also help with resumes and interviews. Profiles show each coach’s format, location and any prices confirmed from the coach’s own website.
What coaches for returning lawyers charge
Prices that coaches in this specialty publish on their own websites.
None of the 5 listings in this specialty shows a published price, so ask on a first call. What a lawyer coach costs covers every specialty.
Questions about returning to law
What does a coach for returning lawyers work on?
The plan for your return: what kind of role to target, how to refresh your skills, how to rebuild your network and how to update your resume. Coaches also run practice interviews, especially for the question about the gap, and some help you negotiate a schedule and settle into the first months back.
Can I come back to law after leaving for another career?
Yes. Present the other career as experience: what you did, what you learned that a legal employer can use, and why you want to practice again. Then show you are current, with your bar status in order and recent legal work such as contract or pro bono matters.
Will my old firm hire me back?
It may. Firms do rehire lawyers who left: in the NALP Foundation’s attrition survey, boomerang associates, meaning former associates a firm hired back, were 6% [1] of associate hires. Contact the partners you worked with, explain what you did during the break and what you want now, and ask whether the group needs help.
Sources
- 1
In 2025, boomerang associates were 6% of all associate hires, down from 2024's 11%.
nalpfoundation.org/news/the-nalp-foundation-releases-latest-update-on-associate-attrition-and-hiring-(cy-25) NALP Foundation, retrieved October 14, 2026
Related guides
- How to return to law after a career break How lawyers return to practice after a career break: refreshing skills, bar status, returnship programs, explaining the gap, and coaches who can help.
- How to find and choose a career coach as a lawyer How lawyers can find and vet a career coach: what coaches do, what to ask on a first call, red flags, credentials and what coaching costs.