Committee on Lawyers in Transition

About the Committee

The Committee on Lawyers in Transition was initially formed to address the challenges faced by attorneys who have left the workplace temporarily, for brief or extended periods, on maternity or paternity leave, or because of family or other obligations, and then wish to return to the workforce after such absences. With the great number of lawyers finding themselves in "transition" not by choice as a result of the economic downturn, the committee’s began to also focus on attorneys who had been laid off.  Additionally, with the number of attorneys approaching mandatory or voluntary retirement, the committee had been working to address the needs of such attorneys as well.  The committee and its programs are also focusing on other types of transition, whether upon entry to, exit from, or those made during the course of an attorney’s career.

If you are currently unemployed, looking to make a career change, leave your current job, transition back to the workforce after time away from the profession or approaching retirement, the Committee on Lawyers in Transition is here to help

Committee Chair:   Jessica Thaler, Esq.


History of the Committee

In August 2006, NYSBA president, Mark H. Alcott appointed Lauren J. Wachtler, Esq. to chair a new committee to be called the Special Committee on Women Lawyers in Transition: Returning to the Workforce/Legal Profession. At the first meeting, the name of the committee was changed to the Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition.  The committee's mission was changed to include all transitioning attorneys. 

At the November 2008 House of Delegates meeting, the Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition was made a Standing Committee of the New York State Bar Association.   

Jessica Thaler, Esq. was appointed Committee Chair on June 1, 2011.