Staying in a toxic law firm because you want to help change it can feel like a good reason to stay. You want to get to a position where you have more influence and can use that influence to make the environment better. The question is what staying long enough to get there is costing you along the way.
The harder part is that toxic environments can change your sense of what is normal or acceptable. You can start out very clear about what feels wrong and, over time, become more comfortable with things you previously would not have accepted. If the goal is to eventually use your influence to create change, you also have to be realistic about the difference between playing the game to get there and becoming part of the machine.
In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about the cost of staying in a toxic law firm because you want to change it from the inside. She explains why toxic environments can change your sense of what is and is not okay, why gaining influence can make it harder to use that influence the way you originally intended, and why it is important to keep reassessing what staying is doing to you.
0:30 - Staying in a toxic law firm because you want to change it
1:45 - Lawyers think about the cost of leaving, not the cost of staying
2:15 - Staying to fix the environment can change you
3:08 - Playing the game to make change versus becoming part of the machine
4:21 - What happens when you finally have the influence you were waiting for
5:23 - Your conscience can be formed by your environment
6:18 - Being clear about who you are and what you are willing to do
7:50 - When the effect staying is having on you is a reason to reassess
Mentioned In The Cost of Staying in a Toxic Law Firm
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