This week on the Law School Insider podcast we welcome Nicole Abboud, host of the Gen Why Lawyer podcast to our show to share her own law school journey as well as the journey she has been on to find passion in her career and practicing with passion always!
Nicole Abboud mentioned that she made the decision to go to law school because initially was told by many that she should be a lawyer because she loved to argue. The more she looked into the field that more she wanted to be a lawyer, not only because she would be able to help others but also because she would be in a position of power.
During college Nicole Abboud did apply to law school and was accepted and as she stated she simply loved law school and being in an academic setting. She was drawn to family law and some of the concepts of divorce so she took all of the courses that she could on family law while in law school. While in law school she tried to fill her summers and 3L year with externship opportunities so she could learn the most that she could prior to graduating.
The other thing that Nicole Abboud spent time doing was building her brand and her network. Through involvement on campus, attending meetings and volunteering she was able to build a strong network that she maintains today.
Upon graduation she was able to find part time work in a family law firm but found quickly that she did not like working in family law. She did not know whether it was just family law that she did not like or something deeper so she left family law but her employer allowed her to try out some other areas of the law and she did this for a few years.
From there she decided to open her own practice and focus on the fasion industry and transactional law as this was a group of clients that she felt passionate about helping at the time. She felt the high and excitement for a few months after starting the new business but then started to feel the sense of unhappiness setting in again.
Nicole Abboud started to wonder whether she was alone in these feelings of unease and unhappiness for her career choice so she asked others and found that there were other professionals that were in the practice of law that felt the same way, so she decided to start the Gen Why Lawyer podcast as a way to reach out to young lawyers to explore their stories and see what they were doing to find the passion in the field. Through her interviews on the show she has tried to bring inspiration to others through the passion that others have found in their careers whether it be in the law or not. As Nicole mentioned, it has been most important to find people that are finding joy in their life and their career and bringing these messages to others.
Through her experiences in creating the Gen Why Lawyer she has decided to creaste a new company called Abbood Media and it is a company that will help lawyers with content generation and with marketing of a practice in a positive way, ultimately changing the practice of how this is done in the profession.
As you are thinking about law school Nicole Abboud mentioned that you should be thinking about a few things:
- Think deeply about law school. Do not let anyone make you feel pressured to go to law school. Think about the life that you want to have and whether law school and the legal professional will allow you to do this.
- Take care of yourself during law school
- Don't be afraid to build a brand for yourself.
Learn more about Nicole Abboud:
- Website: www.genylawyer.com
- Twitter: @nicoleabboud
- Instagram: @nic_abboud
- LinkedIn: Nicole Abboud
Did you like this interview? Do you have a question for Nicole Abboud? Leave a comment below to let me know!
Are you a practicing lawyer? A law student? Would you like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the Law School Insider or do you have a topic you would like to hear about? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu
