Former Lawyer Llc

What Former Lawyer Llc does

Former Lawyer LLC is a privately held career coaching company founded in 2019 by Sarah Cottrell, a former Biglaw litigator and appellate court staff attorney who left legal practice after a decade. The company targets individual lawyers who are dissatisfied with or burned out by legal practice and helps them transition to alternative careers through the proprietary Former Lawyer Framework™, a 5-step values-first methodology. Core paid offerings consist of The Former Lawyer Collaborative™, a year-long cohort-based community program with periodic enrollment windows, and 1:1 personalized coaching with Sarah Cottrell; a free downloadable guide ('First Steps to Leaving the Law') and The Former Lawyer Podcast (300+ weekly episodes) function as top-of-funnel acquisition and trust-building assets.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer, service-based coaching and content company rather than a technology platform. There is no proprietary software stack; the company runs on standard web infrastructure including WordPress for the website, ActiveCampaign for email marketing, Stripe and PayPal for payment processing with recurring billing and installment support, and Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel for analytics. The technology stack is commodity, and differentiation resides in the trademarked methodology, the personal brand of the founder, and the deep content library of podcast interviews featuring former lawyers across diverse alternative careers.

Revenue is generated primarily through two recurring subscription streams — annual enrollment in The Former Lawyer Collaborative™ and monthly 1:1 coaching engagements — supplemented by one-time purchases of paid digital guides and mini-courses. Pricing for the premium offerings is not publicly disclosed and operates on a quote basis following a free consultation. The company is founder-owned with no external institutional investment, operates with 1-10 employees supplemented by contractors, and is domiciled in Media, Pennsylvania, with no physical client-facing office.

Name

Former Lawyer Llc

Legal name

Former Lawyer LLC

Website

https://formerlawyer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Former Lawyer LLC is a founder-led career coaching company that helps individual practicing lawyers transition out of legal practice through a proprietary 5-step Framework™, a year-long community program, 1:1 coaching, and a 300+ episode podcast content library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Media

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. The Former Lawyer Collaborative™ (Group Program): Year-long community program built around the Former Lawyer Framework™. Provides resources and community support to help lawyers implement the framework and transition out of legal practice. Enrollment closes August 31, 2026.
2. 1:1 Coaching with Sarah Cottrell: Personalized one-on-one coaching sessions tailored to individual circumstances, enabling lawyers to take action toward career clarity using the Former Lawyer Framework™.
3. Digital Guides and Educational Content: Free guide (First Steps to Leaving the Law) available as lead magnet. Additional paid mini-courses and educational materials available for purchase.
4. Payment Processing: Payments accepted via Stripe and PayPal. Installment/pay-over-time options available for course and program purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Former Lawyer LLC provides career coaching and community programs that help practicing lawyers transition out of legal practice into alternative careers. Its core paid offerings are The Former Lawyer Collaborative™, a year-long group program built around the proprietary Former Lawyer Framework™ (a 5-step values-first process), and 1:1 personalized coaching with founder Sarah Cottrell. Supporting offerings include a 300+ episode podcast and a free lead-magnet guide.

Product overview

Former Lawyer LLC is a values-first career coaching company for lawyers. The core offering consists of The Former Lawyer Collaborative™ (a year-long community program) and 1:1 Coaching With Sarah Cottrell, both built around the proprietary Former Lawyer Framework™. Supporting content includes The Former Lawyer Podcast (300+ episodes), a free guide 'First Steps to Leaving the Law', and blog resources. The company helps unhappy lawyers ditch their soul-sucking jobs and identify alternative careers through a structured 5-step framework focused on values clarification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Former Lawyer Collaborative™: A year-long community program built around the Former Lawyer Framework with resources to help lawyers implement the career transition process. Enrollment closes August 31, 2026.
• The Former Lawyer Framework™
• The Former Lawyer Podcast

Products and services

• The Former Lawyer Collaborative™ A year-long community program built around the Former Lawyer Framework™ that provides resources, coaching, and peer support to help lawyers identify alternative careers and implement career transitions. Enrollment closes August 31, 2026.
• 1:1 Coaching With Sarah Personalized one-on-one coaching sessions with founder Sarah Cottrell, tailored to individual circumstances using the Former Lawyer Framework™ to help lawyers take action toward career clarity. Pricing requires booking a free consultation first to determine fit.
• The Former Lawyer Podcast Weekly podcast featuring honest conversations with former lawyers and advice/strategies for lawyers looking to leave legal practice. Includes 300+ episodes with interviews and solo content, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Overcast.
• First Steps to Leaving the Law (Free Guide) A free downloadable guide for lawyers who want to leave legal practice but are unsure where to start; serves as an entry point and lead magnet into the Former Lawyer ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of lawyers have completed the transition process through coaching and community programs since 2020
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lateral Link: Legal recruiting firm placing attorneys in lateral moves — addresses a related need (lawyer career mobility) but with a placement-fee model rather than coaching.
• Vault: Established legal career research and employer rankings brand; comparable audience of lawyers researching careers, though more informational than coaching-oriented.
• Above the Law: Legal media outlet with extensive career-change and lateral-move coverage reaching the same reader base; a content/channel competitor for attention and ancillary services.

Emerging players

• Professed: Career coaching platform for professionals navigating transitions; adjacent offering that could expand into the lawyer-niche or compete for cross-profession customers.
• The Happy Lawyer Project: Coaching and content focused on lawyer well-being and career fulfillment; partial overlap with Former Lawyer's audience but more oriented toward in-practice satisfaction than exit transitions.

Direct peers

• Esquire Coaching: Provides career coaching and consulting services tailored to lawyers and legal professionals, directly competing for the same dissatisfied-lawyer customer segment with comparable service offerings.
• JD Career Coaching: Career coaching service aimed at attorneys and J.D.s exploring alternative careers, overlapping closely in target customer and value proposition.
• Leave Law Behind: Career coaching practice specifically helping lawyers transition out of legal practice — the closest direct competitor to Former Lawyer, serving the same persona with a similar coaching-plus-content model.
• The Lawyer Whisperer: Specializes in lateral moves and career strategy for lawyers, including in-house transitions — competes for the same lawyer-customers considering alternative legal roles.

Others

• Lightcast (formerly Burning Glass): Labor market analytics provider covering legal occupations — adjacent, enabling infrastructure that supports career-transition decisions for the same audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCh2z7jrOgIk6nI-BX1Nw5xA
• Facebookfacebook.com/formerlawyer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/former-lawyer-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/formerlawyer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Former Lawyer Llc