Klein gravitated toward mediation because she felt it was both a strength of hers and something she really enjoyed . “ I liked doing mediation , that ’ s what I liked most about doing work with the court , and I could still do what I enjoyed doing most ,” she said .
Klein likes the different types of cases she sees in private mediation . “ Every day is completely different than the day before . That was somewhat true when I was on the court , but we would see a lot of the same types of cases over and over again .”
Factors to Consider in Making the Switch
Purdon , Hovey , and Klein said there ’ s a transition that occurs moving between public and private practice that attorneys should consider before making the switch . Hovey recommends anyone interested in a judgeship seek a wide range of cases and clients if they ’ re in private practice . “ I ’ m grateful my practice was as general as it was . I did criminal law , a lot of family law , general civil litigation , and defended insurance companies , so I had a fairly broad practice area .”
Government work doesn ’ t necessarily translate into a lighter workload or stress level . “ I would push back on that a little bit ,” said Purdon .
While the schedule may be more reliable outside of trial work , “ there ’ s no real appreciable difference in stress level ,” he said . “ When people talk work-life balance , they ’ re also talking stress level , and I don ’ t think there ’ s a perfect job . There are trade-offs regardless of where you ’ re working .”
Regardless of any trade-offs , if a lawyer is looking to transition from private to public work , or vice versa , they are certainly not alone . As Hovey , Purdon , and Klein demonstrated , happiness and thriving legal work can be found in a variety of law jobs . There ’ s truly not a one-size fits all approach .
Hovey said there ’ s a greater learning curve for new judges coming to the bench if they ’ ve focused solely on one area or have worked only on prosecution or criminal defense without dealing with the North Dakota Rules of Civil Procedure . Purdon echoed Hovey , explaining the move between private and public work can make a lawyer better at both . “ Bouncing between them makes you a better public servant , and it makes you a better lawyer because you ’ ve been on the other side of the table ,” said Purdon .
On the other side of the coin , if you ’ re moving from government work to private practice , you should plan for several things , according to Klein . “ What kind of work are you going to take on , what kind of support network are you going to have , do you want to be doing that work solo or part of an organized practice ?”
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Purdon agreed . “ It ’ s not easy to bounce out of the public sector and start anew at a law firm . When I started at Robins , I walked in with zero book of business , and it took some time to ramp up . It ’ s important for your employer to understand it ’ s going to take some runway . The flip side is , going from a private law firm to public service , you have to realize you give up some freedom to do that . The hours are more predictable , but you have to honor the taxpayers ’ contribution . Sometimes flexibility can go away a little bit .”
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