The Creative Lawyer
The Creative Lawyer: A Practical Guide to Authentic Professional Satisfaction (ABA, Second Edition, 2014) is a self-coaching book for lawyers. It's a step-by-step guide to creating the career you want, whether inside or outside the practice of law, and is the ABA's best-selling book on lawyer careers.
I wrote the book because lawyers grown up being told, "you can do anything a law degree," but then receive no specific guidance on how to make that happen. This is the book I would have liked to have had as a lawyer or law student. I was very ambitious but was not sure what I should or could do with that ambition.
Testimonials about The Creative Lawyer:
"There is no book on the shelves to compare with The Creative Lawyer. Funny, well-researched, and provocative, it's an invaluable guide to under-standing yourself better—not just as a lawyer, but as a person. It's full of useful exercises, relevant case histories, and powerful insights, delivered in unlawyer-like concise and entertaining prose. The Creative Lawyer should be required reading for anyone who has taken the bar exam—or, for that matter, anyone who is considering taking the LSAT."
—Gretchen Rubin, author, The Happiness Project and Better Than Before, podcast host of Happier With Gretchen Rubin
"Whether you are living the law or leaving it, you need wise counsel to make your career meaningful. One part Socrates, one part Deepak Chopra, one part cheerleader, Michael Melcher is the ideal advisor for lawyers contemplating their options. The Creative Lawyer should be mandatory reading for anyone who has ever set foot in law school.
—Noah Feldman, Professor, Harvard Law School
"Michael Melcher takes the mystery out of finding and building a fulfilling career. He also breaks the process down into bite-sized chunks that even the busiest lawyer can find time to do in a week. I recommend this book to every attorney I counsel."
—Susan Robinson, Associate Dean for Career Services, Stanford Law School
