By Erin Harrison
If you had asked me 20 (or more) years ago where I’d be today, I would have told you, with absolute certainty, that I’d be practicing law. Since high school, my path was clear. As an undergrad political science major preparing for my LSAT, I was on the right track. I had the plan. I had the vision of a linear, upward climb.
But life rarely moves in a straight line. Instead of a J.D., I found my voice as a writer and journalist. That curiosity for the “why” behind the “what” eventually pulled me into the world of legal PR. And in 2024, I took my biggest leap yet: co-founding my own agency. Looking back, that pivot wasn’t a detour. It led to my competitive advantage.
In preparation for the 7th Annual Women in Business & Law event, produced by Corporate Counsel Business Journal, I’ve been reflecting on why we are so often afraid to break from our career paths — and why, in the current landscape, staying “on track” might actually be the riskiest move of all.
The Myth of the “Perfect” Resume
We’re taught to value the ladder. For women in business, that ladder often feels more like a frayed climbing rope where one “wrong” choice — a career gap, a lateral move, or a total industry shift — is seen as a setback rather than a strategy. We’ve been conditioned to believe that staying the course is the only way to earn our seat at the table, yet the most innovative seats are often occupied by those who dared to step off the pre-determined path.
The data confirms that while we are flooding the pipeline, the “ladder” remains difficult to climb to the top. While women now make up over 50% of law firm associates, only about 28% of law firm partners are women. The trend is similar for in-house: while women are increasingly taking on leadership roles, they still hold only about 28% of General Counsel positions at Fortune 500 companies. Notably, when these top spots do open up, nearly half (46%) are being filled by women, proving that the appetite for female leadership is there, provided we are ready to venture into those roles.
In an era of tectonic shifts where AI is rewriting job descriptions and “legal engineers” are replacing traditional roles, the most valuable asset you have isn’t your past title; it’s your reinvention quotient. When I first transitioned from legal journalism to marketing communications, I was out of my comfort zone. But I soon realized that being a “misfit” is a superpower. It means you can:
- Connect dots that specialists miss.
- Communicate complex ideas across different departments (like law, finance, marketing, and IT).
- Navigate the “lifecycle” of an organization from the adrenaline of a launch to the grit required during a restructuring.
The Shift: From Using Tech to Governing It
We talk a lot about AI as a tool, but the real “next move” for leaders is shifting from how to use it to how to govern it. In our upcoming session, “The Next Move: Reinvention, Venture & Legacy,” my fellow panelists and I will dig into how AI acts as a talent amplifier. Whether you’re a paralegal moving into operations, like Liz Lugones, or a litigator launching an AI startup, like Jean Yang, the goal is the same: bridging the gap between human intuition and machine efficiency.
What Is Your Legacy?
Legacy isn’t something you leave behind when you retire; it’s something you build through every unpopular decision, every risk taken, and every pivot made.
At the CCBJ event on Feb. 25, we aren’t just going to talk about how to get the next promotion. We’re going to talk about how to build a career that is meaningful and enduring. We’re going to discuss:
- Emotional Quotient (EQ) as a Superpower: Using authenticity to lead in male-dominated spaces.
- Venture & Risk: How to know when it’s time to stop working for the machine and start building your own.
- The Power of Peer-to-Peer: Embracing the “Women 5.0” philosophy of high-level professional governance.
Join Us
If you feel like you’re standing at a crossroads, or if you’ve ever felt like a “misfit” because your path hasn’t been a straight line, please join us on Feb. 25 at Corporate Counsel Business Journal’s 7th Annual Women in Business & Law conference.
Let’s stop trying to fit into the old boxes and start creating new spaces to flourish.