Side gigs can lead to career turns, clients, or some much-needed fun

As you look to 2025 as a lawyer and think about personal development goals, consider the following: Start a side hustle.

I know, I know. You are a busy lawyer. Your day job is 50, 60, 70 hours a week, you can barely drag yourself home at night, and maybe you have a partner, kids, friends, sick parents, anyone who needs attention. There’s no time for a second job! But I think that’s why you need a part-time job. It can add a lot to your life, personally, professionally and financially if you do it with intention.

I’ve had a part-time job since I was a young federal prosecutor. I accepted an offer to co-teach a forensic science graduate school at a local university and teach FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration employees how to testify in court.

It was a weeknight, and I knew the extra money on top of my government lawyer salary would come in handy. What I didn’t expect was the joy of teaching – I really enjoyed helping other people do their jobs better.

And I discovered the secret of teaching: you often learn as much as you teach. I received great tips from the other co-teachers on how to guide and cross-examine experts, and I gained a better understanding of forensic science from the students.

My entire career was changed by a hobby that pushed me to do completely new things. A friend convinced me that my legal training had made me too “left-brained,” always focused on logic and reason. I needed something to help me get in touch with my creative side, so I bought my first camera and enrolled in a weekend photography course.

Three years later I was selling prints at local galleries. It was more than a nice financial relief – it made me appreciate nature, it made me look at the world in a more creative light, and I met interesting people.

However, the big win came when I started using a small website called eBay to buy and sell the unusual photography equipment I needed. My success at eBay made me a good candidate when the company wanted to hire a lawyer in 1998. My transition from federal prosecutor to technology lawyer changed my life and it all started with a part-time job.

Do you think a photography business is crazy about a lawyer? A former Justice Department colleague bought a food truck and opened selling gourmet hot dogs in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. He loved cooking and always looked much happier when I saw him handing out food to a long line of tourists than when he was wearing a suit and practicing law. Some people thought he was crazy when he left his job as a lawyer, but the last time I saw him he was running a successful restaurant and loving life.

I know lawyers who do stand-up comedy on the side (litigators are often great at public speaking and thinking on their feet), tutor students for LSATs, write a book, and even work as a bartender. If you’re able to write a short text, you might enjoy writing a novel – Scott Turow and John Grisham are just two of the many lawyers-turned-authors.

Several NFL referees, including longtime National Football League official Ed Hochuli, worked at private law firms during the week and in the offseason. A good part-time job can help you explore if you’re thinking about a career change or just bring a fun change into your life.

A part-time job can also help you further develop your career in the legal profession. A good friend was working as a personal injury attorney when he learned about corporate immigration work. He took the initiative to learn more and began engaging some business immigration clients to try out the practice. Things took off, and years later he was running his own immigration company with over 100 employees.

Even if your side hustle doesn’t immediately result in billable hours, it can be helpful in other ways. You can start small (and make some extra money) by teaching a bar exam course, speaking on a podcast, or preparing to file your taxes. You may experience a lot of personal satisfaction and meet great people coaching a sports team or helping a nonprofit organization with its legal work.

Now for the inevitable legal disclosure: Even as law firms and companies become more open to having their employees take on additional tasks, you shouldn’t take your job for granted. You owe your best interests to your primary employer and should familiarize yourself with your company’s code of ethics to understand the policies that apply to outside activities.

If you think about it, side hustles are also informal networking and can help you expand your law practice or meet clients who can turn you into a rainmaker.

Or it just gets you out of a rut, helps you relax and puts a smile on your face.

Rob Chesnut advises on legal and ethical issues and was previously General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb. He served as a prosecutor in the Justice Department for more than a decade and writes on internal, corporate and ethical issues.

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