Career Transition Planner

A 41-year-old litigation partner at a mid-size law firm has been saying she wants to move in-house for three years. The goal is credible — she has the skills, a relevant network, and a clear preference for the operational work of corporate counsel over the business development grind of partnership. She has never written a transition plan. Every coaching session produces good analysis and no action. The Career Transition Planning worksheet forces her to translate 'I want to go in-house someday' into a current-state skills inventory, a target role profile, a 12-month phased plan, and a risk assessment. The planning artifact is the diagnostic: what she puts on paper and what she omits both tell you something.

Frame this as converting a wish into a project. 'You've been clear for a while about the direction. What you don't have ...