Helping Attorneys Thrive with Confidence and Strategy – Interview with Rena Hope Barnett Matthews
Hi, I’m Rena Barnett Matthews. I’m a former practicing attorney turned executive legal recruiter, with over 20 years of experience in the legal industry. I’ve navigated major market shifts – from the Great Recession to COVID-19 and have successfully placed attorneys in both law firms and in-house roles across the U.S. and internationally. I’ve helped attorneys at every level, from junior associates to General Counsel.
Through this work, I saw a clear gap in the industry. After law school, attorneys often lack access to personalized, strategic career guidance from someone who truly understands both the practice and business of law. There’s rarely someone in their corner – an advocate who is focused solely on their growth, not on making a placement. That realization was the seed for what became www.attorney-career-coach.com.
Rena Hope Barnett Matthews, Attorney Career Coach
What inspired you to launch Attorney Career Coach, and how did your legal background shape your approach?
I created Attorney Career Coach to fill a void. While there are great general career coaches and many who help lawyers transition out of the profession, very few support attorneys who want to stay in the field. My coaching is rooted in practical experience and is free from placement bias. I understand lawyering and the legal market, and I’m here to advocate for attorneys at every stage of their professional journey.
How do you tailor your coaching for attorneys at different stages of their professional journey?
I offer a flexible range of coaching services, designed to meet attorneys where they are:
Bi-monthly group sessions, focused specifically on interview preparation. These low-cost sessions are perfect for law students, judicial clerks, junior attorneys, and those in the nonprofit or public sectors looking for support in a relaxed, affordable setting.
One-on-one interview coaching, focused solely on interview skills. Available as single sessions or in packages, for attorneys who want personalized guidance.
Comprehensive junior attorney coaching, covering resumes, deal or matters list development, opportunity targeting, and how to manage the everyday challenges of legal practice, as well as positioning for advancement.
High-level strategic coaching for senior attorneys, including counsel, partners, and in-house leaders. This includes business plan development, client development, networking strategy, practice building, and long-term career advancement.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
If I could change one thing, it would be to start career education earlier, while attorneys are still in law school. Law schools tend to focus on BigLaw placement because those jobs come with prestige and high salaries, which impact law school rankings, but that focus can be short-sighted. Students aren’t always given a realistic or holistic view of the profession, or what different paths can lead to over time. Sure, your first job out of law school could be with a top-tier litigation practice, but you might never get to see the inside of a courtroom. What will that mean when you are seven years out and need to develop a book of business or market your skills as a litigator?
I’d love to help law students understand the long-term implications of their early career choices. With more context about the business of law and real-world trajectories, they could make better-informed, more personally meaningful decisions from the start.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
Like many people, I went to law school because I was a strong student, and because I could get the loans to pay for it. I assumed that once I had a BigLaw salary, repaying that debt would be easy. What I didn’t realize was how the combination of debt and cost of living would limit my options after graduation.
It took years of soul-searching, financial discipline, and career exploration to find what truly fulfilled me. Now, at 50, with decades of both personal and professional experience, I’ve found a role that not only draws on my background but brings deep satisfaction: helping attorneys navigate their own careers with clarity and confidence. I think the experiences I had personally, combined with the vicarious experiences of the hundreds of attorneys I have worked with through the decades, provide me with invaluable insight that helps me better understand and assist my career coaching clients.
