What 2025 Taught Government Attorneys About Transitioning to the Private Sector
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 17
- 5 min read
Written by Rena Hope Barnett Matthews, Attorney Career Coach
Rena Barnett Matthews is an executive legal recruiter with nearly two decades of experience placing attorneys in top law firms and Fortune 500 companies. A former practicing lawyer, she offers unique insights as a career coach, helping attorneys navigate career transitions and advancement in the legal field.
The year 2025 has marked a pivotal moment in legal career transitions. What began as routine career planning for federal attorneys has become a wave of decisive professional shifts, reshaping the legal marketplace.
Legal recruiters across the country are reporting unprecedented activity in government-to-private sector moves, with some firms facilitating double the number of placements compared to the last presidential cycle. This reflects not only individual career choices but a broader shift in how experienced legal professionals approach career navigation amid political and economic volatility.
The tipping point: When theory became reality
The Supreme Court’s July 8 decision to allow mass federal layoffs served as a critical catalyst. For many, it forced urgent career decisions. Even those whose roles were unaffected have found themselves reevaluating their professional paths, recognizing that the workplace culture, expectations, and long-term opportunities have shifted significantly.
In May of 2025, I wrote an article for GoInHouse about what looked like a likely exodus. Just a few months later, that prediction has become a reality. Layoffs have been confirmed in multiple departments, including the State Department, which announced reductions impacting hundreds of foreign service officers. Across the federal government, similar cuts are prompting what many describe as the largest reorganization of legal talent since the civil service system was professionalized.
But this moment isn’t just about contraction. It’s also a moment of opportunity for law firms, in-house departments, and consulting entities alike. Career attorneys with deep regulatory expertise, institutional knowledge, and high-stakes litigation experience are entering the private sector in droves.
Unlike the political appointees who typically rotate with administrations, these career professionals bring decades of specialized insight, and employers are taking notice.
What’s working: Strategies that drive successful transitions
Attorneys who are transitioning successfully share several common strategies. These approaches offer practical guidance for anyone contemplating a similar move.
Lead with expertise, not displacement
The most effective candidates present themselves as strategic hires, not as professionals seeking refuge from uncertainty. They focus on the value they bring, rather than the circumstances that brought them to the market.
Stay connected to your network
Professional relationships forged in government are critical assets. They provide insight into regulatory trends, early awareness of policy changes, and strategic intelligence that goes beyond surface-level compliance.
Translate your impact into business terms
Success stories must go beyond policy wins. Did you help an agency defend a regulatory position? Frame it as protecting stakeholder interests under pressure. Focus on outcomes: risk mitigation, operational efficiency, and strategic positioning.
Move quickly
This job market doesn’t wait. Timelines have compressed. Those who start preparing while still employed and move quickly when opportunities arise are best positioned for success.
Invest in strategic networking
Networking isn’t optional; it’s essential. The majority of senior-level placements are happening through personal connections, not job boards. Relationships open doors that resumes alone cannot.
Translating government experience for the private sector
One of the greatest challenges attorneys face is learning to frame their government experience in ways that resonate with private employers.
From policy to business
Private sector clients need more than regulatory guidance; they want strategic legal partners. Reframing advice in terms of business risk, ROI, and operational outcomes is essential.
From consensus to decisiveness
Government work often emphasizes consensus-building. In contrast, businesses expect clear recommendations, even amid ambiguity. Comfort with decisiveness is a must.
From mission-driven to metrics-based
Success in the private sector is measured differently. Attorneys must learn to define and track their impact using performance indicators that align with business goals.
Make the business case
Senior public-sector attorneys must show how their connections, insight, and reputation can translate into clients, business generation, or strategic advantages. That "Rolodex" isn’t just a list; it’s a potential revenue stream and a crucial part of any pitch to employers.
Why are many attorneys choosing the in-house route
While law firms remain a popular destination, many attorneys are finding their next chapter in corporate legal departments.
A familiar focus
In-house roles mirror the single-client model many government attorneys know well, allowing for deep engagement and strategic legal advising within one organization.
Regulatory value
Companies in regulated industries are actively recruiting former government attorneys for their insider knowledge. These attorneys become key players in navigating compliance and influencing policy alignment.
Operational clarity
In-house roles offer structure, predictability, and defined expectations, elements that can feel more comfortable than the hustle of private practice.
A collaborative culture
Working closely with business teams, in-house attorneys can see the direct impact of their work and influence outcomes beyond the legal department.
Ethics in an era of mass transition
As more attorneys shift out of government, ethical considerations are taking center stage.
Conflict of interest screening
Firms and employers must carefully evaluate conflicts, especially when multiple attorneys from the same agency are hired.
Post-employment restrictions
Cooling-off periods, lobbying bans, and appearance restrictions remain in full effect. Navigating them requires both planning and awareness.
Confidentiality mindset shift
Public service often involves transparency. In private practice, confidentiality reigns. Transitioning attorneys must quickly adjust to these new expectations.
Mindful marketing
Former public servants must be thoughtful about how they market their experience. Ethical self-promotion means leveraging expertise without overstating influence or breaching post-government limitations.
Future-proofing your legal career
This period of transition holds broader lessons for attorneys across the profession.
Broaden your toolkit
Attorneys with cross-sector skills in litigation, regulatory, strategic, and operational will be better positioned for future shifts.
Keep learning
Lifelong learning isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Certifications in areas like data privacy and industry knowledge of AI are rapidly becoming differentiators in a competitive market.
Strengthen relationships
Your network is your career safety net. Relationships built across government, firms, and industry provide insight, opportunity, and support.
Know your value
Learn to communicate how your work drives measurable outcomes. Employers want more than technical excellence; they want impact.
What attorneys should be doing right now
If you’re still in government but considering a move, now is the time to act.
Summer is traditionally a slower hiring season. Use this time to:
Refresh your resume with a private-sector focus
Reach out to mentors, former colleagues, and recruiters
Reconnect with your alumni and industry associations
Start planting seeds for a September job search surge
Strategic timing can give you a critical advantage.
Final thoughts: Reinvention as a professional mandate
This isn’t just a wave of transitions; it’s a demonstration of professional agility.
Success in the modern legal market requires more than credentials. It requires vision, adaptability, and the courage to take a strategic leap.
Government attorneys who approach this transition with intention are finding not just new jobs, but new levels of professional fulfillment and opportunity. And in doing so, they’re charting a path forward for others in a rapidly evolving legal world.
Rena Hope Barnett Matthews, Attorney Career Coach
Rena Barnett Matthews is an executive legal recruiter with nearly two decades of experience, placing attorneys nationwide and internationally in leading law firms and Fortune 500 companies. Her background as a former practicing attorney gives her invaluable insights into the legal profession. Rena has supported attorneys throughout their careers, from junior associates to managing partners and C-suite legal officers. As the founder of attorney-career-coach.com, Rena offers her expertise to law students, associates, counsels, partners, and in-house attorneys from junior to chief legal officers; helping them navigate the complexities of the legal job market and advance their careers, empowering them to reach their full potentials.
