• I was in a similar situation and the transfer from law firm life to the corporate world in and of itself was enough to do it for me. It was the best professional decision I ever made.

Counsel Responses:

• Totally anecdotal, but it seems like making plans is better than taking the whole time to relax at home. I think it is too much of a change to go from 110% work to pure leisure unless you have a long break to acclimate.

Attorney and Associate Responses:

• Congrats!! Do whatever makes you happy. Personally, I took a seven-week break before lateraling. Spent around two weeks in the aggregate traveling; part of which was to see friends/family but also several days on a “personal retreat” of sorts (stayed at a quiet hostel in a national park, hiked, read, etc). I also started seeing a therapist and did a lot of yoga. Checked out a ton of library books. I would just go to the library and grab whatever looked interesting. I also caught up on projects around the house. It was the holidays so I did a lot of fun baking, too. My husband is on a similar break now and has plans to build a wood shop and work out/get back in shape.
• I went on a month-long yoga certification retreat program abroad. 10/10 would recommend.