any former attorneys?
husband is a commercial real estate attorney looking for a career change.  what he lacks in his current role is interaction with other humans and a generally relaxed/collegial office environment.  he feels a great deal of stress from year-end billable requirements and from the general old-school formality of a traditional law firm.   he's thinking becoming a CRE broker may be a good move; we live in a city where the industry is booming.

is there anyone out there who went through a similar career change and can explain the pro/cons of the change?

additionally, does commission become "the new billable hours," in that it's the thing always on your mind stressing you out?
[{"id": "dlhxs0y", "text": "Can speak a bit for brokerage (although I've worked with many RE attorneys as well) and would say that the brokerage commission structure tends to be pure commission. The stress may not be from someone breathing down your throat to hit more numbers by the end of year (although that's always important as well) but more so that you / family may not make it financially if you don't close enough. ", "replies": [{"id": "dlj4ta3", "text": "thank you very much.  apparently a firm he's in initial interviews with pays a (modest) base salary; didn't realize how much of a rarity that was", "replies": [{"id": "dlklxdi", "text": "It's a trade off between risk and reward. Usually the higher the risk, the higher the top end potential income, but if you can have a modest base while you are gaining experience that's a good situation.\n\nI'd recommend working somewhere as part of a good team or with a good mentor. It's going to be much harder to make it solo and there will be a million situations that come up that he likely hasn't seen before, so having access to experience and existing relationships is key.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dli4r16", "text": "Yes! I am an attorney switching over to the broker side. I'm in a bit of a different boat in that I'm a solo attorney. Very stressful. Not very lucrative. Lots of work. \n\nI feel like (at least in my experience) people would just rather not hire an attorney. It's usually because the client is facing something bad. So they never really appreciated the work I did for them: hiring an attorney is associated with bad money. In addition, the value of attorneys is just going down (that's a whole other topic). \n\nOn the other hand, people in real estate are all just looking for better and better deals. It's a more positive experience. Working with other people in an office is positive. In my situation, they like having an attorney as part of the group. \n\nThe other thing is that your \"competition\" is more collaborative than in the legal field. You are both trying to get a deal done and get that commission. \n\nThat said, it's not ALWAYS that way. There are plenty of pitfalls, but it just seems like it's much less stressful. \n\nAs far as commissions: it can take a while to build it up. The potential, though, is all in your hands and is much more controllable. And, depending on what you are used to as an attorney, the commissions can be very high for not a ton of work. \n\nFinally, almost every attorney I've spoken to wished that they could go into brokerage. Especially the old timers. When I tell them that I'm getting out of the law game, they look at me with such envy. \n\nI'm glad I'm making the transition. ", "replies": [{"id": "dlj4tn3", "text": "very helpful insight!  thank you", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dli64g8", "text": "I did it but not for long. I wasn't a cre lawyer though. It's a very tough business and very saturated, unless you already have relationships with sellers. Your husband might. If not, he needs to be comfortable cold calling and getting laughed at and hung up on 100 times a day. It's hard to demonstrate value in this business, and I'm not sure being a cre lawyer translates to selling property quicker and at a higher price. \n\nHeres an idea. He should call or meet up with some of his clients who own commercial real estate. Ask if they're happy with their broker. He can run the idea past them. If they're enthusiastic it means they might list with him. \n\nFrom the complaints you related, I would say he should just go into solo law practice. He can have more control and earn money much quicker.\n\nYes, commission will be just as stressful. But he won't even have a base salary to fall back on. So now he's looking at a month where he earned $0 and wondering if next month will be the same. Good brokers don't even celebrate a big sale, they are too busy trying to get the next listing.", "replies": [{"id": "dlj4s5i", "text": "thank you!  really helpful", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dli91lv", "text": "Might want to look at in-house counsel for a developer.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dlkford", "text": "My dads shop had an attorney who worked for them for a bit and it's always good to have an attorney around but no matter where you start, it's going to be a grind the first couple of years before you make any real money. You will have to build a book of business and be ready to really grind it out. It really helps to have connections in the industry. Some larger shops may offer a base or base initially but it's usually straight commission.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dlklsf3", "text": "Former attorney, now broker here. Still stressful, but a different stress. \"additionally, does commission become \"the new billable hours,\" in that it's the thing always on your mind stressing you out?\" - Yes, exactly. You are never required to work, but on the flip side you may feel guilty for not working, since you never get paid vacation either.\n\nPros:\n\nSet your own schedule, work with people you like (or at least control this more), no billable hours, get to meet interesting people, not stuck in an office all day, rewarded for efficiency rather than ass in seat time, results based, many legal aspects where a law degree is useful.\n\nCons:\n\nMost brokerage jobs are pure commission, so you don't close you don't eat. Yes, you set your own schedule, but always feel you should be working. You don't automatically get checks on Fridays and it doesn't take many Fridays of earning zero before it starts to sting. Potential to make a lot, even more than some attorneys, but building a book of business can/will take years. A deal make take a couple years of work to turn into a paycheck. First couple years will likely be very lean.\n\nBut if you can make it through those first couple years, it's very rewarding and challenging, just don't expect huge dollars right away, you'll have to pay your dues and it is tough, so you better work your ass off and have some savings or a second income to live off of in the meantime.\n\nedit: One more point. If a real estate attorney and a real estate broker are working on the same sale of a building, the broker will generally make multiples of what the attorney does if and when the building sells. But the broker will have spent many many more hours getting the deal to that point and will get zero dollars if it falls apart at the last minute. The attorney gets paid less, but gets paid regardless of whether the transaction takes place or not.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dm043mg", "text": "If he doesn't understand dealmaking / the business side of CRE rather than just the legal beagle side, he's in for a rough ride, IMO.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]