Business Class
(Not So) Extreme
Career Makeover
Kick off 2011 with
a fresh plan to
breathe new life
into your career
BY DENNIS MCCAFFERTY
When Dena Lefkowitz started out as a
personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia,
she envisioned herself as a David facing
down many Goliaths, pursuing insurance company executives who sought
to avoid paying what was due to those
in need. Sometimes there were cases to
cherish: She once successfully represented a widow whose firefighter husband died of a heart attack on the way to
a blaze, after the insurer argued that the
death was not work related.
But such moments were too infrequent. There were so many fender-bend-ers and other relatively inconsequential
cases. They dragged on for what seemed
an eternity, thanks to defense attorneys’
“delay, delay, delay” legal tactics and
endless appeals. Meanwhile, she grew
discouraged as her chosen field’s reputation took a hit.
“I recall thinking, ‘How did the pro-
fession of trial lawyer become a menace
to society?’ ” she says. “This was in the
midst of going through endless streams
of medical records, depositions and
subpoenas. The stress of constantly
meeting unforgiving deadlines kept me
up nights. Any personal gratification
was outweighed by daily pressures. I
had enough.”
But instead of completely abandon-
ing law, Lefkowitz opted for a career
makeover. She did research and found
that lawyers in government work are
among the happiest. So she volunteered
at her firm to represent some school
districts when the designated education
attorney was unavailable. She performed
well enough to get more work and used
it as a résumé builder. When a legal posi-
tion opened up with the School District
of Philadelphia, she presented herself
as a polished, winning candidate and
landed the job. She felt reborn.
