I'm an employment lawyer at a law firm and about 80-90% of my practice is litigation. Employment law definitely opens up opportunities for non-litigation/ better lifestyle options in-house or in a senior HR position. But, you would need prior employment law experience for those type of positions. What about getting an LLM in tax then practicing into trusts and estates? A friend who used to be a litigator did that and it has worked out really well for her. She's at a small firm and the hours are very reasonable and predictable. Good luck!

I worked 4yrs in BiG Law litigation followed by 3yrs in a house committee and have taken the last 4 years off to raise my kids. I want to return to law, but don't like litigation (nor the very long hours). I'd like to go into a very different type of law -- like HR or employment. Most jobs require 4+ yrs of experience. What can I do right now to help get a job? Thanks!