01/19/2025
Social Work Skills and Traits That Transfer to the Practice of Injury Law
The path to a career in the law isn’t always a straight line.
Many of the staff at Deuterman Law Group have followed the traditional route of college followed by law school or professional training and certification (in the case of paralegals). But many have found their way to the law through other careers and fields.
We’re focusing on one of those fields today — social work — and highlighting the skills and traits that transfer to the practice of injury law. If you’re a social worker looking for a job change, a paralegal position or law school might be the answer. You’ll be able to leverage your compassion, strong relational and critical thinking skills, advocacy, negotiating and problem-solving expertise into a rewarding legal job that allows you to help people and offers good work-life balance with competitive salary and benefits.
Deuterman Law Social Security Disability attorney Billie Guthrie and paralegal Tori Stressman both made the transition from jobs in social work, mental health and social services to the law. They’re sharing their insights about making the career change, the social work skills that have been invaluable in their new careers, conquering burnout, and the differences in job satisfaction.
Skills that Transfer
Many of the skills that social workers learn in college or on the job are things law firms look for when hiring attorneys, paralegals and other legal support staff. The so-called soft skills, such as the ability to communicate and relate well with others, can be as important as legal experience and knowledge.
A drive to help people and a commitment to social justice are very important in this line of work. If you are a social worker with these skills and capabilities, you may be well suited for a career in the law:
- Interpersonal and relational skills including compassion, patience, and empathy
- Adaptability
- Experience in advocacy
- Communication skills
- Negotiating and mediation skills
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Ability to manage a caseload or multiple projects
- Experience in setting boundaries firmly but kindly
- Knowledge of government and social service agencies
- A desire to help people
- A drive for social justice
- Time management skills
For people considering a support staff job at a law firm, “I think people would be surprised by how much you don’t have to know,” Tori said. “You will learn the legal part on the job or through specialized training. If you are feeling burned out, it could be a great job for you.”
The Social Work to Legal Pipeline
It’s not unusual for social workers to make the switch to the law, especially if they become burned by the demands of the field. Others with degrees in social work bypass their field of study altogether, putting their skills and expertise to work in other professions.
According to Fortune magazine, “17 percent of new social workers had landed jobs leveraging their social work skills—but not in roles defined as social workers—and another 5.8 percent were working in non–social-work positions.” The data comes from a 2020 report from the National Association of Social Workers based on three years of surveys.
Indeed lists paralegal as one of the 10 top jobs for social workers looking for a career change.
The University of Massachusetts Global also recommends paralegal work as an alternative career for social workers:
“In addition to their experience as advocates, social workers are also adept at mediation and negotiation. These abilities could set you up for a successful career in law. Your writing, research and communication skills could also come in handy.”
Many universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill, offer dual-degree programs that allow students to earn a Master’s of Social Work degree along with their law degree. Campbell Law School and N.C. State also offer a joint-degree program,
From Mental Health Advocate to Attorney
Attorney Billie Guthrie has a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina. Before becoming a lawyer, she was a practicing social worker for over a decade. She worked in a variety of settings, for both non-profit organizations and government entities. Billie designed and implemented programs for youth and adults living with mental health issues; did community organizing and county- and state- level policy advocacy regarding juvenile justice involved youth with emotional and behavioral health concerns; she did similar community organizing and policy advocacy for adults and families experiencing mental illness and homelessness; and she authored and administered federal housing grants to increase supportive and affordable housing for adults and families who were living with serious health or mental health conditions. Billie’s social work career, in sum, was a mission to improve the lives of those most vulnerable in our community.
After experiencing some professional burnout, Billie needed a career change and law school provided that path. As an attorney, she helps her clients navigate the complicated and often frustrating Social Security Disability system with compassion and empathy to ensure the best possible outcomes. In this role, she can continue to effectuate the change essential to her mission as a social worker, but she achieves it through guiding her clients through the legal process of obtaining disability benefits.
The traits that made her a good fit for social work also work to her advantage as an attorney.
“I think the most transferable skills are the ability to relate to and counsel others, to analyze and think strategically, and to actively listen to others without judgement.” she said. Billie’s past work experience also equipped her with knowledge about various mental health disorders and empathy for people struggling with them. She also has an insiders’ knowledge and familiarity with the social services system.
As with social work, Billie is often dealing with people at their most vulnerable, when they are stressed out, hurting and financially stressed. But as an attorney helping her clients secure their Social Security Disability benefits, she is able to focus on solving one problem for them.
“As a social worker, you can feel like you’re a jack of all trades, pulled in so many different directions. You have to help with every problem. As an attorney, my time and efforts are best spent on resolving my clients’ disability cases,” she said.
“You are using the system which can often be very frustrating as a social worker, you’re using that very system to change lives.” Billie said. “As an attorney, you gain knowledge of the wall and you figure out how to help your client get over it rather than hitting it every time.”
From Burnout to Better Work-Life Balance
Tori Stressman said having one clear goal for clients — securing their Social Security Disability benefits — is one of the things she really likes about being a paralegal, compared to her past jobs.
“You get to see the direct result of the work you’ve been doing for a client,” she said. “It’s a great feeling when a person gets approved for benefits, especially after we’ve been working with them for a while. We know that they’ve gotten their back benefits and they’re getting their ongoing monthly payments. There is one goal, and it is to get our clients their disability benefits.”
Tori has a master’s degree in gerontology, and she focused on working with aging people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Before joining Deuterman Law Group three years ago, she ran her own business providing in-home care to older adults with Alzheimer’s, dementia and other cognitive issues. She also was the general manager of A Special Blend, a coffee shop in Greensboro that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“I loved what I was doing,” Tori said. “But it was just not a job that I could turn off.”
She found herself feeling overwhelmed and burned out by the round-the-clock demands of her previous job and never feeling like she could help enough. There was always a different type of problem she needed to help her clients solve and a different social services or government bureaucracy to navigate — all with little professional support.
As a paralegal, Tori works as part of a team with a support network of other professionals. “I don’t have to know everything, and I don’t have to do it all alone,” she said.
When Tori joined Deuterman Law, she also was looking for a job with better benefits and work-life balance than her previous positions. Even more than the salary, she values the paid time off, health coverage, retirement plan and other benefits.
And after a long day at the office, she likes knowing that she can log off her computer without feeling things are unfinished.
“I’m still doing what my passion is and helping people one on one,” she said. “But it’s in a more controlled environment. My phone is not blowing up after hours with things that need to be done.”
The Deuterman Law Group is always looking for skilled, compassionate people to join our team — even if you don’t have a background in the law. We recognize the valuable skills that candidates from diverse careers and backgrounds bring to the table. If you’ve worked in a field where empathy, advocacy, research, communication, and a commitment to helping others are central, please visit the Careers page on our website to learn more.
