Chill With Jill: How a Law Degree Can Lead to Careers in Organizational Leadership

What’s it like to manage diverse organizations and bring together different personalities and achieve goals? Guest Jill Epstein is a lawyer by training but has spent more than two decades managing organizations and associations. She is currently the CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of California and has served as executive director of the San Diego County Bar Association, among other leadership positions. 

Epstein found her own path, bringing people together, during her internships while attending law school. That opened a new horizon. For her, managing teams and developing innovative solutions was a more appealing career than the traditional law firm or government litigator route. Working for a variety of associations, she has carved her way by leading associations as they navigate shifting priorities, evolving technologies, and demands. 

For lawyers, there’s more than practicing law in the traditional sense. Epstein built on her education to develop skills in budget management, human resources, bringing diverse parties together, solving problems, organizing, managing meetings, and driving initiatives.

Did you graduate from law school only to find that practicing law isn’t for you? Your law degree and the critical thinking skills you’ve developed are still the springboard to a variety of careers in leadership.

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

Topics:

• • A law degree doesn’t limit you to a career practicing law. The critical thinking and negotiating skills you learn in law school open a path to a variety of leadership fields.
  • Guest Jill Epstein was inspired by her law school internships with membership organizations and has enjoyed decades of challenging roles leading a range of membership organizations.
  • Leadership skills apply no matter an organization’s membership and specialty. Understanding how to navigate boards and members with different perspectives apply across fields.
    

Resources:

Toastmasters International: https://www.toastmasters.org/ 

ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ 

Claude AI: https://claude.com/

San Diego County Bar Association: https://www.sdcba.org/ 

ABA Techshow 2026: https://www.techshow.com/

Special thanks to our sponsors ALPS Insurance and CallRail.