# One Career in Three Acts: Big Law, Contract Work, Plaintiff Firm

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/i-am-the-law-172861/one-career-in-three-acts-big-law-contract-work-plaintiff-firm
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/i-am-the-law-172861/one-career-in-three-acts-big-law-contract-work-plaintiff-firm.md
Podcast: [I Am The Law](https://stenobird.com/podcast/i-am-the-law-172861)
Published: 2026-07-15T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.lawhub.org/podcasts/i-am-the-law
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/0f09dc4d-b059-4de9-9ee2-ef457a47a54b.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/i-am-the-law-172861/episodes/one-career-in-three-acts-big-law-contract-work-plaintiff-firm
Duration seconds: 1972

## Resource

Charles Star thought he'd become a union-side labor lawyer but like many law students, he followed the pull of Big Law instead. The prestige and paycheck were there, but the work left him unfulfilled. Charles walked away to pursue stand-up comedy, supporting himself as a hourly contract lawyer. Eventually he landed on the plaintiff side, where he works as a staff attorney on consumer class actions and feels connected to the work. In this episode, Charles reflects on golden handcuffs, career pivots, and what it takes to find a legal path that fits. Charles is a graduate of Columbia Law School. This episode is hosted by Katya Valasek. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more about Juno and private student loans Access LawHub today! Learn more about Haynes Boone LLP

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## Transcript

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