Lawyer → Policy Advisor

This is a moderate transition with a typical 12-month runway and 60% skill overlap. Expect a -30% salary change, with strongest hiring demand in USA, UK, EU. Employers hiring today include Governments, Think tanks, Big Tech policy teams. Focus your first 60 days on closing the gap in Stakeholder Management.

1. 1Audit your Lawyer experience for transferable skills that map to Policy Advisor.
2. 2Close the top skill gap: Stakeholder Management.
3. 3Build 2–3 portfolio artifacts that demonstrate Policy Advisor outcomes.
4. 4Reshape your resume and LinkedIn around Policy Advisor keywords and outcomes, not job titles.
5. 5Run a targeted outreach loop to Policy Advisor hiring managers at Governments, Think tanks, Big Tech policy teams.

• ▸Why are you moving from Lawyer to Policy Advisor?
• ▸Walk me through a Lawyer project where you applied skills relevant to Policy Advisor.
• ▸Which parts of a Policy Advisor role are new to you, and how are you closing that gap?
• ▸Where do you see yourself as a Policy Advisor in 3 years?
• ▸Tell me about a stakeholder disagreement and how you resolved it.

• ▸Lead with a positioning line: "Lawyer transitioning to Policy Advisor, focused on Compliance and Communication."
• ▸Reframe Lawyer accomplishments using Policy Advisor vocabulary — outcomes, not tasks.
• ▸Surface 60% of overlapping skills at the top; put Lawyer-only work later.
• ▸Add a "Selected projects" section featuring 2 artifacts aligned to Policy Advisor.
• ▸Quantify impact: dollars, users, uptime, cycle time — whatever a Policy Advisor manager cares about.