by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Changing careers later in life is not uncommon. Going from being a well-established lawyer to an inner-city elementary school teacher is.
Linda Kane, a real estate development attorney at Holland & Knight since 1982, is experimenting with alternate career paths in a big way.
“When I turned 49, I started down a path of self-reflection,” said Kane. “I realized I would be working another 20, 30 years and thought I’d like to try something else.”
Coincidentally, the law firm began a mentoring program called Opening Doors for Children, which encourages attorneys to get involved with at-risk children. Under the program, Holland & Knight partnered with John E. Ford Elementary School. To assist with the project, Kane volunteered to tutor students each week.
“I did that because they needed an additional person,” she said. “It [a profession in education] never occurred to me before. I loved it. It became the high point of my week. My passion for education had been lying dormant. I said, ‘If I don’t try it, I don’t know if I’ll be good at it.’ ”
With money in the bank and her children on their own, Kane pursued her dreams. It took her five years to save enough to afford the transition.
Kane had also worked with the Reading is Fundamental program at the I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless. The dire situations of those children in transitional housing drove home the importance of a good education.
“I realized they were signing off on their own death warrants,” she said. “If you can’t read, you can’t get a good job or even find out about options outside of the world around you. For children to have access to books is critical.”
Kane credits her grade school teachers with providing her a good foundation. Now she wants to give that same care to those who don’t have as many opportunities. Her willingness stems from her trust in the American way of life.
“It’s my belief that unless we have an educated population, we can’t expect to have a real democracy,” she said. “Public education provides the basis for our ability to run government. I’ve seen these children in classrooms learn and I want to be a part of it. Inner-city schools is where they need teachers. That’s where you can really make a difference. I thought of doing something else but nothing grabbed me emotionally like this does.”
This is not her first excursion into other professions. Kane holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology. After working three years at a state mental hospital in upstate New York, Kane embarked on a 25-year stint in the legal practice. She will be attending the University of North Florida next semester to become a certified instructor and hopes to be teaching full-time for the 2003 school year. According to Kane, the starting salary for school teachers in Duval County is a little over $28,000.
“It will be difficult but I’m excited about it,” she said. “I’m an archetypal Baby Boomer. I believe it is part of your obligation as a citizen to do something. I’m willing to acknowledge that this may be a huge mistake. After I’m into it for a while, I may think an office on the 39th floor on the river would be nice.”
Kane is not the only one in her family making a mid-life detour.
Her husband, Andy, a physician at Shands Jacksonville, is going back to graduate school to study mental health counseling. He continues to work part-time at the hospital while taking classes at the University of North Florida.
“He’s looking to integrate the spiritual and psychological into medicine,” she said. “He’s not looking at not being a doctor.”
Both native New Yorkers, the Kanes will once again attend school together, just like 30 years ago.
She has stepped down from her position as executive partner, but will continue to practice law part-time as she transfers her cases to another Holland & Knight attorney, Melissa Turra.
“Law school filled a lot of needs I needed to do with my life but it didn’t fill them all,” she said. “It taught me to be more logical, inquisitive and results-oriented. It has enabled me to make decisions I needed to make but there are aspects of the law that wear you out over time, especially things that relate to litigation.”
Kane says she has noticed many of her friends and colleagues opting for a change of pace.
“I think I’m part of a national trend,” she said. “I think people will ponder about what they’ve put on hold while growing their careers. Variety sounds trivial; this is rounding out part of my life that I’m most interested in. I feel strongly it’s time for me to give back.”