Susan Rubin — DA’s Office to Yoga Maven
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“I never disliked being a lawyer, but I knew there was more out there for me. The greatest advantage my career change brought was flexibility.”
• Graduated from Syracuse University, 1980
“I always thought I would do public service or, if that didn’t work out, become a law professor.”
• Graduated from Widener University School of Law (Delaware), 1983
• Queens District Attorney’s Office 1983-1988
• Yellen & Freedman law firm (NYC) 1988-1991
“I worked very long and unpredictable hours at the DA’s office in Queens; courts can be open all night, and trials can take a long time. After having children, I realized criminal law was not conducive to raising a family.”
• Partner, Heilman and Rubin (White Plains), 1992-2001
“Real estate law was a much better path of law for raising a family—nobody does transactions in the middle of the night.”
• Started teaching yoga, 1997
“I loved yoga and wanted to share it.”
• Opened Sage Yoga (Armonk), 2001
“Opening a business was definitely not spur of the moment. It took me about four years to make the transition, since I needed to make sure I was financially able to open my own business.”
• Sold Sage Yoga to retire, 2014
“I chose to retire at this point in my life so I could spend even more time with my family.
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Ayall Schanzer—Corporate Attorney to Business Executive
“When you’re midway through life and have a family, there are so many expenses and stresses to think about. I made sure I was equipped in this field before I made the change.”
• Graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (NYC), 1993
“I always wanted a job where I could help people. Since I can’t stand the sight of blood, I thought being a lawyer would be the best path for me.”
• Manhattan District Attorney’s Office 1993-1996
“I wanted to go into public service because my father was a Holocaust survivor who came to this country with $30 in his pocket, and he taught me the importance of civic responsibility.”
• Rosenman & Colin LLP (NYC), 1996-1999
• Director, UtiliSave (NYC) 1999-2002
“One day, I had the epiphany that I’d rather hire lawyers than be one.”
• CEO, Creative Cost Management (Stamford, CT) 2002-2007
• President and COO, MBG Expense Management (NYC) 2006-2007
• MBA, Cornell University, 2007-2009
“I’d already been an executive and decided to get my MBA to sharpen my skills and learn about my mistakes.”
• President and Chairman Profit Scout LLC (Scarsdale) 2007-2010
• Chief Strategy Officer Salient Management Company (Horseheads, NY), 2010-2013
• Chief Investment Officer, Patria M2 Capital LLC (Delaware), 2013
•CEO, Friedland Realty Advisors (Yonkers) present
“I like the predictability of my job now; I can always pull back the reins if I want more time at home. As a lawyer, I could always get a phone call that could change my hour, day, month, or year.”
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Rosa Calabriese — Real Estate Lawyer to Spa Owner
“I loved being a lawyer, and I still consider myself a practicing attorney for one very busy client—myself.”
• Westchester Women’s Health (White Plains) 1976-1982
• Graduated from Pace Law School (White Plains), 1986
“I always knew I wanted to study law; it had been my dream profession since high school.”
• Calabrese and Calabrese(White Plains), 1996
“I started working with my husband at his law firm; when his partner left, he asked me to take over. At this point, I had two young girls that I wanted to spend as much time with as possible, and real estate law enabled me to have more flexible hours.”
• Owner, Rachele Rose Day Spa (Hartsdale), since 2008
“My sister and I always liked going to spas, and I decided I didn’t want to continue practicing law. [Opening a spa] was a total change, but my sister and I wanted to deliver the
kind of service we liked receiving.”
