When Tyler Coulson left Sidley Austin in March 2011 to walk across the country with little more than $5,000, a pile of camping gear, and his dog Mabel, he knew only one thing for sure: He never wanted to work on corporate bankruptcies again.

A year and a half after concluding his coast-to-coast journey, Coulson, 34, is once again practicing law. And he has a few unsolicited words of wisdom for the 60 former Weil, Gotshal & Manges associates recently laid off by the firm.