For labor and employment partner Michael Viccora, it took the death of his parents to realize he wanted a chance at a second career. So after 25 years at Seyfarth Shaw, he decided to wean himself from law firm life and pursue his first love: teaching high school social studies.

At 51, Viccora is now enrolled in a teacher certification and master’s degree program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. His last day of work in Seyfarth’s Washington, D.C., office was Sept. 30.