For more than three decades, Jeff Richman represented people who couldn't afford a lawyer.
"I've always been a fan of the underdog," he told CNBC.
Although Richman enjoyed the work of being a criminal defense attorney, he grew tired of the stress, so in 2007, he became the historian of Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he specializes in tourism.
Tours of the cemetery grounds, as well as the catacombs and mausoleums, are big business. Green-Wood, a National Historic Landmark, attracts about a quarter of a million people annually, and TripAdvisor rates it as one of Brooklyn's top 10 attractions.
That's a positive turn, as the cemetery is running out of its primary product: burial sites.
Read more about Richman's transformation from lawyer to graveyard guide below, part of CNBC's "Escaping the Cube."