Cantrell eventually decided to make a transition out of music in the 1980s due to a decline in the number of venues where she could sing in her preferred style, the size of her audiences, and her working conditions.

[3] She decided to pursue a law career in part because a former manager had spent much of her earnings over the years and she wanted to protect other performers from similar experiences.

[9] After graduation, she began practicing law with the firm of Ballon Stoll Bader & Nadler in New York City.

[3] In 2019, Cantrell's license to practice law in the state of New York was suspended due to an undisclosed medical condition.

[19] Beginning in 2017, Lana Cantrell's RCA Victor albums have been reissued for the first time on compact disc in Hi-Res audio, replacing years of poor quality bootlegs on YouTube.