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Original poster

Solicitor wanting to become ex solicitor

113 replies

StuckSolicitor · 07/10/2023 10:15

Help!

I’ve name changed as this is seriously outting in the small world that is law. I’ve changed some small details.

I am a solicitor in a really niche property law area. I have practised as both a contentious and non-contentious solicitor for 25 years. And on my goodness but I can’t keep going. I started out wanting to help families which failed at the first hurdle because I ended up getting a training contract at a corporate law firm and so got nowhere near anything other than large scale, high value clients and their matters.

I took 4 years out when I had my 3 children - not on maternity leave, I just quit and didn’t have a paid job for that time. And I went back when my youngest was 18 months.

I hate how the job has changed. Time recording is now the absolute be all and end all. Targets, business development (for which we seemingly receive no credit), supervision, marketing, know how, CPD, compliance and regulatory issues, being a team player, keeping up with the latest buzz words from the partnership and on and on and on it goes. All in making sure the PEP is as high as it can be.

The question is what on earth can I do instead? I’m based in a very rural part of England and cannot move for various family reasons so the job options seem limited. I would like to be able to do something that had more soul to it and meant I was doing something good. At the moment I simply seem to be making rich people richer and that sits very uncomfortably with me.

Are there any solicitors out there who have successfully become ex solicitors? I need to earn a minimum of £40,000 per annum as my husband’s teaching job is not very secure and we still have a large mortgage (although our house is small and nothing special - 2008 banking crash walloped us).

Any ideas or experiences?

OP posts:
LovelyMMOG · 07/10/2023 12:30

I’d look at the civil service- doesn’t have to be legal you could also do delivery as you have all sorts project management experience. Decent hours, 60% wfh, great pension.

Nn9011 · 07/10/2023 12:33

I have a friend who went into policy roles instead for large companies. I don't remember the actual name of the role but essentially she works in the legal department making sure their policies are following regulations. Something like that might be good and a lot of those jobs are now home working x

TeenLifeMum · 07/10/2023 12:33

What about company secretary role (eg in nhs) or governance type role? (NHS, insurance etc). Anything that requires attention to detail in documents is a transferable skill.

mushti · 07/10/2023 12:38

Start your own law firm, and be the kind of lawyer you want to be.

Why does it take until the third page for someone to suggest that? Or did I miss an earlier post?

Original poster
StuckSolicitor · 07/10/2023 12:47

I’m going to call reignite and have a look at the civil service too.

I think my practice is too niche to set up my own firm. If I did residential conveyancing or wills/probate work I’d definitely look into it.

OP posts:
BlueSkiThinking · 07/10/2023 12:48

mushti · 07/10/2023 12:38

Start your own law firm, and be the kind of lawyer you want to be.

Why does it take until the third page for someone to suggest that? Or did I miss an earlier post?

Perhaps because the OP has said she hates networking events, has significant caring responsibilities and needs to be the spouse with the secure salaried job.

MinnieMountain · 07/10/2023 12:58

Is your local water company advertising? I did mat leave cover in one. It’s a niche area that they don’t expect people to have trained in.

Or try one of the big licensed conveyancers to see if they have title lawyer roles. That’s what I do- we deal with the complex work on files for colleagues. No targets.

mushti · 07/10/2023 13:02

BlueSkiThinking · 07/10/2023 12:48

Perhaps because the OP has said she hates networking events, has significant caring responsibilities and needs to be the spouse with the secure salaried job.

Show quote history

I have a family member who has exactly the same likes, dislikes and responsibilities. The law firm they set up by themselves is going really well. It allows them flexibility in care hours, requires zero networking, and generates a significant income. That's why I suggested it.

TheWayOfTheWorld · 07/10/2023 13:07

StuckSolicitor · 07/10/2023 10:15

Help!

I’ve name changed as this is seriously outting in the small world that is law. I’ve changed some small details.

I am a solicitor in a really niche property law area. I have practised as both a contentious and non-contentious solicitor for 25 years. And on my goodness but I can’t keep going. I started out wanting to help families which failed at the first hurdle because I ended up getting a training contract at a corporate law firm and so got nowhere near anything other than large scale, high value clients and their matters.

I took 4 years out when I had my 3 children - not on maternity leave, I just quit and didn’t have a paid job for that time. And I went back when my youngest was 18 months.

I hate how the job has changed. Time recording is now the absolute be all and end all. Targets, business development (for which we seemingly receive no credit), supervision, marketing, know how, CPD, compliance and regulatory issues, being a team player, keeping up with the latest buzz words from the partnership and on and on and on it goes. All in making sure the PEP is as high as it can be.

The question is what on earth can I do instead? I’m based in a very rural part of England and cannot move for various family reasons so the job options seem limited. I would like to be able to do something that had more soul to it and meant I was doing something good. At the moment I simply seem to be making rich people richer and that sits very uncomfortably with me.

Are there any solicitors out there who have successfully become ex solicitors? I need to earn a minimum of £40,000 per annum as my husband’s teaching job is not very secure and we still have a large mortgage (although our house is small and nothing special - 2008 banking crash walloped us).

Any ideas or experiences?

There are actually a huge amount of possibilities out there now.

Set your own thing up, join a virtual law firm like Keystone etc where you decide how to bill (eg some are doing fixed fees rather than billable hours), be a consultant. You don't have to be a slave to all the nonsense Grin

TheWayOfTheWorld · 07/10/2023 13:08

Good comments re Obelisk, Reignite etc.

StowOnTheWold · 07/10/2023 13:09

@mushti Yes it was a good suggestion.
As to networking, it is not necessary. Referrals will happen. Networking is really misunderstood and in many ways outdated. It has never been about working a room and securing sales. It is about being yourself, however geeky, demure or technical a person is. Joining in the conversation, making some observations but listening most. Less is more.

clickandcollectagain · 07/10/2023 13:12

I have a friend who's in charge of contracts and compliance at a large charity and she used to be a solicitor. She's a director so I would imagine she's on an above average salary. If you want to do something that feels like it has more soul, I think lots of charities would love to have a legal person on staff (saving them a lot of fees). Or, would setting up your own small practice be doable or is that just more of a headache?

An idea anyway!

TheWayOfTheWorld · 07/10/2023 13:15

StowOnTheWold · 07/10/2023 13:09

@mushti Yes it was a good suggestion.
As to networking, it is not necessary. Referrals will happen. Networking is really misunderstood and in many ways outdated. It has never been about working a room and securing sales. It is about being yourself, however geeky, demure or technical a person is. Joining in the conversation, making some observations but listening most. Less is more.

Very true. There are lots of ways now to get in front of potential clients and referrers.

mushti · 07/10/2023 13:16

StuckSolicitor · 07/10/2023 12:47

I’m going to call reignite and have a look at the civil service too.

I think my practice is too niche to set up my own firm. If I did residential conveyancing or wills/probate work I’d definitely look into it.

With great respect, I think you might be selling yourself short. You have 25 years of experience in a lucrative and niche area of property law. Set up a boutique firm working in that area. Going back to high-street conveyancing would be throwing away your unique selling point.

Whichwhatnow · 07/10/2023 13:20

I went in-house pretty much as soon as I qualified. May be a little more difficult in a niche role (I'm general commercial contracts) but worth getting in touch with some recruiters? I hated working for the big corporate firm I trained at for all the same reasons as you. In-house is another world.

Other options that ex corporate lawyers I know have gone for include legal recruitment, corporate social responsibility officer for a law firm, company secretarial, charity law, and consulting. I did short term consulting for a few years (still always in-house) and loved the freedom it gave me to pick and choose contracts, get involved in project work etc, without the pressure to seek promotion and always trying to excel/stand out/brown nose your superiors! Might be too unstable for you given your need for stable salary though.

A lot of in-house roles are also wfh or hybrid now too. I'm currently working for a London company but fully wfh in the regions (only pop in for work parties and big events etc on occasion) which suits me brilliantly.

StowOnTheWold · 07/10/2023 13:25

@StuckSolicitor

@mushti makes a very good point about your skills. Working for yourself will be very rewarding. You have to get organised first with things like PII and IT but when that's done you can take on only that work that suits you. I cannot see how you can fail really.

Whichwhatnow · 07/10/2023 13:29

A few more other ideas for in-house jobs that aren't necessarily corporate/commercial - I had interviews/offers from the Evironment Agency, the Met Office, the real estate management dept for a major supermarket and a couple of universities in my consulting days. All very different from my usual work which is contracts/IP/software based - you'd be surprised how open many places are to applicants with transferable skills but not specifically relevant experience!

Original poster
StuckSolicitor · 07/10/2023 13:41

These are all fantastic ideas and I’m extremely grateful.

I’ve got to log off now (got to go and check Dad has taken his meds, do his shopping and change his bedding - usual Saturday afternoon routine!) but I’ll log back in later to see if anyone else has added anything.

OP posts:
WrongSwanson · 07/10/2023 14:15

Have sent you a DM with a few bits of info @StuckSolicitor

Good luck!

Dibblydoodahdah · 07/10/2023 14:28

I work in-house after over 10 years in private practice. I am so much happier now that I’ve got rid of all the business development/marketing, invoicing/chasing bills, targets and time recording. I’m a commercial contracts lawyer and most in-house jobs I see advertised are for commercial or corporate. But some do come up for property lawyers from time to time. A property solicitor friend used to work for a big housing association in-house. Also, if it’s a very general in-house role they may be willing to take you on, even if it’s at a more junior level. I earn 90k working fully remote
as a senior legal counsel. Hours are much shorter than when I was in private practice at a top 50 firm.

Shakenbutbarelystirred · 07/10/2023 14:52

Fee paid judge in the Land Tribunal? Or salaried but they probably come up less often? Fees are around £520 per day, so you wouldn’t even need to work full time. Some would be remote working but not all. You would need to apply at the next round of jobs for the First Tier Tribunal in general, and ask to be assigned to the Land Tribunal.

Starseeking · 07/10/2023 14:53

I'd go in-house if I were you, joining a legal team or corporate governance/company secretarial team. At your level you should easily pick up £90-120k as a full-time salary, though would need to pro-rata for part-time working.

For guaranteed flexibility, CS is probably your best bet. A mum friend of mine works for the government legal service and only has to go to the office 1 day a week, compared to my 4!

EarthlyNightshade · 07/10/2023 14:59

Legal publishing?
You can train quickly and easily as a copyeditor/proofreader if you have those basic skills and then the legal part gives you a niche to work in.
Probably most likely freelance but you might find some freelance contract roles.
Not the best paid business but you could easily hot £40,000-£50,000 once established.

PinkyBlueMe · 07/10/2023 15:08

I'm a consultant solicitor in family law. It's honestly the best move I ever made.
Some consultancy firms have a team that actively finds leads, and some don't.
I've found the leads I find are generally better and more suited to me, but I don't heavily market. I've joined a networking group which helps but I'm not naturally great at networking. You also find work comes from other consultants too.
Pay is a percentage of what you invoice, so isn't a fixed amount but I have never earned less than when I was employed, and earn significantly more. I'm self employed so pay my own income protection and pension but still a lot better off.
Some consultants live overseas so location isn't important.
Do feel free to pm if you'd like to ask anything.

Fahbeep · 07/10/2023 15:08

I'm in private practice. I hold on to my sanity by remembering that it's basically a non-job compared to what my grandparents had to do to scratch a living. My special talent is getting people out of jams (or dispute resolution as the firm likes to say). I hate it most of the time but do get to WFH a lot and it's well paid. If it wasn't for our need for money though, I'd resign on one day's notice 😂. They wouldn't miss me. There is an endless supply of over enthusiastic twenty somethings ready to work 60 hour weeks for a Pat on the head and a promise of jam tomorrow (partnership). Anyway, not much help on your question but feel your pain!