To quit at this point (law)

[LostInLaw]

Sorry, I know AIBU might not be the best place to post, but following from someone else’s post about leaving a career in law and the helpful advice there, I wondered if anyone could help me. Long time poster/lurker (cancel the cheque!) just name changed.
I’m just over half way through my TC, due to qualify in 2018. Currently sat in a seat which I do quite like (employment).
But I hate my job. I hate the people and the culture, I hate the inconsistent hours and the “presenteeism”.
I have been severely ill whilst training- I almost quit two months into the job due to this illness. I was off last month due to severe anxiety and depression. Until I started this job, I had barely ever been ill and never missed a day of work/school/uni in my life.
I’m not bad at my job. Being ill etc has made it hard to fit in, and life-wise I’m in a different place than a lot of the people I train with, so I’m quite lonely. But I’ve had very good feedback from all my supervisors and each have offered me qualifying positions so far, if I want them.
My issue is as to whether to stick it out until September and then qualify into a different firm, and hope and pray that it’s different there, or whether I just accept that this career is simply not for me and quit now. But where would I go? I like employment law so I’m considering HR or something similar, and I considered teaching or lecturing, but any other ideas would be great. Ideally I’d like reasonably standard hours and maybe the option to work from home. I don’t mind retraining or going back for more qualifications to some extent.
So. Do I quit? Or do I try to cope for another 9 months? Is life too short to stay in something you hate?

Stick it out. It's only nine months in a lifetime and it will open more doors for jobs in other areas to have completed it. Plus it won't look like you couldn't hack it/were rubbish at it, which also looks better in terms of getting a new job.

Do you think you would be able to stick it out until qualification?
Once you had that you would be more employable whatever you choose to do. Are you at a big firm? Would an in house role somewhere suit you more being part of a smaller legal team in a bigger company?

Agree stick it out if you can - being able to put qualified solicitor on your CV will be worth loads more than a gap, even if you never practise.

Hello, my advice would be to try to hang in there just until you qualify if you can. Being qualified is a game changer and you have so many more options from there. I qualified at a city firm and hated it there but now am soooooooo happy in my civil service legal job with family friendly hours and a lovely friendly team. I also suffer from anxiety and depression and I find working in the civil service where the hours are regulated and the work is less pressured much easier and I’ve never had to tell my boss about my problems because it hasn’t affected my work (unlike during my TC when I had to have time off for exhaustion).

Teaching is incredibly stressful and long hours.

Lecturing (by which I assume you mean higher education or further education) is hard to come by and usually requires a PhD at least.

Qualify in September as a lawyer and look at moving in house to a small firm or charity etc. In house (apart from in the city) is usually pretty regular hours etc and more flexible.

Stick it out. It's a bit different when you qualify. IF you can stick it out for a couple of years past qualification, lots of other doors open - inhouse roles etc.

TC is a hard 2 years. But you've come this far, and you're clearly talented if they are all giving you good reports. Unless it is seriously messing with your mental health, I would recommend gritting your teeth and pushing on.

You've done so well to get this far. Stick it out. Not all forms are the same and there are lots of opportunities out there.
It's a few months and it will make all the difference

Stick it! Quality of life differs massively between firms. I moved on qualification to a much larger city firm which had a happy atmosphere and better offices/training/ work - instant relief. Ended up in house and had a fantastic time. Start calling the recruiters in May / june and in the meantime make sure you work out which type of work and firm you want to go to. And make a good reason for wanting to leave that doesn't slag off current form. Get an offer from them too (I accepted a job from them in the May and still left in September so they hated me but it does look better to other firms if you can say they want you but xyz)

Stick it out. Qualify in a good commercial seat (employment, commercial contracts etc), do 2 years post qualification in private practice - if you can stick it that long - then go all out to find a job in house. If you still hate it then give up at that stage.

I work in house for an international company and can honestly say I have a great life work balance (most of the time), decent pay/perks and none of the shit which comes with private practice (time recording, marketing, stupidly demanding clients, knob head colleagues). There are different challenges in house such as a lack of admin/secretarial support, but I can overlook that!

Wow, very consistent responses there- seems like I should definitely try to stick it out. I’m getting there, every day is slightly closer to the other side.
Yes, I agree that I would be better in an in-house role or in civil service or something similar when I qualify. Although in-house in employment is hard to get at NQ level... although does in house generally cover a little of everything?
Any tips for sticking it out and how to not let it overwhelm me? I think ideally I should push more to stay in the same seat, and stress that changing depts might be the last straw for me.

Don't go into teaching! It may seem like good hours and long holidays but it is the most stressful job I have done, your work is never finished and 12 hour days and working all weekend (without completing your work) are the norm.

Stick it out. It's only nine months. Plan some holidays and other things to look forward to in that time.

TC was awful. Hated mine. Left law 6 months after qualifying for 2 years. Have worked for a trade union for past 10 years, qualified role. Family friendly, relaxed, no targets, time sheets or suits. Stick it out if you can, but don’t make yourself ill. Good luck op.

As the others have said, if you can stick it out, being qualified will give you more options. The environment you are working in is unhealthy but there are loads of other options out there still working in law and not all law firms are run like that.

Stick it out. There are so many doors open to you with a legal qualification - it's not all how you describe. I work in public sector law and it's great, and very encouraging of flexible working. Or what about a smaller employment firm?

I joined the civil service as a NQ. This sort of job could be fun too:
nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/court-legal-adviser

If you stick it out you will have more options such as corporate governance and company secretary.

There will be more opportunities in employment law now that ET fees have been abolished so you should see an increase in roles. If I were you I’d get a couple of years experience in the field under your belt and then you should be in a better position to get an in-house role.

I agree with sticking it out and then looking to move to something more suitable. A friend who’s a solicitor does HR for the MoJ and appears to be very happy.

Try to stick it out if you can. Is this a City law firm? I know it’s gruelling and ridiculously hard work but presumably you’ve got three more months in employment then just one more seat before you qualify. What’s your next seat? If you’ve already done corporate then the worst is probably over. You could be an employment lawyer in a small firm and do normal hours. Or a PSL? It won’t always be this hard.

You’ve come this far, you can do this.

My in house role is a bit of everything, except employment. But the main thrust is commercial contracts. If you can master the basics of drafting, are good at research and can explain the law and advise without coming across as a pretentious knob then you'll ace in house!

Would you be happier doing something like social welfare law - e.g. community care, housing, education, mental health? It would be considerably less well paid as it's likely to be in legal aid, but friends who do education and community care work seem to have much more job satisfaction than others I know in the legal field.

Stick it out but don’t refuse to move seats. It’s not allowed, they’ll have another trainee waiting to move into that seat whose training you will be buggering up and it’ll flag to them that you aren’t reliable or mentally strong enough for the role. If you get to the end of the 2 years it’s fine to move on then, plenty of trainees do but you need the full qualification first.

Thanks all for your responses! You have all been so positive and encouraging.
My firm is American, although they claim not to have the American culture. It’s an odd kind of hybrid, but yes it’s in the city.
I’m making an action plan following on from all your great advice and experience. Does anyone have any recommended recruiters (there are so many and it’s quite overwhelming!)?
The civil service looks great, as do in-house roles. I think the time keeping/ utilisation aspect of any firm might be a factor that would put me off.