Any ex solicitors out there

[Lurcherloves]

What did you change job to? Is it better?
I qualified only a year ago and on reflection have been miserable throughout my training contract and most of this last year. My training contract was tough as I was left in a new high street office mostly alone dealing with anything that came in with little support. I changed firms on qualifying but then the pandemic hit, the senior partner in my area stepped back, his PA left and again I was pretty much dealing with everything that came in without admin support. I’ve had regular periods were I can’t sleep, and have felt overwhelmed for much of the year. I feel exhuasted, underpaid and just fed up.
I’m thinking I’ve made a mistake in qualifying as tbh, my colleagues are overworked, obsessed with work (one even carried on working when her DH was taken to hospital having had a nasty accident) and I can’t see that the pay is worth it.
My impression of the job is that it’s a huge burden with little reward.
But of a moan really but I’m wondering if a change of job would be any better and what to do

I’m not an ex solicitor but I think no matter what industry you were in, the situation you describe is simply your employer taking the piss.

You are young and anxious to do well.

Stand up for yourself.

OP, look up Law Care. Its an organisation to support the legal profession when they're feeling overwhelmed and anxious/depressed or just need someone to talk to.

Would your skills lend themselves to an in-house role? I left private practice 3 years ago after 19 years and it has changed my life. You don't need to quit law altogether though i know how it feels to not be able to see the wood for the trees.

@GlendaBulb

I’m not an ex solicitor but I think no matter what industry you were in, the situation you describe is simply your employer taking the piss.

You are young and anxious to do well.

Stand up for yourself.

this.

Sounds like perhaps you just need a new firm! If your my solicitor, I’m sorry for keep emailing and harassing the shit out of you 🤣

The civil service are recruiting for qualified lawyers. Perhaps rather than leave the profession entirely, look to move to a different employer where you’ll have more support and a better work/life balance? It sounds like you’ve had a tough time and been unlucky with who you have been working for, but given the amount of time effort and stress it takes to get to qualification, it would be a shame to give up on it all now?

Yes do try in-house before quitting - totally different experience to private practice. It does sound as if you have had particularly crap experiences in your high street firms though.

I’m sorry that you have had and are having a tough time. I think that many careers especially law and medicine are often extremely tough in the first few years. You need to pick up so much so quickly working in a high pressure environment. However you experiences sound like they are at least in part attributable to poor management and support. Small high street law is not great for juniors without a supportive senior and well organised set up. Don’t give up on law though. It’s a vast field - you will find your niche. It sounds to me like you might benefit from a couple of years in-house, perhaps in a local authority legal team for example, where you’re likely to have colleagues at different levels and more support. Is there anything you’re particularly interested in? One friend of mine hated construction law a few years after qualifying and ended up working in-house as a media lawyer. Another did a masters in medical negligence and now works for the NHS legal team .... Have a think. Good luck.

It sounds like you’ve had really bad luck with the firms - it’s virtually impossible to be a good lawyer without solid admin support, and even worse that someone as junior as you is working without proper supervision. You need senior people as a safety net and to help you grow in confidence and ability.

Law isn’t for everyone and there is no shame in you leaving if it isn’t for you - your education is still valuable even if you don’t end up working as a lawyer. But it might be worth considering if a different firm with a more supportive structure is the solution first.

People I've come across who left the law have gone into quite diverse professions - teaching, archive work, the church, broadcasting, stay-at-home parenting, MP, accountancy. There seem to be quite a few well-known comedians who've come through the law or at least had law degrees, e.g. Susan Calman, John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bob Mortimer.

I work in legal publishing. Lots of lawyers who didn’t enjoy practice here. Wide range of jobs here. Life work balance is great. Pay is mediocre. People are lovely.

My husband is a lawyer. He works for one of the dispersed law firms. He chooses his own hours. Works for whom he chooses. But only gets paid for what he does ( which has its own stresses).

In house has its stresses but is much different. I’m local authority now and it’s much better in terms of job satisfaction and being appreciated.

I am a solicitor 10 PQE.

The beginning can be very hard, but the job changes. You might not like it now but in a couple of years you will know what you are doing, you can build a team and run your own business development initiatives.

I would say hang in there and give it more of a chance.

High St firms are notorious for bad supervision, sink or swim type approach. There are some great ones out there, maybe try to do a bit of networking before you choose your next one.

What area if law do you do?

I wouldn’t say Government lawyering automatically equates to good work/life balance. Litigation is litigation and if you are in advisory you will potentially have to sit in the box as your legislation goes through Parliament, which can involve really long days and antisocial hours. BUT generally there is no expectation of face time and they are open to job sharing, which can be a big plus with the right job-share partner. I am not sure it’s such a great proposition at the moment from an ethical perspective though.

One of my friends went into legal recruitment.

I would support those who have suggested a change within legal - an in-house role, PSL or in training/eduction? There are so many different things you can do in law!

Good luck OP!

A friend of mine who went into the legal department of one of the ministries after being in a Legal Aid-based private practice found it unbelievably easy. He said his colleagues felt hard done by if hey had more than around five cases on the go, and overtime was virtually unknown. It obviously may not be like that in every ministry, however.

I'm having something akin to a career break now. I think it depends on the firm,and the management. My last one had unrealistic expectations, resulting in high calibre staff either leaving or being absent due to burnout. Those who wanted a work/ life balance couldnt achieve it. Maybe give it a few months if you can to see if things change and then move on.

I'm a solicitor and it took me a while to feel comfortable in my career and that I'd made the right decision - a few years in fact. On reflection I needed support and a good manager and mentor in the early years of my career which I didn't have. When I went for a job I looked at the name of the firm and salary and not the team and whether the work they did excited me. I think I also didn't appreciate that when you qualify you're not suddenly a fully fledged solicitor you need someone learn from and guide you. Invaluable.

The last firm I was in in private practice had some great managers and I was really jealous of the trainees and NQs as they were getting fantastic support and experience.

I'm in-house now and I love my job.

See what's out there - I know lawyers who are private practice, civil service, local authority, private company in-house or work in litigation funding - there are so many different types of firms and areas you can specialise in. Alternatively I know and NQ who decided to go back to college abs train in computer science.

Good luck!

In my experience, it's mostly about the firm, but to some degree the area too (both geographical and practice). I've worked in a boutique London firm, trained at a magic circle firm and now work at another London boutique. I hated my training with a passion and almost gave up. Now, I am lucky enough to work at a firm where I am supported, trusted and feel like a valued member of the team. I am nearly 3 PQE. I don't think I necessarily realised how rare firms like mine are at first. I have no plans to leave as I know how lucky I am. Yes, the pay is less than it would have been had I stayed where I trained. However I'm not bundling at 1am and I get to go on holiday and have my weekends (mostly). I do still work fairly long hours, but my diary is flexible and I can absolutely say no to taking on more work. The nature of the job is that you do sometimes find yourself working harder than you would like, but I feel that is balanced by other factors. What practice area are you working in OP?