Training as a solicitor / working full time as a mum

[Motherofking]

I have just completed my Masters in Law, I have done a few vacations schemes and opens days and i am planning to apply for training contracts. I have a 1 and a half year old so no plans to look for training contracts in city law firms , Just international law firms, national and regional firms which offer a better life work balance. Can someone give me tips on how i can manage a full time job and be a full time mum . I will put my son in nursery but i want us to spend alot of time together, i dont want to spend the only hours i have at home cleaning or cooking id rather spend it with him ?

And another question, alot of training contracts give you the job two / three years in advance, For example if i get the job in 2022 my start date will be 2024 or 2025. Would it be a bad idea to get pregnant and have a baby within that gap. I really want another baby especially because once i start my career i dont want to have any more babies. I just want to keep working until i am established enough within my career without any breaks or interruptions.

I work in house for a tech company in a senior role. Balancing work and family life is impossible and I have much more flexibility than when I was a trainee. I'm exhausted and thinking of quitting.

I think you're being totally unrealistic and there's no way I would deliberately have a second child pre TC

* Yes, this is why i am asking people on here who have trained as lawyers or have more knowledge . And that message you quoted has made me aware to something i was not aware off . So i will obviously be able to make the right decision for myself and family*

The fact that working for an international law firm may mean working out of uk hours was news to you?

Op you’ve studied for YEARS
You have spent tens of thousands of pounds
You finished last month
And now you think… where would I like to work and how the heck am I going to do with with a baby and should I wait to work until I have a second

I suppose I’m baffled because I don’t get how you could have invested so much in getting to where you are
But so little in thinking about what you’ll do when you actually finish the studying bit

@ElftonWednesday what area did you qualify in

[quote Motherofking]@CreepySpider No i have my partner but he works full time. Thank you, I guess i am used to doing everything as i stay at home , i didnt think about getting a cleaner or house keeper but i will look into that[/quote]
With you both working full time, it’s only fair to share that load. A cleaner or housekeeper can make a massive difference to the time away from work. I also second rock solid childcare and you’ll probably only find that with a nanny; in a nursery, your child won’t be able to attend for a variety of illnesses etc whereas a nanny can continue to look after them throughout.

I don't want to say too much as there are not many lawyers in my field, but it's quite a niche commercial specialism.

OP if you do not have a v good degree from a Russell group uni , your CV will probably fall foul of the initial weeding out of CVs.

@lentilsforever as i mentioned my plans changed after having a baby. Before i got pregnant I did not mind city firms with long hours and had a plan, But during the year i completed my masters and also had my baby ive had to make changes and started considering different options.

Nursery years are the easy ones - school is another layer of stress!! Wraparound care, holidays, inset days, parents evenings, sports days - arrrgh!! A nanny would be a must to be honest.

As a teacher my life would have been considerably easier with a nanny (couldn’t afford one..).

@ElftonWednesday Okay thank you. I understand

I didn't say anything about the GDL and I know what a masters is! I said GLD - Government Legal Department.

@Frederica852 Okay , I guess i wont plan for the second child thanks

I went to an ex-poly. Had to get some experience as a paralegal before I was offered a TC, but it also helped me avoid the particularly snobby firms which wouldn't have suited me anyway. I think being a paralegal for now would be your best bet and enable you to try several areas of law and earn a decent salary without all the responsibility and stress.

@Merryoldgoat Thanks for your perspective , my goal is not to make alot of money, I am okay with a reasonable income. I am going into law because i enjoy it. I am okay with working reasonable 9-5 hours even if that means earning less money as a lawyer so i can spend more time with my family

@ElftonWednesday Thank you, I am currently looking into paralegal roles too. Also what is an ex-poly?

@Hargao My bad i miss read that . Thanks i am looking into that as an option too

OP I see you went to Royal Holloway, the brutal truth is that a top corporate firm will not look at you. You will need to look at regional firms, that's the harsh reality.

Law is about the most snobby intellectual profession you could go into.

@wasthataburp Thank you. That is very encouraging.

@wewereliars I understand . I wouldnt mind a regional firm , but i dont know any regional firms that sponsor the SQE . Would you suggest i find a way to self fund the SQE myself then apply for regional firms once qualified instead of trying to apply for national or global firms ?

Have a good look at the CILEX route, you will have exemptions from many of the exams via your masters and it is much more flexible, you can take longer over qualifying if you need to but can still ultimately become a solicitor if you wish.

It also avoids the cut throat training contract application process and the SQE mess. You can get a paralegal job and self fund the qualifications or join a firm that supports CILEX qualifications.

There is some snobbery around this route so probably not the best if your heart is set on commercial/corporate at big firms but fine for most regionals.

[quote Motherofking]@Frederica852 Okay , I guess i wont plan for the second child thanks[/quote]
It's not just the second child. It will be difficult with the one you already have and you need to accept that you won't see them much in the week. A friend who did it at a regional firm worked it so she did drop off every morning and her husband did pick up every night so she didn't have to dash away. If her husband couldn't make it she had both mums locally who were retired and would step in. Not sure how else it could have worked to be honest

I'm a solicitor. Pre DC I worked as a criminal lawyer. Shitty pay, shitty hours, horrible clients, very inflexible and not family friendly. I quit when on mat leave. I now work in regulation, working from home with flexi working and such a family oriented approach. So much better than before. DS is in nursery and I spend every night and weekend with him.

It'll depend which field you end up in. Good luck!

Ex-Poly = university that used to be a polytechnic. Polytechnics existed until the early/mid 90s and did degree level courses but specialised in vocational subjects. Personally law was a vocational subject for me and I thought therefore a former poly was an excellent place to study it!

As per previous posters, I would think carefully about the area of law you want to go into. Law in my experience isn’t a family friendly career but some areas are less so than others e.g corporate & transactional areas will demand long hours and less flexibility than say private client where I have seen colleagues more regularly work sensible hours.

I became pregnant with my first child on qualification and struggled as was working in a transactional area full time, long hours as an NQ. Luckily I had great childcare and supportive husband but I still found it very difficult as barely saw my child. It was not unusual for me to be working till 10-11pm at night several nights in a row. I left a 4 year gap before having my second. I managed to then negotiate a 4 day week coming back after my second as had built up goodwill by that time. Reality was working 5 days in 4 and getting paid for 4! I’ve now left private practice and work in house where thankfully the hours are much more predictable.

This is a similar story for other friends who have had children in law. Most have left after having their children to do something else less stressful and demanding as found firms just not accommodating enough!

If you are thinking of having another child I wonder whether paralegaling might be a possible option for you whilst children are young then TC when they’re a little older? A lot of people these days do paralegal for a few years in any event for experience before being able to land a TC so it wouldn’t be unusual. Appreciate salary will be less but you are young and have plenty of years ahead of you to focus on your career whereas you won’t get this time back with your children 😊.
Hope that helps

GLD is a very good call.

Hi, I just wanted to say I had my first child during the first year of my training contract at 22, ( in accountancy but with a big 4 firm, so slightly different but similar hrs I imagine), it was a struggle but I was very determined and i knew that anything I did in the short term was going to be worth it 10 times over in the long run for us as a family. The first year we had a lot of help from grand parents and family, but after that things settled. I would have had to leave on time, but would log back on and work late hours after he was gone to sleep. We did decide not to have our second until I was 31 so well established in my career and where I worked at that stage, plus we were financially more secure.