Don't want to be a solicitor any more - but what else?

[sohackedoff]

Hi. I'm a solicitor who got made redundant (worked in property, so the recession was the death of it!) but now need to get back to work. I definitely don't want to work as a solicitor again, even in another field. Has anyone managed to retrain successfully? Any suggestions would be gratefully received. Thanks.

I know this has been going a while but just in case any of you are still reading, DH is a lawyer who jumped ship to join an investment bank. His role is advisory more than anything else. Basically, he earns 3x as much, has less stress and more job security and feels far more respected in the workplace. He always says it's the best thing he ever did.

He is good friends from uni with a woman who also moved away from practising to become a management consultant. Same hours and stress for first year then able to move down to p/t in the true sense of the word. Like DH, she always says it's the best thing she ever did.

Both DH and his friend feel like their qualifications and professionalism is valued so much more highly where they are now than it ever was when they were in Practice.

I know this thread is really old but I was searching and it came up. Basically I am dying to know how it worked out for all of you? I love my job as a solicitor but I am SICK of worrying about it when I am not there and SICK of the conflict. I have tried so hard to make it work post DCs but I am not sure it is worth it anymore. I just want to be present with DCs (4&7), and happy! DH starting his own business (accounting) at the end of the year and thinking I might jump ship and go and be their office manager type thing.

Bumping as I'm interested too!

Bumping as I'm also looking for a way out of law.

@Hgirl1974

This isn't exactly on topic, but I'm reading these posts as a fellow lawyer and I'm fascinated that as a profession, we seem to have such a significant number of people (men and women) who don't seem to enjoy practising law. Personally, I like many aspects of my job, but I'm really interested to know what you think turns people off a career in law? Is it that the practice of law is uninteresting/more mundane than you thought when you got into it? Or is it all the other stuff - client demands, partnership politics,etc?

For me it was time-billing. I didn't mind the work, but the pressure was suffocating.

Lucycantdance:

That's what I actually did. Ultimately working for DH wasn't great for our marriage, but I enjoyed the work.
I retrained as a teacher eventually. The money's not as good as law, but it's challenging and reasonably paid. I'm glad I worked as a lawyer and got my degree, but I don't miss it, especially on school holidays!

I honestly want to warn people away from it sometimes. I used to love it but the negatives just seem to outweigh the positives these days.

Same position here. I work in house and whilst it's always been high pressure this last year has been horrific and it's only going to get worse. I looked at retraining as a teacher but all my teacher friends recommended against it on the basis it wouldn't be any less stressful but I find that hard to imagine as an outsider.

@EatingAllThePies

Same position here. I work in house and whilst it's always been high pressure this last year has been horrific and it's only going to get worse. I looked at retraining as a teacher but all my teacher friends recommended against it on the basis it wouldn't be any less stressful but I find that hard to imagine as an outsider.

Agree. I find it hard to imagine how any “profession” could be as stressful apart from medicine.

I agree too @Lucycantdance and @EatingAllThePies. All the teachers I know have only ever done teaching so I'm not sure they appreciate the flexibility. I know there's extra work but they can pick and choose to some extent and don't have clients demanding it is done immediately etc.

@Lucycantdance @EatingAllThePies

Another lawyer here - I also considered teaching at one point but again teachers recommended against it…..

I can imagine some of the stress involved in teaching, eg dealing with abusive kids / nasty parents etc that you don’t get in a law firm, but I don’t understand my teacher friend (private sector) who moans about the hours when she gets about 18 weeks per year of school holidays? I know teachers don’t down tools at 3pm and I know they have work to do in the holidays but my friend seems to spend a large chunk of the school holidays on holiday herself ….
So can’t see how that’s worse than a law firm where you get 5/6 weeks holiday a year and spend half of that checking emails / on calls and the rest of the time can regularly expect to be working until midnight with some all-nighters thrown in….

Be interested to see how anyone who has gone from City law into teaching has found it

Also realised this was an old thread when everyone talked about Blackberries

I still refer to work phone as my 'blackberry' - old habits!

I'd maybe try different ways of practising law as well. Law firms are mostly dreadful and soul-destroying places to work. In house can be much better though, depending on the role. I work for a small organisation as sole counsel. I do basically all the nice bits of my law firm job and have none of the negatives. No long hours, no time sheets, no demanding partners, no massive documents, no repetitive, boring yet stressful work. Advising really nice people and feeling like I'm actually helping their businesses.

@HarebrightCedarmoon

I'd maybe try different ways of practising law as well. Law firms are mostly dreadful and soul-destroying places to work. In house can be much better though, depending on the role. I work for a small organisation as sole counsel. I do basically all the nice bits of my law firm job and have none of the negatives. No long hours, no time sheets, no demanding partners, no massive documents, no repetitive, boring yet stressful work. Advising really nice people and feeling like I'm actually helping their businesses.

I did try a gov role which was way more low key but I’m a naturally anxious person and I still worry over everything and berate myself for the tiniest mistake thinking I’ll get struck off or something

Don’t think I’m cut out for it anymore. I just don’t know what else there is.

I've been out (ex City) for about 10 years and yet to find anything I want to do. I like drafting, big documents fine but fell out of love with City transactions and will never go back to that (got too socialist!!!).

Did a bit of drafting while working as a receptionist (oops) and enjoyed it but couldn't go back to full time private practice (and am quite anti private practice part time as that's usually most of the work for a lot less pay).

Considered proof reading but getting less and less convinced anyone cares enough for it to be viable.

Tried for civil service fast stream but this year was tough and I'm not quick enough at management accounting maths.

Need to do something, no idea what! Can't do unpredictable hours as DH is medical type and has got first dibs on those (and no earning options that avoid them)

Marking