Any lawyers (esp. employment lawyers) who can offer a bit of careers/interview advice for a lawyer who has lost her confidence?!

[CAS77]

I'm an employment lawyer, currently in the middle of mat leave, due back in the Summer. I work in the City for a Silver Circle firm. I have 2 dcs under 5 and have been increasingly unsure about returning to fee earning work. Partly just the stress of juggling the demands of the role with family life, but also the firm I work at has undergone significant change and the team I work in has changed (enlarged) considerably and I'm just not sure where I fit in anymore. Also, my commute has also increased to about a 3 hour round trip.

So, had been thinking over the usual alternative careers eg. PSL, LPC tutoring etc. My plan was to return to my fee earning role, get my confidence and knowledge back up to speed (took me about 6 months to do so after last ML ) and then start applying.

To cut the chase a PSL role has now arisen in the firm I work at and I am going to apply for it but this means interviewing in the next few week (with lots of new partners so out of my comfort zone with the people I know). Herein lies the problem! My knowledge feels very stale atm and I'm afraid that I will flounder at the interview. I've been out for 6 months and have not kept up to date with anything during this time. Tbh, even before I went on ML I was "winding down" and so I really do not feel on top of things. Ordinarily, I would say I am pretty good at staying on top of the technical side of the law (and I do think I would be a good PSL). I just have so little time at the moment and when I do I am knackered. I feel like I have let it slide so much I now don't know where to start and feel like I will make a twat of myself in the interview

More worringly perhaps, I just fundamentally feel I have lost my confidence. The thought of wearing a suit and going to my office to be interviewed by loads of hot shot (all male) partners brings me out in a cold sweat! It's so silly, as I KNOW I could do this job. If it had arisen whilst I was in the swing of work I think I would have had a really good chance of getting it. But right now I fear I won't get it and will look like an idiot if I don't and I have to go back to my old fee earning job. I almost feel like just not applying so I don't have to go through this...

Crumbs, sorry this is a bit of an essay. Does anyone have any quick fix confidence building tips? Also, any ideas on how to turn myself into a technical whizz and sell myself as a PSL in a few short weeks would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks.

London office partner of national law firm here.

You have to try, you will regret it forever if you do not.

It is effectively a new job with a new firm, so of course you are nervous. Acknowledge this and then overcome it - which you are on track to do.

I would be surprised if they asked you technical questions, myself. I only do that for junior lawyers from outside the firm. They will ask your remaining colleagues about your technical ability -that's what I do when people want to move to my team from one of the other offices we have. The likely questions are going to be more around the shift to being a psl. Your answers need to focus on how psl is a great job in its own right, and fantastic challenge for you, playing to your strengths. On no account should you risk sounding like you are whining about how hard it is to be a working mum or looking for a soft option.

This is your second maternity leave so you already have experience of quickly getting back to speed with recent developments in the law. You have done it once and can do it again. The employment lawyers at my firm are always going on about how employment law changes faster than any other area of law so it is a core skill for you. As a property lawyer who still uses the 1925 Act I am in no position to disagree!

There is an employment law psl somewhere on mumsnet, but I can't remember her name. Sorry. Try another post in employment issues with a link to this to track her down, and others? I think blueshoes is a psl somewhere.

And good luck....

I feel exactly the same. I have an interview tomorrow and feel like a fake! I have no advice I'm afraid. Great advice in the last post, for me too! I think maybe the key is to focus on the fact you have done it before, and this is what you should draw their attention to, plus how much and why you want this current role.

I would go for it - you will regret it if not. Totally understand the feeling of being out of date and confidence - however, you have a few weeks to prepare. Just try and read all bulletins, briefings etc. to get up to speed. They know you've been out for a while so won't expect you to have the knowledge you would otherwise have had had you not been on leave.

Maybe the thing to do is to attend a couple of industry conferences in the meantime - you'll be up to date and mingling with similar professionals - getting back into the swing of feeling like one again yourself. .