Returning as a solicitor - any advice?

[pepperyrocket]

I went on mat leave with DS (now just turned two) when I was coming up to a year qualified at corporate City firm (I was a bit of an anomaly ;) ). I didn't go back since DH works crazy hours and he refuses to leave DS in full-time childcare. Since then I've been seriously ill (now recovered) so wouldn't have been able to go back anyway.

DH has been given the option to move abroad for a year in the autumn (and take us!). I would be on a spouse's visa so wouldn't be able to work. We'd also like to have one or two more children (and don't really want a huge gap between them).

I've recently realised just how much I miss working and am beginning to regret having DS so young (in relative terms). If we go abroad and I have more children immediately, then I realistically wouldn't be returning to law for a good five more years (i.e. at least seven since I left). However I also don't want to go back to work only to get pregnant again within a few years (this seems wrong morally, as well as being a bad idea professionally, since it would be another break).

I'd totally accept going back in an NQ but would this be possible in any way? Or am I being ridiculous? And if so, what the heck can I do, or where can I go for help? Am feeling really wasted and thinking that I've made a lot of bad decisions over the last few years...I have a top class academic pedigree (not law) and trained and qualified at one of the top City firms.

I think you need to call the Solicitors Regulation Authority and/or Law Soc about your qualification and how long you can be out of the game before you have to start again. From what I understand, once you're out you have to either keep up your CPD and pay to keep your practising certificate current or face a few hurdles to get back onto the roll. I did hear years ago that once you've been off the roll for 7 years, you have to re-qualify all over again! That could be utter rubbish tho, you need to check out the correct position.

I am an ex-solicitor (ex magic circle, followed by large regional followed by niche) and I gave up just before Christmas due to the impossibility of combining my long hours with DH's long hours and travel. DH earns a lot more than me and likes his job (whereas I hated mine) so his job took priority. I am now applying for part time jobs locally that are totally non-law related.

I think it will be harder now than it would have been five years ago to get back in after a break. You don't have experience on your side either and so you will be competing with other NQs for jobs. I would think you would be better off getting a job now and then getting pregnant (so that whilst you're on mat leave your qualification remains current as the firm will need to keep your practising cert current) rather than waiting, but maybe speak to a few recruiters about the situation. Where you're moving to, could you potentially get a visa to work there? You might have prospects in a common law jurisdiction to get a job yourself, which would get you a visa - speak to a specialist recruiter about that possibility.

Bear in mind that it will be difficult to secure a part time role and so you would be looking at FT work at least initially.

Hello, I went on mat leave at 3 yrs PQE and never returned due to DH's long hours and stressful job. I had my children in quick succession and have now been out of practice for coming up 4 years. My initial game plan was to have kids close together so i could return to work only having a few years out .. however it's not quite working out that way because nothing has changed wrt DH's job. This means we still face the same hurdle about childcare as every suitable job inc locum work seems to be full time which means a nanny/10 hour nursery day at a min by the time factor in commute. Even when they're at school I know the same hurdles will exist re breakfast clubs plus after school clubs plus holiday clubs. I think it's really really difficult to balance a job like law with family if your DH also has a stressful job and you don't have family help. Sorry, I haven't been much help! I think the best advice I have is firstly to not worry about when you get pregnant - I don't think it's morally wrong to get pregnant soon after getting another job - this is why women have maternity rights as only women can have babies! Options I have looked into are refresher courses and maybe a masters (very £££££) and I'm also keeping some sort of current experience by doing some voluntary advocacy services so CV isn't completely empty. If you can arrange childcare at short notice you could consider locum work which will keep your CV up to date but means you only have your DS in full time childcare for finite periods.

Thanks both.

I've called the SRA who say that as long as I activate my SRA account (which I didn't even know I had..) then I can return to practice at any point. £20 a year I think.

The problem with doing any sort of locum or volunteering role is my lack of experience. I obviously have more than a lay person, but it's very minimal compared to any other qualified lawyer (although my training was first-class).

It's a tough one. DH has said that if I wanted to work FT he'd cut back, but he's not in a job where that's realistic: it'd grind his career to an absolute standstill and I don't want to be responsible for that. Plus I doubt I'd ever reach his level of remuneration so we'd suffer financially.

Can't shake the feeling that I made a mistake having a baby so young, but maybe I just need to reassess my priorities.

That's good to know about the SRA - will have to call them myself as I've been out 4 months now and would like to keep the option open.

Do you want to ultimately be a lawyer, or do you just feel that it's an opportunity that has been wasted? You need to work out where you want to be and when, then take it from there. If you do want to pursue your legal career, it only needs to be on hold - you don't have to abandon it for ever. Babies don't stay little for very long.

Peppery - I do think there's never a right time to have a baby so don't beat yourself up about it! Local authorities would be a good place to get locum experience at a junior level. You have given me motivation to email a potential employer asking if an advertised full time role could be done as a job share/part time. They will probably come back and say no but nothing to lose.

Good question emsyj - it's hard to know really. I don't feel like I ever gave life a qualified lawyer a decent shot (I fell pregnant within 2 months of qualifying) and so I guess a lot of it is not wanting to feel like law school/TC went to waste..I must admit that I haven't really followed the legal world at all whilst I've been off work - maybe the fact that I clearly don't find it massively interesting suggests I'm not passionate enough about it to make returning work.

In any event, I don't feel prepared to totally disrupt DH's career and our stable family life in order to try out something I'm not convinced about. Guess I just need to get used to not having the 'high flying' career and be appreciate for the opportunity to spend time with DS (and hopefully more children).

I'm on maternity leave at the moment with my first DC; I went off at 4 years PQE. I don't think there is a right time to have children in the legal world. If you had left it later I don't think it would have been any better. At senior associate level you would have your own clients / contacts that you couldn't really be away from for long. If you had waited until you made partner (if that was an aspiration of yours) you would risk it being too late to have children at all.

My own view is that something has to give. You can't really have both parents in high flying careers with the long hours and stress which that entails, without it impacting on your family life. If you and your DH aren't happy with full time childcare then quitting law was the right decision for your family. I wouldn't feel like your legal qualification was a waste.

Have you thought about other types of legal work aside from fee earning, for example PSL work or tutoring at university? Or a charity trusteeship if you want to do something for yourself?

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

Hi Peppery

I am going to go against the grain here! I really think you should get whatever post-qualification experience you can before having another child/children - if you ever want to work as a lawyer. And if you decide not to go back then get another career/job!

What if your DH loses his high flying job? Or gets ill and can't work? Or you split up - (I hate to say it but it does happen). Ok - so you might be alright financially - but then again you might not. Also - what is DC2 decides not to arrive for another 5 years? It happens!

In terms of the law, I think it would be very difficult, in fact pretty much impossible, to get even an NQ job if you have been out of practice for 7 years and nothing really to offer to an employer over and above a city training contract which is is 7 years out of date. And they are going to doubt your commitment to the job as well.

On the other hand, I really don't think you should worry about going back to work and having another child in quick succession. I know of senior lawyers who got pregnant with DC2 while on maternity leave with DC1 - and others who have started new jobs when they were pregnant! Firms are used to it - at least at assistant level - and although they may not like it particularly they are starting to accept it as a fact of life (literally!!) - much more so than they did 15 years ago.

Also, not all jobs are full time. I'm doing 3 days a week, in house, core hours 9.30-4.30. Admittedly the money is rubbish isn't great but I like the job and the reason I can get those hours is because I have experience. I don't think they would offer them to a NQ.

So, if I were you, I would try to get at least 6 months work in before you move. If you dazzle them with your brilliance you might have a job when you get back in a year's time.

I'm off now before Xenia wades in and really gives you a telling off!

I agree that something had to give - in my case, I deliberately opted out of City Firms, despite having a v.good degree, and went for High Street work. Result is I earn pretty crap money compared to DH, who is In House, but work part time, around school hours, and never had to take a career break so kept my hand in.

Tbh, I don't have a single female friend from university, law school or post qualification who has successfully combined full time law and children. Actually, I'm the only part timer. How sad is that.

Hi Sitting - I know some who have managed both - and in fact have worked for 2 Heads of dept (both city) who were mums and full time lawyers.

It is much harder I think if dad also has a full on job.

That's probably what it is - most of my contemporaries also married lawyers with full on careers.

I know this thread has been quite for a while but I really wanted to respond. OP have you thought about applying for other jobs, for example in-house?

When I moved to London in 2006 (from NZ) I was a UK NQ equivalent (had a couple of years under my belt here but as we don?t do training contracts in NZ UK employers treat what we would call a 2 year PQE lawyer as an NQ.

I had no trouble getting in-house NQ work (admittedly times were different back then, oh for the pre GFC days). The money was okay (I work in media which pays a bit lower) ? I was on mid 40s. So probably better than a high street law firm. Working hours were very predictable, 9.30 ? 5.30 ? I very very rarely worked late (in contract to my now-husband, who was at a silver circle firm and frequently did 24 ? 36 hours stints. The horror!

Anyway it?s something you could do to keep your hand in? I?ve worked as an in-house lawyer in a number of organizations and it?s good, interesting work and I think I?m now paid equivalent or better than my private practice counterparts. I also think you'd be more likely to find a part time job that would fit in better with your DCs.