Advice please on taking legal role back "up a gear"

[Legalconfidence]

Hi! This is not so much "back to work" but I hope this is the best place. Perhaps posting here reflects my crisis of confidence! Sorry if it's long. A friendly wave if I'm outing myself. My suspicion is that outing myself is perhaps what I need to do more.

So, I'm a non-practising solicitor, I left a top tier regional firm in 2004 with 7 years PQE when ds1 was 18 months (you can guess the story). My youngest is now 9.

My field is intellectual property and I had litigated, so luckily I was able to create a consultancy business in transactional IP. I've worked about 15 hours a week for the last decade. When I look at my CV, it looks pretty good. Some very cool engineering R&D businesses have trusted me with their licensing work. I've tutored masters students at the local red-brick uni to keep the CPD side going. However, some problems:

1. I have got business purely on word of mouth (avoids the nutters). I've been a bit complacent perhaps as my network of "champions" is now aging/retiring....I know I must have marketed well but right now I feel worried/less sure about it.
2. My biggest client, which pays me a much-valued monthly retainer, which represents half my income, wants to sell, and that will end my role there.
3. I always seem to have a deeper obsession "on the go". First it was environmental stuff. Then DS2's developmental challenges, then I got this interest in creating an alternative pedagogy for a minor school subject. My methods work and I've ended up working one day a week at DS2's school, where I charge rates appropriate to that market (lower!).
4. I've always kept the legal business (working for clients a hundred miles away) separate from my local pedagogical interests - Here in my local town I'm known and respected for the school role.

5 no one can "place me" - including me! In the last year I have heard myself described as "a mum helping out", "a superb leader" "support staff", "a part time ex solicitor with young kids", "a pragmatic talented business advisor". I don't know what I am! A leading city firm approached me with a view to setting up a rival to "lawyers on demand". The next day I was reminded I was "support staff". Just modern life maybe.

1. I can't stop doing the school thing because it's addictive and makes a big difference but I can reconcile myself to just doing it one day a week.
2. I never network for legal work in my home town because I worry that potential clients won't take me seriously -I feel they'll say "oh, the school lady?"

I think what I need to do is market my legal services more locally and stop being ashamed of spending one day a week doing something else I love and am valued for. Yet I know that no law firm would touch me doing four days a week, and the same might apply to in-house work, and that makes me feel like I should "hide" the school work.

All advice appreciated. I don't want to convert to teaching by the way because in most subjects the national curriculum is very prescriptive ..... it wouldn't be like doing my role 5 days a week.

Are you sure no law firm would touch you for 4 days a week? The legal market is a lot more flexible now with part time work than it used to be. I've just given up the law so not the best to advise but going back into private practice would give you the security of a salary plus a massive heads up on the networking front. Might be the 'safest' option in order to preserve your ability to do your school job.

I think you have a modern portfolio career. The futurologists tell us this is all the rage. What I'm not sure about from your post is what you want to change, or why? Is it the loss of the retainer and the issues around marketing the legal work you do? Marketing can be a challenge even with colleagues to egg you on so I do sympathise.

If you are happy keeping your life in boxes which are apart, how about someone like Lawyers on Demand? A former colleague of mine is working for them while he DJs in Ibiza and is very happy with it. Or a virtual firm like Axiom?

I would echo what Rocky says about 4 days a week. DS2 was born in 2004 and I think I am a real minority in working FT since then amongst lawyer mums with Dc that age. You have a track record of balancing children and part time work, and your DCs are older so this is a much more attractive proposition to an employer than a first time mum with a tiny baby. From where I sit the issues with working PT are promotion (is that relevant to you?) and whether the firm will actually deliver the PT hours or load you with a FT caseload.

The friend in Ibiza just puts his hourly rate up when he wants less work and down when he needs more....

Just to let you know, I am a soliciotor in private practice, 10 yrs PQE, in corporate finance, just negotiated a move from one national commercial practice to another on the basis of 4 days a week. Lots of movement in the market at the moment - and lots of pp and in house roles where there is flexibility.

What is more likely to be problematic is having another paying role as most firms are likely to want you not to be working out of hours - you'd need to maintain your own PI insurance probably and agree some sort of pro rata contribution to your PC costs.

Very worth looking around though, it's competitive but the market is having one of its 'sellers market' periods!!

Good luck

"Is it the loss of the retainer and the issues around marketing the legal work you do? Marketing can be a challenge even with colleagues to egg you on so I do sympathise."

Yes.

Thanks for these encouraging posts. Will check in again shortly.

"You have a track record of balancing children and part time work"

I'm meeting up with an old colleague on Thursday and that's what I'll say to him!

And it's exciting to think about there being a seller's market right now.

I can lack confidence about the academic side. Dh got cross because I wanted to go and do a course that he said I should be teaching, not studying for.... I guess he's right - I've told off other women for paying for courses they should be teaching. I just get worried about gaps in my knowledge after over-specialising so much.