Any private client solicitors out there?

[Notalitigator]

I qualified a fair while ago in a litigation field. Initially I thrived on this but overtime I found it incredibly stressful to the point that I didn't return to work after my maternity leave.

I have now been a sahm for nearly 3 years and I am now keen to return to work given that dd will be starting nursery soon, and quiet frankly, I'm bored. However, I can't face returning to my old practice area. As I said it is too stressful and I also can't see how it can work with a toddler unless I have a nanny, which we couldn't afford (I am not in a position to command a high enough salary).

I much preferred the non-contentious elements of my practice area but it's not really possible to just specialise in these. For this reason I have been considering trying to convert to Private Client work (along with that I enjoyed this subject back in the dark ages of doing my degree) and have seen a few courses which, apparently, help with changing to this area. Are there any PC solicitors who can give me an idea as to whether these conversion courses are worthwhile/respected? I obviously don't want to fork out for a course if I will struggle to find work. I am perfectly happy to go back as a nq level in terms. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I think your best bet is to speak to some recruitment consultants. If you’re willing to take the pay cut and start in a newly qualified position, I don’t think you’ll need to do a course. Where are you based? I can recommend some decent agencies to speak to. I’m a commercial lawyer btw.

As an alternative suggestion I work in the legal department for the local authority, we have a litigation team among other areas to work in. A lot of people have come here after having families, flexible hours and job security attract people, of course pay is less than private but I don’t think the gap is as big as you’d think

Thanks for your responses. I might contact some ra, my concern is that I never did a PC seat in my TC so have no practical experience whatsoever. Also having a bit of a confidence crisis having been away from the work place for a while.

I have considered local authorities etc, salary would probably be around what I earned before but not much is coming up in my practice area, plus I have lost all enthusiasm for that area.

I think you need to be careful about these courses.

Can you say anything more about your practice area? I am thinking the noncontentious area of your old practice is a more promising place to start.

For private client solicitors, the recognised qualification is STEP. There are four modules, each involving a course then exam to achieve the qualification.

Most lawyers will do the exams while working in a private client department funded by the employer, but it may be possible to start the exams on your own demonstrating commitment to future employers.