Law career advice needed please

[Mummyneedsajob]

I'm new to all the mumsnet stuff so sorry if I get this wrong but I need advice.

37 f with 4 kids. I did my law degree and LPC straight out of school but never secured a training contract despite 2 years of trying ( height of recession all existing ones were being pulled and I got it all wrong in the 2 interviews I did get).

Took on paralegal roles then had kids and stopped working for 10 years. I now really want to get back into it all but am a complete loss on how to. My youngest two are quite young but I'm starting to think ahead for when they start school. In those 10 years I did work for abit before having the youngest ones in what was a complaints role but it wasn't legal stuff.

I know now that I could've used my paralegal work to qualify as a solicitor but I never knew of this route and the work experience is so old now I don't think I'd even be able to track down my old managers etc for the references needed. How do I do this? I can't do the sqe it's more money i dont have atm and I've done the LPC so hate the thought of starting from scratch!

Do firms even want someone like me as a paralegal now up against all the new graduates! Or am I past it.

If you've been in a similar situation did you find other roles that fulfilled you? I looked at citizens advice but they want minimum 3 days for no pay which I just can't do at the moment. 1 day a week I can volunteer at a push for free but 3 days no way. What other roles could I consider..

I have zero hobbies and interests after the kids I feel like I need work to find myself again so I can't even consider a side talent as a business :(

Please help me

[Title edited by MNHQ at poster's request]

I'm not sure but it might be worth reporting your post and asking MN to change your thread title to "law career advice needed please" because your current title sounds like you want legal advice about your job.

You might get more traffic from the right people if the title is clearer.

Hi OP,

I'm a solicitor (currently non-practising) and now work for a University. The SRA website sets out the various pathways to qualifying as a solicitor if that's your aim:

https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/admission/pathways-qualification/

Could you maybe have a look for paralegal/legal assistant type jobs to begin with to dip your toe back in and see if that's definitely what you want to pursue? Local councils might be worth a try. Are there any other types of work that interest you?

If you're after volunteer work, are there any smaller charities locally that you could get involved with? Our city has a "law centre" type place similar to CAB that take on volunteers. Or even maybe just some work experience in local firms to get yourself out there again, if you can manage with it being unpaid?

You're not past it at all, lots of people take breaks to have children/care for others or retrain as mature students. Don't be hard on yourself

I would try and get some paralegal work first to get back "in" and go from there.

Thanks @popplego .

Your right re the law centres- I've been keeping an eye on the local one in South London but not much pops up on their site so I think I'll try see if i can find a human to talk to for some guidance on how and when to volunteer.

The trouble with volunteering at the moment is I'll need to pay for the younger ones to be looked after so it doesn't really help me in the short run but I guess I'm looking at the bigger picture so need to consider it somewhat. I really need a paid job though to help with costs whilst gaining the experience. If it was case work that helped towards qualifying, I wouldn't mind as much, as I'm gaining something albeit in another way- but if I'm stuck doing admin for a team etc ,it's abit of an own goal!

I think with law I've always enjoyed it and knew my stuff back then so was confident in it. I also strongly feel like I've left it all half done and feel unaccomplished because I've not qualified if that makes sense? Its sounds silly typing it out I know !

I wouldn't mind trying something similar but no idea what I'd qualify for with my background, open to all ideas from mumsnet !

I’m 38, and I was the last year group to get a training contract with my firm. Our firm offered 5 TCs a year at the time - after we were taken on, it reduced to zero for the following two years and 1-2 for a few years after that. You just missed the recession induced cut off and that sucks (I know how lucky I was!)

Anyway. One large national firm I worked at had a very clear progression pathway. They hired Paralegals (albeit on a low wage) on a fixed term 6 month contract. At the end of the six months, either your contract was terminated for not quite making the cut, or you were offered a training contract - no in between.

I only ever knew of one person who wasn’t offered one. So that could be ideal for you - as if you get through the interview, the rest is down to you showing that you work hard and would be a good trainee.

If you want to move quickly to a TC, I’d avoid firms that take on paralegals with a vague indication you might be offered a TC though, because again IME, those vary rarely materialise. It was an open secret at one firm that the carrot of a TC was always dangled at paralegals to tempt them in on a low wage, with very few being offered one and having to wait years for it. Most gave up and went elsewhere. However, if you just want an “in”, to gain some experience and get your knowledge back, it could still be a decent option.

I have seen one late 30s woman be offered a TC, but usually it’s fresh law graduates. 10 years is a long time to be out too as your currency will be long gone, but that’s not to say you couldn’t learn on the job. I will be honest and say I had 3 years out - and plenty of rejections based on that. But I did find a few firms willing to overlook that.

Anyway I think in your shoes a paralegal job is the way to go (at first anyway)!

Solicitor here. Sounds like a great idea to get back into a career you enjoy. One of the partners in my team also had a long break (I think over 10 years) and is now a partner so life is what you make of it. I think paralegalling is the best route. Aim for something you’ll enjoy and has a decent wage. Then apply for vacation schemes. Few firms offer TCs straight away now. The market has lots of opportunities so don’t worry if you want to move somewhere new after you’ve gained experience. You can also qualify by cilex rather than TC. The world is your oyster, just believe in yourself!

What area of law are you interested in? If you're interested in City firms I'd jonestly just start applying for training contracts if I were you! Happy to advise on how to sell yourself etc if helpful.

I'm going to be brutal, but only to save you time

If you want City firms/Big Law, I wouldn't waste your energy. They train you on the basis they can make you bill hours and hours and stay up and not have to rush home for childcare. You aren't a person to them. And, let's be frank, a 23 year old can stay up all night for consecutive nights, a 38 year old can't. A 38 year old is also nicely disillusioned enough that they won't find glamour in all nighters, a 23 year old would.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.

Re city firms. I'm wise enough to know that at the moment that's a far fetch given the working hours usually required there and my commitments at home- so I am looking at local or medium sized firms, but also accept getting into these is abit of luck as paralegal positions are usually sparse in the smaller firms!
But you all have given me the reassurance I needed to not feel ' past it' so I'll be targeting those alongside I saw some civil service paralegal type roles advertised so will try there soo I'll give that a whirl too and hope something comes of these.

As much as I'd like to do voluntary work I just can't give them the hours they need with no pay-so I'll use that as a last resort to get back into it.

Thanks for the offer @Zippedydoodahday I'll take you up on that once I start polishing up this decade old CV ! Visions of the hours i spent applying for TC after uni are coming back to haunt me- that was a punch to the gut at the time 😳

I wouldn't rule out paralegaling- in my old firm experienced career paralegals (as opposed to people doing it for a year while looking for a TC) were extremely well respected, well paid and given a lot of responsibility- certainly more than a trainee. I think you are significantly undervaluing your experience by comparing yourself to new grads.

Other ideas- depending on where you live, how about the civil service? Decent paralegal experience would tick all sorts of boxes for a role in delivery, and IME the civil service is a great option for working parents, with good benefits and a genuine commitment to work-life balance.

Hi OP, I would get your CV updated and get in touch with recruitment agencies. Chadwick Nott and Michael Page I've found very good personally.

You might be able to get something remote working if that would suit you. Get a bit of recent experience back under your belt and you will seriously be in demand.

I think with law I've always enjoyed it and knew my stuff back then so was confident in it.

What was your practice area?

Also you could apply for legal assistant type jobs. There are always a number of non-qualified law type vacancies.

Here is a home based paralegal role, 1 day a week in the office.

https://www.totallylegal.com/job/3972730/paralegal/

the work experience is so old now I don't think I'd even be able to track down my old managers etc for the references needed. How do I do this?

Look them up on the SRA Find a Solicitor person search, and also on Linked In.

Time flies in the world of work, it may feel to them only a few years since you worked with them, especially if you were reliable and had a good relationship with them. While they may not be able to set out all the work you did for the purpose of using it as QualifyingWork Experience, they may be willing to recommend you for a paralegal job, or introduce you to someone with a vacancy. Or perhaps they will have a job going themselves. People much prefer to work with a known quantity than to take a punt on a new recruit. Plenty of varied paralegal jobs in London to get your foot in the door and start building up your experience and CV again.

Totally Legal has some more interesting roles come up. Also when you apply for one role through a recruitment consultant they often put you forward for positions not yet advertised.

What you could do is temp for a bit and find out what sort of place you do...or definitely don't...want to work in.

Also don’t forget that the junior lawyers you worked with 10 years ago and may have been friendly with as peers will now be senior and in a position to make hiring decisions. Look them up too.

Finally, I was at a conference yesterday where it was acknowledged that businesses are getting more keen to build in-house legal teams with junior people they have trained from scratch themselves. A more mature person is more likely to be able to hit the ground running in an in house environment. Legal tech means that a lot of jobs that previously had to be outsourced to law firms can now be done in-house eg document review, contract life cycle management. Look at ALSPs (Alternative Legal Service Providers) too. There are lots of opportunities out there and not being qualified is much less of a barrier to entry than it might once have been.

I did legal expenses cover claims- so that was varied breach of contract stuff- builders, goods & services etc, all sorts! Some quite high value stuff in that as well as low value. I loved this role. This was the full case load much of it was litigated so prepping court papers, witness statements etc felt good and it was varied and interesting.

Personal injury- I did this because it seemed like I needed to at the time to get a TC - everyone who seemed to have a TC secured was in PI roles at the time compared to my breach of contract role but looking back that was a mistake!

Debt recovery.. was intense but interesting.

I had always wanted to get into family law but this location wise was impossible unless I knew someone which I didn't. It was a small town. Whereas now I've moved.

I may be giving to much away here but In the complaints type role I handled private medical insurance, income protection claims disputes.

Good advice. A relative returning to work after time off with kids just got hired by someone who was a junior when she left.

OK, brilliant. So, the good news is that the substantive law in this area hasn’t changed too significantly so you will find it easy to catch up. As a starting point, look up the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Insurance Act 2015.

However Civil procedure has changed a lot in the last 10 years so catching up on that will be more challenging.

Have you thought about applying for insurance claims handling/claims exec roles? Essentially decision-making on simple claims and appointing lawyers to handle the tricky ones on your behalf, then making decisions based on their advice.

There are lots of roles in the City for claims handling in specialist lines like Professional Indemnity, shipping, business interruption, goods in transit, commercial property, aviation. (Don’t go near motor but home insurance might be Ok based on your background, though claims teams for general
lines insurance tend not to be London-based.) Money is better than paralegal money but you’d be working with law firms and might make contacts at the firms that would give you a route into training.