For Solicitors

What do we specialise in?

We specialise in helping solicitors to avoid ‘career potholes’ and have an uplifting career breakthrough at major career crossroads and to successfully market and brand themselves for sustainable career success. Mid-career transitions, women solicitors who don’t like marketing themselves so ‘shoot themselves in the foot’, portfolio careers, personal branding, thought leadership and consultant lawyers are specialisms.

Why is career change especially hard for lawyers?

Making a career change is especially challenging for solicitors because they are trained to see the risk in everything, so can get caught up in vicious circles, feeling more and more frustrated and stuck – not a nice feeling!

Because we are not lawyers by background or training, we think in a different way, analytical yet lateral and help you to gain clarity to move forward, minimising risk.  We are like a pair of ‘wing mirrors’, helping you to see what you cannot see yourself, because you are too close.   

19 reasons why lawyers find career change hard

1. Conformist by nature;
2. Trained to follow precedent, not go the opposite way;
3. Risk averse in character;
4. Parental pride in offspring being a lawyer;
5. Fear of people thinking failed in second career;
6. Avoidance of showing weakness;
7. Difficulty of letting go of perceived status ‘”Oh, you are a lawyer!”;
8. Linear thinking does not help to identify new career options/jobs;
9. Picking holes/reductive thinking & identifying counter arguments is likely to magnify the possible barriers to change out of proportion; and
10. Leaving clear career milestones of legal profession for no milestones can feel like stepping off into a void.
11. Anxiety – worry that you will make a mistake/make the wrong decision;
12. Deep specialism of law makes it feel like you have more to lose by giving it up;
13. High cost of training to be a lawyer feels like wasted investment/money down the drain;
14. Black and white thinking – ‘no going back’ if new career doesn’t work and with so many lawyers seeking work, will never get a job again;
15. Lawyers pride themselves on knowledge and being an expert, so leaving this for no knowledge and starting at the bottom of the ladder feels very risky;
16. Trained to look for downsides, so a career change can feel dangerous;
17. Dislike of marketing yourself/negative associations with self-promotion;
18. Having to convince others of your expertise in a new area with little/no experience can make you feel like a ‘fraudster’; and
19. Lawyers learn by experience, and so embarking on a new career can make you feel very uncomfortable, inauthentic and exposed.

14 reasons why lawyers are well equipped to create a successful career change

Here are 14 reasons why lawyers possess skills, qualities and experience that make them well-equipped for career change:

1. Research skill useful to explore new career options;
2. Intelligence to make a good decision;
3. Persistence to make it work, having spent many years training;
4. Society’s perception of lawyers as intelligent professionals to be respected and listened to helps you be considered as a candidate;
5. Rigorous approach analysing and synthesising information and seeing an issue from all angles
6. Robust risk assessment and looking at different scenarios increases the likelihood of making a considered and sound career change decision;
7. Keeping up to date with employment law – new careers appearing all the time;
8. Love of knowledge and learning – get up to speed with a new area;
9. Commitment to study and learn serves well in getting up to speed in a new career;
10. Flexibility – experience of having different seats and working in different practice areas;
11. Tolerance and resilience acquired when junior working in a law firm;
12. Individualistic in nature – carve out own path in market;
13. Breadth and mix of skills needed to be a lawyer, i.e. critical thinking, client relationship management, negotiation, sharing complex information in a simple way; analysis and synthesis gives a transferable and useful skillset and good mix for becoming self-employed; and
14. CPD requirement to keep up to date with changes in legislation enhances being predisposed to skills refreshment.

Who are our clients?

We attract clients who don’t fit in just one ‘neat box’ and who have an unfulfilled creative and entrepreneurial side.

What motivates us?

Your success and fulfilment is what motivates us.

Career planning for uncertain times

In uncertain times, you need to have a career plan A, B and C. Doing nothing is the worst thing that you can do.

What next?

We can help you. Get in touch today and start the ball rolling.