TO LEAVE LAW OR NOT TO LEAVE: WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?
17 December 2009
Since my last update a lot has happened. Never mind turning 180 degrees, I think I have actually turned 540!
My last update was written in the summer at a time when I was adamant that I wanted to give up my legal career. I was pursuing my options and seriously considering PR, journalism and anything more creative. I had planned a few methods to help me decide what I wanted to do next. The only thing I knew for certain was that I hated being a corporate lawyer - it was affecting my health and my happiness - and I could only see more of the same stretching ahead. So one day in July I took matters into my own hands and handed in my resignation, agreeing to work until September
I booked an appointment with a careers consultant in London, then also booked myself a trip to New York for my first day of freedom in September, to take some time out of my daily routine and make a decision about what to do next.
The careers consultation session was an excellent reality check. The careers consultant took one look at me and (rightly) concluded that I would struggle to live on a much lesser annual wage, something I had not really admitted to myself. We lawyers may work hard for our money (and sometimes hate every minute) but we often get paid well and get used to a certain level of comfort. I have lost count of the times I have heard lawyers more senior than me say that they hate their jobs but they need to pay the mortgage/ school fees/ car loan. Luckily I do not have too many financial commitments yet, but it would be difficult to completely let go of the freedom that my salary gives me.
It was also refreshing to talk to someone pragmatic who went into detail about what jobs would actually entail, rather than some of my friends, whose idealism was infectious but partly due to a vicarious desire to escape their boring City jobs.
We talked and completed an exercise where I built my ideal role by listing and prioritising the day-to-day tasks that my ideal job would have. Funnily enough, my ideal job (with variety, some creativity, contact with people) was the complete opposite from the corporate drone role I had been doing. If I needed any more confirmation that I had made the right decision to leave corporate law then this was it.
I did however prioritise negotiation, intellectual stimulation and status, all of which could be tied to a legal career. The careers consultant played Devil's Advocate and suggested that I needed to consider other areas of law, which would tick the boxes that I had prioritised.
She encouraged me to think back to my training and post-qualification experience and tell her what I had enjoyed. I kept coming back to one area: Employment law. I spent 6 months in the Employment department when I was a trainee and occasionally advised on Employment issues during my time in corporate. I had discounted it in the boom time when I qualified, when corporate jobs were available and I naively associated a corporate role with status, glamour and freedom to travel and work abroad, conveniently forgetting the mundane day to day tasks that would also be part of the package.
I left the careers consultation session with a much better idea of what I wanted and promising to look into working in Employment as a possible career switch, however deciding not just to limit myself to big firms and vast departments. Interestingly, the careers consultant told me that she gets many appointments with people from my firm, and others similar firms, so there are a obviously lot of lawyers out there considering whether to make a move.
Following my resignation, corporate was very quiet so I agreed to temporarily assist the dispute resolution department while I completed my notice period, due to end in September.
In August, my new department was impressed with my work and asked me to stay for a bit longer, while I looked for something new. I agreed to stay until March 2010, although varied my contract to allow me to give a shorter notice period if necessary. This is the position I am in now: in a different department away from the stresses and macho posturing of the corporate partners. It is not a long-term plan, and, instead, is a safety net allowing me to look for other jobs while earning money and keeping up my legal practice for my CV.
In terms of what to do next, I am still deciding. Employment roles at my level and as someone wanting to switch practice area are few and far between. I am also conscious that I have to be completely sure about the next job I take and that I can’t make any mistakes. So from now until my time is up in March I will be looking for Employment roles, and also looking outside my comfort zone: recruitment consultants have advised me that I may need to look at firms and places I would not have considered. However, if it leads me in the right direction then I am keen.
The best thing I did since starting to write this blog was definitely handing in my notice in and quitting corporate – it galvanized me into action and while I now have the luxury of an extra few months to decide and look for something new, I still would have made the decision to leave even if I didn’t have that luxury.
To contact the MTL blogger, email mtlblogger@moretolaw.com
PAST ENTRIES
30 April 2009: Move within the sector?