Alternative Legal Career Options
There are many young lawyers (and old for that matter) who are unsure whether they want to continue working as a solicitor, and this is absolutely fine. Unfortunately, many of these believe that their legal education and training limits them to working only as a solicitor. This is a common misconception. In reality, a legal training is a valuable asset outside the immediate world of solicitor-dom.
That said, it isn’t necessarily easy to move into another area but many employers do value skills learned by law students and trainees and see them as transferable. These include written and communication skills, researching skills, the ability to create reasoned arguments and conclusions after considering large amounts of information and the ability to weigh up the two (or more) sides of an argument. Further, the study and practise of law develops memory, reasoning and concentration skills which are beneficial to the non-solicitor world.
The alternatives to working as a solicitor are:
- Law related jobs – including paralegal, legal executive, outdoor clerk and court reporter. It is also possible to transition into public bodies such as the Government Legal Service, Councils, CPS and the Probation Service.
- Non-law related jobs include civil servant, coroner, insurance, publishing, recruitment, academic, banking, and police officer.
Click here to see 101 Alternatives to Being a Solicitor.
Interim Measures
This is always an area that some people struggle with. There is a perception amongst some that undertaking paralegal work in the interim may adversely affect future career prospects. In our opinion, this is a fine line to walk.
If a paralegal role is taken on which can be explained positively in terms of the additional experience it is giving you then this may well be seen in a good light. If the role is fairly bog standard work that is clearly just a filler then you may want to consider taking on another non-law related job if you are needing to bring an income in.
Some paralegal positions may have prospects of developing into a newly qualified role and it is always advised to explore this further at interview. Good quality paralegal work with a chance of getting a qualified position down the line would always be worth considering in our opinion. Be prepared, however, for some firms offering paralegal work to be turned off you when they find out you are qualified as they will know you plan to seek other work and leave them when you do.
Take a break
Whilst it’s easy to dwell on the negative aspect of not being offered a newly qualified job, some people choose to look at it as an opportunity instead. Whilst there are arguments for and against taking time out at this stage of a legal career, some people have taken a gap year at this stage. The reasoning in the current market is that the job market might be in a better state in a year’s time so maybe use the coming year to have a break but also to add to the CV with some voluntary work or other related work experience.
Professional One to One Careers Advice for Newly Qualifieds
Get help with your career decisions, job search, applications and interviews from our resident legal career coach, Matt Oliver LLB (Solicitor).
