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Career Clinic draws on readers' own experiences to assist others with their career conundrums. Click on a headline to post your advice or click here to email Career Clinic with your own difficulties and dilemmas. Special note: We will not attribute your comments to you unless you state otherwise.
CAREER CLINIC
Career Clinic: Should I follow my boss to a US firm in London?
"I'm a 2PQE associate at a UK top 50 firm in London, where I qualified. I'm generally pretty happy where I am; the work as yet hasn't been mind-numbing and the firm's been pretty good to me so far - I'm still able to have something of a personal life ...
11 Jul 2011 | 00:00 | 7 comments
Career Clinic: Confidence shot after too long in the same place - how do I kickstart my career?
"I am a 20PQE commercial lawyer in a large in-house legal department of a multinational corporation, where I have worked for over 12 years. In some respects I have everything everyone may want from a good employer - home-based working, the ability to ...
23 Jun 2011 | 12:39 | 22 comments
Career Clinic: Will working in an all-female team harm my promotion prospects?
"My firm has recently announced its annual partner promotions, and with another line-up of mostly men made up, it's got me thinking. I work in a team of six at the moment - all of us girls - reporting into a male boss. It's not so much the old school ...
16 Jun 2011 | 11:50 | 7 comments
Career Clinic: How do firms view self-employment when changing career to law?
"I have spent the last nine years in business - the first three working for a bluechip chocolate company and the last six running my own restaurant businesses. I am looking for a career change with greater intellectual challenge and work/life balance....
27 May 2011 | 10:14 | 5 comments
Career Clinic: How best to handle the politics of an internal move?
"I am a senior associate at a City firm and am, in general, pretty happy with my job. However, due to someone leaving, a post in another area of the firm has come up that I am interested in. I get on very well with the partner I would work under, and ...
19 May 2011 | 10:55 | 3 comments
Career Clinic: What should I avoid when changing careers into law?
"I posted a few weeks ago about ILEX vs GDL - thanks to everyone who replied. Some of the replies were really helpful. "One thing that struck me was how many comments there were of the 'Why the hell do you want to change to law?' or 'Are you really...
06 May 2011 | 17:00 | 7 comments
Career Clinic: My boss constantly emails me out of work hours
"I'm a senior associate who moved firms a few months ago, and I'm already a little concerned about the working relationship I have with my new boss. "While out of the office last weekend he sent me close to 50 emails, and I'm expecting a repeat per...
28 Apr 2011 | 15:50 | 12 comments
Career Clinic: Are ILEX diplomas taken seriously as a way in to the legal profession?
"I am a mid-life career changer contemplating a switch to law after a career as a copywriter in marketing and advertising. "I have reservations about going down the GDL/LPC route for two reasons. The first is cost and the second is time, which, at ...
21 Apr 2011 | 00:00 | 16 comments
Career Clinic: I'm not being given enough work and worried about falling behind
"I work in a small corporate firm in the north and am one-year qualified in a niche area. However, the last six months I have not had much work as the lead partner has not been busy himself. "I have tried to keep myself busy by offering to work for...
14 Apr 2011 | 10:16 | 6 comments
Career Clinic: Disillusioned by transactional law - has my training been wasted?
"I am an 18-month qualified lawyer working in the regional office of a national firm. I am working in a niche area in which I have no particular interest and feel as if I am not suited to the lifestyle of a transactional lawyer (long hours at the beck...
04 Apr 2011 | 12:11 | 14 comments
Career Clinic: Law firm BD and marketing outside of London - a pipe dream?
"I have a very strong academic background in law to masters level, and in addition to support and fee earning experience, I have around four years' business development and marketing experience, and have worked on some excellent projects at senior lev...
24 Mar 2011 | 10:09 | 8 comments
Career Clinic: Do top law firms pass over applicants with poor A-level results?
"If you have underperformed in your A-levels but have obtained a degree from a good university in law (2:1 at the very least), and have bulked up your CV with relevant work experience, is it still possible to get a job at a top law firm? How important...
10 Mar 2011 | 13:27 | 47 comments
Career Clinic: After 10 years in Asia, what jobs should I target in the UK?
"I qualified 10 years ago and immediately afterwards decided I wanted to try living in Asia. I've since spent 10 years in Thailand, firstly for seven years as an in-house consultant for the Asia branch of a business news service, and for the past thre...
03 Mar 2011 | 11:11 | 4 comments
Career Clinic: Quitting the law at 1PQE at for a business role - a bad idea?
"I have recently qualified into the corporate department of a top 20 City firm. I originally thought I would stay in private practice for at least 3-4 years after qualifying; however, I have been presented with an opportunity to go into business and I...
24 Feb 2011 | 13:27 | 19 comments
Career Clinic: Can I qualify into one of the 'weird' parts of the world?
"In a few months I will choose where I am going to qualify. My aspirations are to start a career somewhere 'weird', like Kazakhstan, for example. My only experience is in M&A, as opposed to banking or funds. I also have experience in construction, tax...
14 Feb 2011 | 14:21 | 11 comments
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