Career Clinic: Are private practice lawyers snobbish about public sector work?

Surely this is just paranoia - in all my time in private practice I've never heard anyone suggest public sector work is less worthy. Snobbery about regional firms, however, is pretty rife.

Private Practice -02 Nov 2009 | 17:08

I am intrigued

Could I ask why you have decided not to return to the public sector?

I was made redundant from private practice last year and am thinking of moving to the public sector!

Fellow jobless lawyer -02 Nov 2009 | 18:20

It depends.....

If a large part of your career has been in the public sector, it's unlikely that you've got experience in marketing and client relationship management which is comparable to someone from the private sector. You may also lack comparable experience in relation to billing, credit control, cash management etc. You'll need to convince an employer in the private sector that you've got the right personality to allow you to develop these skills, and you will be competing against people from the private sector who have far more experience than you.

I don't think this is simply a case of snobbery, as I would expect most decent employers to distinguish between some of the very able people in the government legal service and some of the less able people elsewhere.

Anon -04 Nov 2009 | 11:24

I've experience in a top ten M&A practice, a regional firm and the public sector so I'm well placed to give an honest opinion.

The top ten firm was by far and away the best for expertise, pay and support. The team was highly motivated, the quality of work was excellent and the training first class.

The public sector was second in terms of expertise. This had a much better work/life balance. The work was also more enjoyable.

The regional firm was last both in terms of legal expertise and work/life balance. There seemed to be a lot of frustration, with people who haven't ever made a decision for a business claiming to have a better insight into commercial decision-making than their clients.

Therefore I'm really surprised that you have come to this conclusion. It does sound like paranoia and one yes will surely change your perception.

Axl -05 Nov 2009 | 14:51

I think you are reading too much into it.
Yes it's true that some local govt lawyers are not held in high regard. But that regard is no less than it would be for private practice lawyers of comparable ability.
I do commercial property too. Your post worries me as I have considered local govt as an option if I get the chop from my job as a senior solicitor with 18 years PQE.
I have never worked in local govt but I have come across some cracking local govt lawyers in councils of all shapes and sizes and I have always respected and admired the good ones.
Also, I have worked in practices where people came in from local govt. In some cases they were actively courted by the firms because the firms had seen them in action and liked what they saw.
Perhaps you need to target your applications better. Some firms have regeneration teams which I should imagine would find your experience invaluable.
You also need to look at overcoming some of the prejudices we have about local govt in private practice - I have heard that with tendering, many local authorities are very switched on when it comes to billing and time recording. Kent CC is a good example of this in my experience. They have charged clients of mine very commercial fees on highways matters.
OK, you may be less "advanced" on client care skills, but in my experience many solicitors in private practice get that wrong too. Why else do we have complaints handling procedures and the LCS?
Don't give up, and good luck.

high street solicitor -06 Nov 2009 | 17:58

Different Approaches?

I agree with the above posters that you are likely reading too much into the current situation, and that one positive response would likely change your perspective. Redundancy is difficult to deal with even in a good economy, and in the current brutal climate it is especially important not to let your own situation get you down and negatively impact the way you perceive the job market. I know how hard this is, and I wish you the very best in this regard.

Also, I'm not sure how you go about applying for positions at law firms. Do you send applications to the HR departments, or do you contact partners directly? I've had far more success by identifying lead partners of my practice groups of interest and contacting them directly. I've gotten favourable responses more than half the time, and even when there was no position available, I got on the partners' radar in a positive way that simply would not have happened had I contacted HR and received the standard answer. Best of luck.

CSA -08 Nov 2009 | 03:15

From what I've heard, you may be finding it difficult to get a job because you were made redundant. Headhunters have said that several firms' unofficial policy is not to recruit anyone who lost their jobs.

GimmeaTC -11 Nov 2009 | 12:10

In response to the last poster's comments, I don't think that can be true. I've had had a few interviews since being made redundant, including a job offer abroad (which I was unable to take in the end for reasons beyond my control). I guess it depends on which area you're in, and real estate has probably taken the biggest hit of all sectors.

Anon -17 Nov 2009 | 22:28