Career Clinic: Am I too senior to find a new job in private practice without a following?

Unemployable? Certainly not.

The difficulties you face are the same as those for most lawyers in the current market. Firms can be immensely fussy, one recently requesting my O-level results!! The reason being that there are simply not enough jobs to go around.

It took me two years to find a decent job following redundancy from a background of real estate finance in London and Japan and my advice is do not give up.

Contact as many agents as you can. There are some decent ones out there - if in doubt, stick with the big boys. Make sure the agent is not 'spraying and praying' and has instructions from the firm with the vacancy. Check every legal job section on the net and apply for jobs direct if you can.

It is a tough world out there, but keep your chin up and eventually the right role will come along.

One final thing, keep a list of the agents you contact and the firms you give them permission to apply to - simultaneous applications from two agents are a big no no!

Stick with you.

Best of luck.

Me -20 Jan 2011 | 17:37

Life begins at 40

It is not entirely clear what you are looking for. You refer to your specialist area and that the present firm cannot support it (or, at least, the users are looking only to London) on the one hand, but also speak about your broader commercial experience on the other. Below partner level, I suspect a choice has to be made as to which you major on - the large City firms will, on the whole, be looking at the former (hence, the agents pigeon-holing you).

Depending on your personal circumstances, a move outside the UK may be worth considering. I specialised in finance in the UK but now work in a local firm in one of the smaller Gulf states (not Dubai) where a broader experience is welcomed - indeed, essential in my view - as you have to deal with a wide range of matters without the internal back-up/burden of a raft of specialists. Just a thought.

50+ -21 Jan 2011 | 04:42

No!

No you are certainly not unemployable but, as you rightly identify, you don’t necessarily fit into the usual boxes that firms (and recruitment agents) like to put people in when farming candidates. It’s fine to pitch yourself as either a specialist or more general commercial adviser but to do that you should prepare different versions of your CV drawing out your relevant experience for each role and also work out what your real preference is.

Consider whether you really want to use a recruitment agent, and if you do, manage them carefully. Lots of agencies only really want to shuffle identikit junior associates around who map easily to conventional roles and don’t really have the interest or ability in dealing with anyone different. Rather than settle for that, don’t underestimate the value of making an approach directly if you can put together a credible, albeit unsolicited, business proposition.

Experience still counts for a lot. But you also have a longer track record which will throw up some more questions. Why didn’t you get made a partner in your previous firms? Why, after 15 years of practising, have you not got any kind of following? It’s just like an NQ being asked why he or she wasn’t retained at the end of the TC. A reasonable explanation should allay the concern in most cases but don’t be surprised at facing the question.

Your geographical flexibility is also a big advantage. Lots of people at your stage have ties and commitments to a particular location. Employers or firms located in seemingly unattractive locations have often struggled to recruit suitable skills in their area and have adopted a more open-minded approach to recruitment as a result.

Lastly, chin up. There are lots of lawyers in their 40s who are not general counsel to FTSE100 companies or partners in large practices but earn good salaries doing reasonable quality work who don’t get profiled on sites like this every week. No reason why you cannot be one of them.

Young Fogey -21 Jan 2011 | 10:06

Think positive, and be with the right people

I can understand your situation and it must be exceptionally frustrating. It is of course a difficult market, and that will have some impact on those opportunities becoming available to you.

You also need to be working with the right people, and my honest expression is that agencies are not always the best way to go. For most recruitment consultants, its much more about filling roles within a defined specification-and they often get it wrong. Forgive the business pitch, but I am a consultant with Jepson Holt (I'm not a recruitment consultant). We are very different, we work with our clients to grow their business, and we work with candidates to advance their careers. It might be worth having a look into what we might be able to do for you.

You're more than welcome to contact me, and I can put you in touch with someone who actually understands you, and your market, and find the best fit for all parties.

Ben @ Jepson Holt -21 Jan 2011 | 10:15

Why stick to law?

I am certainly not at your stage and I do hope (without sounding cocky) that I do not end up in your shoes in so many years time.

You have learnt nearly everything that is there to learn about your specialism. You have proved that you are a thorough lawyer. What more do you want by sticking to the existing arrangement?

I am baffled that you have not considered starting your own business? No, not another law firm. Something wider and in a partnership (with a non-lawyer).

Also, as someone alluded to above, I would strongly recommend moving abroad and utilising your experience. Your experience in the specialist area may not be entirely valuable in the UK but certainly it will be outside.

Stop thinking that sticking to law and the UK are your ONLY options. They were at some stage. Move on and embrace the change and the new challenge. When you are out of it you will realise those two (together or otherwise) were not all that great.

I used to be on the business side and came to law after thorough consideration. I know what I am here for and I hope that once that is achieved I will be able to move on.

Carpe diem stickler -28 Jan 2011 | 05:30

No 'one trick pony'

Career change is daunting for lawyers. I helped Peter Cornell, Clifford Chance at his career crossroads. What would be useful for you?

talentliberator -29 Jan 2011 | 12:41

Thanks for the comments

The comments have all been useful (and not cocky!) and have given me some food for thought. One of the barriers to change for me has been reliance on my lawyer's salary, but having been made redundant shortly after posting the initial query I'm weaning myself off that! I'm still plugging away at in-house roles but looking into an MBA to broaden out my ability to use my legal skills in non-legal roles.

Grateful poster -31 Jan 2011 | 13:35

PSL role?

Have you thought about a professional support lawyer role in your area of specialisation? Many City firms look for those, and your profile sounds just right. Salaries can be quite good too (at least in comparison to regional firms).

Advice -11 Feb 2011 | 15:36

Further Study

Looking into MBAs and the like is definitely worth considering.

I got made redundant in 2009 and have since done an MSc in a subject related to my legal specialism. I'm now looking for jobs in corporate finance and fund management related to my legal experience and a couple of potential employers have expressed an interest in having someone within their team who understands the legal side of the business but without being an in-house lawyer.

It's still a tough market but my masters has opened up a few doors which wouldn't have existed if I'd just carried on looking for purely legal work.

Escaping Lawyer -15 Feb 2011 | 15:56