Career Clinic: Has my career break made me less marketable?

It is not over yet

In 2008 I was made redundant and whilst it is not quite the same thing, I spent two years looking for jobs before finding one. It is a tough market for everyone and do not give up.

You took a break at possibly the most important developmental stage of your career and so you will need to work extra hard to demonstrate not only that you are capable but also committed. Volunteer work is excellent with regard the latter.

I would not be minded to return at a non-solicitor level but do open up the geographical area and do not rule out smaller firms. There are some decent agents out there and if you want to post your e-mail address or that of a friend I would be happy to recommend one or two agents that I came across who I am sure would be willing to give you some advice on the telephone and help you along the way.

Best of luck and keep trying!

Me -18 Jul 2011 | 09:29

change specialisation??

The current market has certainly made it harder for people who have taken a career break - especially for someone with no experience and I would imagine it's probably a lot harder in the regions. I took a career break in 2009 and was 2PQE at the time. I struggled to get back into work a year later but I'm a corporate lawyer and eventually found a maternity cover role. My contract is due to end but there are certainly a lot more options once you're actually in work rather than out of work. I'm also based in London and there are more opportunities here. Have you tried to contact your old firm? Have you considered changing specialisation? Employment law might be a bit specialised and you may be better off trying to get a maternity cover/contract or paralegal role in corporate/commercial or banking law. If you did a corporate or some other seat I would try exploring a different area.

The market seems to be picking up so it is about persistence and the voluntary legal work you're doing is sure to help. Good luck.

AS -18 Jul 2011 | 10:02

Hmm......

There are no absolutes in these things. You may well find someone who is willing to take you on eventually but potential employers will be wary about aspects of your CV. Were you offered a job on qualifying? Why did you take a three-year break to have a baby? Isn’t that two years longer than necessary? How committed will you be to a new role? Given that you have no post-qualifying experience and have been out of legal practice for longer than you were ever in it, are you a bit rusty?

Times are tight right now and there are a lot of good candidates in the market for NQ jobs. Recruitment agents won’t want to work with candidates that are hard to sell – frankly, you’re probably one of them. It will be difficult to convince an employer that taking a chance on you after three years is a better call than either retaining an internal candidate for an NQ role or taking on someone who is more up to date. Some firms, though they’ll never admit it, will simply be wary about taking on female candidates with young children, smaller firms in particular are often keen to avoid the costs of any future maternity leave.

Employment law, in particular, is a rapidly-changing area and maybe you should focus more on getting a qualified position then think about specialising once you have some PQE under your belt. I wouldn’t go for paralegal roles if I were you unless it was very much an extended refresher or transitional thing with a short-term move to a qualified role pretty much guaranteed. Many firms won’t take qualified lawyers into those roles anyway.

Oh, and try and avoid completely speculative applications. Do some research on the firms you are looking at, if local to where you live network and use personal contacts to try and find out what’s happening, if any incumbent lawyers are going on maternity leave etc. and where the openings might be. Keep plugging away and good luck.

Young Fogey -18 Jul 2011 | 10:17

Don't do it!

Your career break shows that your priorities are correct. The blithe "two years more than necessary" comment above shows how many (most) in the profession have such twisted priorities. I for one think having a mother for one's first three years on the planet is by no means OTT!!! Pity how people in the most middle class of jobs have taken on such working class attitudes!

You are attempting to re-enter the workplace at its most competitive point in 100 years. Your chances of getting your "dream" job are therefore incredibly slim and if you are to get any job you would have to take the advice above and take one you don't want, probably followed by a lifetime of frustration.

This is a blessing! The law is bad for your health, bad for your family and, right now, bad for your wallet. Spread your wings, take your talents elsewhere and succeed in a more balanced, fulfilling and lucrative career!

Now what? ... there is a good book by an American female ex-lawyer on second careers for lawyers.

P.S. I came back from an 18-month break on qualification and am now (2.5 PQE) working my way out of law from an in-house position.

Indahouse -18 Jul 2011 | 15:24

Hmmm

You need to think carefully about this one. As previous posters have identified, it is a very tough market, and you have the added disadvantage of having no post-qualification experience. It may be that there was a compelling reason that you chose to have a family so quickly (perhaps you qualified into law at a later age/stage than most) but if not I am afraid that the majority of the profession may well interpret your career break as a lack of real commitment to the profession.

Leaving the current difficulties of finding employment aside, do consider the bigger picture. I have remained in private practice after having had two children, but it is very hard going, and I had the advantage of having built up some goodwill with clients/colleagues, as I was 8PQE when I had my first. I am now working four days a week in a senior position. However, when you are in the early stages of your career, you are expected to put in the hours and rarely have the luxury of delegating. This is likely to impact adversely on the amount of time you have for your family. Also, if you are planning on having any more children, then you need to factor that in. Most employers will not look kindly on an employee announcing a pregnancy within a year or so of starting a job, and you could find yourself sidelined. Evidently, unless you resign from your position, you will not be able to take such an extended break for any subsequent children. Are you okay with that?

In short, you will need to be really committed to make it work, so be sure it is really what you want.

City Litigator -18 Jul 2011 | 16:52

Every silver lining

Congratulations on your baby, being a parent is the best thing in the world by a mile. You might yearn for the excitement of time recording and networking, or the thrill of the compromise agreement, but resist if you can.

The answer to your question is yes, obviously. The market is saturated with junior lawyers, pushing pay down and employers' expectations up. Why not try a job that won't demand so much?

Eeyore -18 Jul 2011 | 22:20

Unconscious bias?

It is a tough market for lawyers and other professions too. I do think that there is some unconscious bias against working mothers with fears about their reliability when in reality they give more and more loyal.

The spotlight is on costs and performance management so from the firm's point of view, this is an important issue e.g. having another child. It is like the big elephant in the room that is not being talked about!

Women are great at building relationships and employee engagement and law firms need more of this!

It is important to network on and off line and define your personal brand to cut through the standard recruitment route and create opportunities for yourself. With a young child, networking on LinkedIn and Twitter may be more relevant to you than than face to face networking.

talentliberator -20 Jul 2011 | 10:35

Try the insurance market

I recommend trying one of the insurance companies that provide legal expense insurance for employment law claims (to claimants and respondents) - such as DAS or Direct Line or one of their panel firms like Lyons Davidson, Irwin Mitchell, Clarkslegal. They often have junior roles which, whilst the money might not be brilliant, you will get a never-ending stream of cases to get you back in the swing of things.

I qualified in 2002 from a top firm which had no employment jobs. I turned down offers of other disciplines and instead spent a couple of years at Lyons Davidson. It was seat-of-your-pants stuff as far as never knowing quite what I might get case wise (40-day whistleblowing cases, complex discrimination cases, you name it, I had to deal with it) but the experience, knowledge and ability to multitask has been invaluable and opened a lot of doors for me - after two years I had a CV with the experience of someone 7-10 years qualified. I am now a senior associate in another top firm and enjoying the benefits of that grounding.

It will be hard work, but at least with this kind of firm you can concentrate on law rather than business development stuff and really test your legal brain. Very best of luck.

Mum of one and one on the way -20 Jul 2011 | 17:11

legal work

At the end of the day, it is a job and you need to show that you are capable of providing the legal advice that is required at the level you are aiming at. No amount of relationship building, networking, or use of LinkedIn/Twitter get around this issue. You will need to be able to show that you have the knowledge and background to provide the legal services required.

itsajob -20 Jul 2011 | 17:11

Keep going

This is a tough market and there are usually quite a few NQs chasing employment law vacancies.

The biggest problem for you will be that firms might consider your experience out of date. You are doing the right thing by doing voluntary work. Another option might be to do work through FRU.

Try and plug any gaps in your knowledge by taking some employment law courses. Most law firms offer training courses for other professionals/clients at a relatively low cost. The ELA offers excellent training courses.

My scenario was slightly different to yours as I was looking for an employment law vacancy as an NQ having not done a seat in employment law. All the agencies told me I was wasting my time looking for a seat. I took a masters in employment law and then wrote lots of speculative applications to firms highlighting how I had gained experience in employment law. I secured a job with a small firm. When I wanted to move from London to the regions, I also made speculative applications and got quite a few interviews with large regional firms. I now work as an employment lawyer at a senior level. So speculative applications can work, provided you highlight what you have done to plug the gaps on your CV and make sure you target the right people.

Anon -21 Jul 2011 | 13:38

Thank you all for your comments

Hi I am the person who posted the original question. Thank you all for your comments....they have certainly given me a great deal to think about.

To the poster 'me' I am currently based in London and therefore applying to firms there. If the agencies you are referring to are based there then I would appreciate their details. You can email me at nqsolicitor@gmail.com

To the poster who suggested I tap into the insurance market...thanks! I hadn't thought of that and will certainly give it a go.

To the last poster 'anon' thanks for your positive words....it feels great to know that other people have been through similar situations and been successful. Although I do love being a mum, I really feel the time has come to do something for me again....and to be intellectually challenged. I am going to keep trying with my applications and hopefully my persistence will pay off!

Original Poster -21 Jul 2011 | 20:53

Also, for those of you who are in senior positions and involved in recruitment can you give any tips as to what would make a cover letter stand out for you and make you be interested in that applicant?

Original Poster -21 Jul 2011 | 20:58

In-House

I moved from private practice to an in-house role in the public sector following the birth of my first child. It is far more family friendly and rewarding in every way (save financial!). You don't need to give up on law but perhaps looking outside of private practice is a good idea. I have recruited for a few legal roles since being in-house, and there's just no substitute for enthusiasm and tailoring your application to the particular employer. Good luck.

Kate Allan -22 Jul 2011 | 15:38

Great advice

Thank you for asking the question. I'm in the same position as you. I qualified in 2007 right when the recession hit and was unable to find a NQ role. It was made even harder when I fell pregnant. At the start of this year I started to look again at my options, I was looking for part-time work which has been nearly impossible to find. Agents are telling me I have no hope as I've been out the game too long (they do have an interesting take on the world sometimes ;-).

So I've decided to help lawyers create business strategies and better relationships with clients by using coaching and business psychology, that way I get to help lawyers improve their services and fit it around the hours I would like to work. I'm excited about the future, there are many options out there, where you can use your legal knowledge even if it's not as a lawyer. I'd be very happy to help anyone who might be in a similar situation. Best wishes for the future and congratulations on the birth of your child :-)

Inspired Star -26 Jul 2011 | 21:49

Great to know

Hi Inspired Star. It is so great to hear from someone in a similar situation and that I am not the only one who is finding it tough to break back into law. It's motivating to know that you have found something else to do. I often think about branching out, but after thinking about only law for so long and wanting to establish a legal career its hard to think of another career. I suppose there will come a time when I may be forced to do this.

Have you taken any courses to assist you in setting up your business? I often think of perhaps doing some further education so that my career gap doesn't get longer and longer.

Original Poster -27 Jul 2011 | 20:10

Need experience to move in-house

Hi Kate

Thanks for your advice. I have thought about moving in-house but it was my understanding that you need a couple of years experience in private practice to do this? To your knowledge are there many NQ roles available in-house?

Original Poster -27 Jul 2011 | 20:14