How can you develop your career as a solicitor?

You’ve put in the hard work, and now you are qualified as a solicitor, potentially having some years of experience under your belt. But what’s next and how can you develop your career as a solicitor?

There are many reasons why you might be looking to develop your law career. Some of those could include:

• You’re not as excited by your role as you once were
• You feel like you aren’t progressing as you should be
• You’re looking for ways to impress your bosses
• You’re craving something more challenging

In this blog post, we’ll discuss some ways you can develop your career as a solicitor and your role in law whilst addressing these concerns that you might feel are holding you back.  

However you’re feeling, the good news is that there is a path out there for you. Once you become a solicitor, this isn’t the only role that might be right for you. So, if you’ve fallen out of love with the law, and think there could be an alternate career for you, have a read of this blog post which might inspire you.

Step one: Identify what you’re missing 

So, if you are feeling less excited by your current role or losing the love for the law, what can you do? First off, we’d recommend identifying what it is you think you are missing out on. Are you no longer finding the area of law you work in enjoyable or interesting? Is it the lack of work/life balance or are the hours too much for your current lifestyle? Once you’ve identified what you feel you are missing out on, or what the perceived problem is, you can choose your next steps.

Step two: Create attainable goals

This brings us to step two. Once you’ve identified what you think you want to change with your career, you can create goals and the process to get there.

Your goals should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, reliable, and timely. By following this process with your goals, it will hopefully give you the motivation you need to continue with your career in law, whatever role this might be in.  

Once you’ve identified what you want to change, and created the goals you’d like to fulfil, how can you make the progress to get there?

1. Network

Networking is one of the best things you can do to help you reach your goals. Whether it’s because you want to try a new area of law, you want to move firm or you want to make a complete career move, networking could absolutely help you get there!

There are lots of networking opportunities out there – you could have a look on LinkedIn, on your local law society’s website or on Eventbrite to see what is coming up in your area that might have attendees who could help you make the next step.

By getting stuck into networking, you are likely to learn new skills and meet interesting people that could help to develop your career as a solicitor.

2. Try a new specialism

If you are bored within your current specialism of law, moving departments might be the answer for you and this might help to develop your career as a solicitor. Think about your current role, and what skills you have that could be transferred to another area of law. Or think back to your training contract – was there another area you enjoyed in your rotation? Is it time to branch out and take the next step?

By pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and trying something new, it will help to develop your career as a solicitor.

3. Take on an extra role

Within law firms, there are many extra duties and responsibilities you could take on. Of course, as a solicitor you will have a very busy role already with a lot of responsibility. But if you want something new to excite you, or you are looking for a way to impress your boss, taking on some additional responsibility – if your time and mental capacity permits – could be the answer.  

Think about your interests outside of work. Are there ways you could bring them into the firm, for example an after-work cooking class in the office. Or are you passionate about something that your firm isn’t currently prioritising and want to make a difference? For example equality and diversity, or wellbeing? These could be great projects for you and the firm that could lead to lots of benefits and develop your role within the firm.

4. Make a change

If none of these options sound like the answer, it might be time to make a bigger change! This could be a new role in a completely new industry, a completely new firm, or a new role within your current firm. You could even have a look at moving to a new city if you want something very exciting!

So, what are your next steps? 

Hopefully this blog post gives you some peace of mind. If you’re feeling down about your legal career, there are many options to develop and evolve your career so don’t fret.

Once you have identified what you could be missing in your current roles, and have created goals, you can start to determine your next steps. Whether this is networking and broadening your horizon, implementing something new within your current firm or looking for a change of scenery.

If you are looking for a new role in the legal industry, head to our careers page to find out what law firms are currently hiring.