Articles From the Team

Any saddle will do

As a keen cyclist, horse rider and hat wearer at horse racing meetings, I was very surprised to hear last year that Victoria Pendleton was propping up her bicycle in pursuit of a second career as a jockey. She had a successful career cycling and had launched her own brand of bicycles, so why the desire to start again in a new sport? Also, most jockeys start their career very young as an apprentice; she was already in her 30s. It seemed a bit of a long shot, but the GB athlete secured a training jockey position with the UKs very best and well respected Paul Nicholls. How did she do it?

As a recruitment consultant I receive many CVs from candidates who are looking to move into a new area of law. Like Victoria’s bold move to the world of National Hunt it’s not impossible, but it’s a fact that you will need to work much harder than candidates who have directly relevant experience – it may seem unfair to not be given a chance or even a lazy form of recruitment, but if you had Victoria Pendleton or AP McCoy offering to ride your horse at Cheltenham – who would you pick? I don’t doubt that Victoria will be working hard to sell herself to the owners working with Paul Nicholls and is taking the odd fall in Point to Point along the way.

So, if you’re considering moving into a new area, ensure you engage with your Consultant early on. We will always speak with you directly when you submit a CV to BCL, but if we have a conversation first we can assess suitability, transferrable skills and the best way to sell yourself for that new area of law. There are many considerations that we can also discuss with you for example the feasibility of the move and your competition for places, salary expectations, prospects in that area of law etc. You can guarantee an honest and confidential conversation with us, without the risk of broken bones.

And on that note, if you have any tips for Cheltenham, please send them in, the BCL Friday Flyers will be enjoying a day at the races on Gold Cup day next week!

For more information, please contact BCL Legal.