Articles From the Team

Should I leave the law?

This was a question I asked myself, just before I came up to qualifying and before I accepted my NQ role.

Having spent so long looking for a training contract after 4 years at University, moving on from my training firm made me feel disloyal and leaving the profession seemed a big waste of time and money, particularly for my parents. So I accepted my internal NQ role and continued on for the next 18 months.

At the time there was a lack of other options, there were limited roles so it was definitely the safe bet to stay put, although looking back now I should have probably moved on.

Moving on from where you train gives you the chance to break free from the shackles of being the “trainee.” From day one you would be seen as a solicitor, and treated like one, rather than being expected to pick up the tasks which the trainee would have done…?

It would also give you the chance to move out of an environment you have become settled in and accustomed to; it would take you out of your comfort to a place where you need to adapt to survive and potentially help you re-find your mojo/ your passion for the law…!

After 18 months I decided to move on, but by that time I had become disillusioned with law and moved into an area where I could still use my expertise but where my work ethic and legal knowledge would have a direct impact on my success.

If you are coming up to qualifying or have recently qualified and you are asking yourself the question of whether to stay in the legal profession, my advice would be to take the plunge, remove yourself from your comfort zone and have a go a finding your new mojo in a different firm, with different colleagues, in different surroundings!

Take hold of your own future, don’t always be the “trainee.”

For more information contact BCL Legal or email us at info@bcllegal.com.