Articles From the Team

Solicitor jobs: should I stay or should I go?

It’s an age-old question; applicable to a solicitor jobs search and many other walks of life (the pub for just one more beer, the stadium when your team are being hammered 5-0 and it’s only half time…).

Are you fulfilled?

Frighteningly, over 85 per cent of people recently surveyed in this country don’t actually enjoy their job* and some people see work as a sense of frustration rather than fulfilment (defined as “the achievement of something desired or promised”).

Despite this, there’s a great deal of inertia within many job markets, especially the legal profession. The old adage ‘it’s not paid fun’ only goes so far, and while work may be a means to an end for many people, it doesn’t have to be this way.

There are plenty of opportunities out there for people to feel more ‘fulfilled’ in what they do. Fulfilment’s often overlooked as people amble along in jobs that are comfortable yet they don’t really enjoy.

For many people, fulfilment’s reserved for their private lives. In analysing one’s work situation, people don’t stop to think about this factor. There’ll always be a demand for bright, hard-working and talented solicitors so if you’re sitting there thinking “I deserve more from my role,” chances are there’s a law firm that can offer it.

Do I deserve more?

Given the competitive nature of the legal market and the fact that solicitors are in a strong bargaining position, there’s a lot of scope for you to find a role that truly fits what you actually want out of your career/solicitor job depending on how you look at it.

Maybe you want to work in a firm that’s known for having a great flexible working policy, or maybe you want to gain access to bigger clients. Maybe it’s the culture of a prospective firm that’s most appealing or a chance to really progress up the career ladder?

Put pen to paper

I’ve always been a big believer in committing with the help of pen to paper – it’s a great tactic when making an important decision. If you enter a job search without clarity, there are many things that can happen, including moving somewhere that doesn’t tick all your boxes but’s “better than where you are now” in a sort of ‘change is as good as a rest’ scenario. While this may work for some people, you want to eliminate any uncertainty in a career decision. Having a list and really prioritising what’s right for you (and if the move is going to achieve this on balance), will help you achieve this.

There’s always a chance your firm could turn around and make adjustments if you've been made an offer elsewhere. If it takes the threat of you leaving for someone to consider your value, that's a big red flag. Any job role concerns should be taken seriously from the outset; when you’re a profitable member of the firm, not when they’re staring down the barrel. If you were in a relationship where someone only said “I love you” with a gun to their head, would you really believe them?

Come and speak to us about what you’re looking for and let’s see if we can find something that makes you think less about the end of the workday and more about the beginning of the next one.

*Lawyers were also included in this survey in late 2017 by Gallup, who has polled millions of employees from nearly 200 countries around the world since 2000.