Love it or leave it? When is the right time to break away from your firm for pastures new?
The journey to secure a training contract can be arduous, so when the day finally arrives it is often strengthened by an innate gratitude that you have secured this sought-after opportunity. After 2 years of exciting learning and hard work, you are approaching qualification and find yourself in the fortunate position to be offered an NQ role by your training Partners, re-enforcing your loyalty to your training firm.
Fast-forward 4 years and you have now spent 6 years with your training firm. At 4 years’ PQE you are becoming technically competent and able to work on your own initiative however without the huge salary tag and the potential to shape your working style, you are an attractive proposition to a new firm. So now is the perfect time to assess your career and future ambitions.
Ask yourself the question: what do I want to achieve in my career as a Solicitor? And, can my firm support this career advancement?
It could be that your focus is on early promotion to Senior Associate and ultimately Partnership; or better quality work; or perhaps a more flexible working environment or; a more competitive remuneration package.
Let’s take a look at each of those career goals and consider how exploring your options could help to clarify your thoughts.
Early promotion to Senior Associate (and ultimately Partnership)
The candidates we talk to often state that when considering promotion within their training firm they can experience a feeling of “still being the trainee”. Unfortunately, this place within the department can be difficult to shake and, if compounded with a lack of transparency in relation to promotion criteria, then now could be the right time to start afresh with a new practice.
A clear route to Senior Associate is not too much to ask with many firms providing supportive and detailed plans to develop the additional skills (such as business development, trainee supervision, client retention strategies and cross-selling) that are necessary to build upon to ultimately achieve the next step.
Better quality of work
Now you have the basics under your belt, you may feel ready to undertake more complex or challenging work. If you feel blocked in your current team due to a top-heavy structure or perhaps the department/firm is not winning top-flight work, it could be the right time to understand more about the work on offer in other teams and firms. Applying for and interviewing with new organisations is a great way to compare what you know so well within your current team and what could be on offer elsewhere.
Flexible work structure
The Covid-19 pandemic has without doubt made everyone think differently about the working week. From the undisputed confirmation of successful remote/hybrid working, all the way through to a four-day-work week, employers are considering how they can best support well-being in the workplace. If you feel your current firm doesn’t meet your expectations, it is likely another organisation can surpass them. An innovative and progressive approach to work-life balance is becoming the norm, so understanding what else is available could make all the difference.
More competitive remuneration
The 2021/22 skills shortage across the legal sector, along with a pressing need to recruit from many law firms, has driven considerable salary hikes across the market. Lawyers at mid-level PQE are in demand and therefore the potential to achieve a salary increase is realistic.
So depending on whether you feel your current firm can meet these requirements, it can often be worth exploring other options, as a comparison. The end result could be that you decide to ‘love it’ but at least you have given yourself the chance to fully assess your career position at a point when your skills and expertise are particularly attractive to a new employer.
Or perhaps you have decided you would like to ‘leave it’ and may be wondering how we can help you. Since 1999, eNL Legal recruitment has provided insight, guidance and support to clients and candidates to support the legal recruitment process. We are a leading, legal recruitment business able to assist you on your journey to finding a new legal position, offering a personalised, tailored, and confidential service.
Our friendly, experienced team all have a strong knowledge-based approach to matching the right candidates with the right clients and roles. Our strategic and commercial focus can be depended upon to deliver straight-forward and practical advice which will achieve positive end results.
To see a full list of our current vacancies please click here.
How Much Does Someone Earn in a Associate Role?
Take a look at our annual Salary Survey here to gain more of an understanding of the salary you can expect to earn based on location and sector.
