Alternatives to practicing as a solicitor

pajos55

I am almost finished my training and it is becoming more and more clear as time goes on that the life of a solicitor is not the life for me.

Although I should never have gone down this road and cannot fathom why I did, now that I have got this far obviously I will finish and qualify. I am trying to think of alternative paths, but preferably paths which would allow me to make use of the training I have received.

My pre-law background is in media & music, and my ideal would be to be able to make some use of my legal training within an arts-type framework. I also enjoy study/academia/research.

I'd be really grateful to hear any suggestions anyone might have. I realise that there is probably no real answer to this!

ronnie3585

I suppose the best advice would be to play to your strengths and try to get a job in the entertainment/broadcasting sector. A girl I was in college with did an internship with RTE and she loved it. The work sounds really interesting. As with everywhere it's very difficult to get a permanent position there, however sending in a CV wouldn't hurt your chances. All the major newspapers have their own legal departments and in-house solicitors. In terms of research in the area I know the BCCI were hiring a few months ago, no idea if they still are.

Do you want to leave the profession entirely? Due to the economic downturn and the chronic lack of jobs for newly qualified solicitors many of my friends have gone solely into taxation. This means doing the ITI exams which are no walk in the park but they are a very attractive string to have in your bow when it comes to looking for a job. It's an option I'm seriously considering given the state of the jobs market.

If you want to have a clean break from the profession then a lot of solicitors have become primary school teachers. In comparison to what you're doing now it's a cushy number; decent pay, buckets of time off and none of the pressure or sh1t associated with private practice.

There is always the academic road to go down. It's very competitive and in most institutions a Masters degree is required to give tutorials and a completed Phd or a work in progress seems to be required to get a lecturing contract. Obviously very strong academics and a strong stomach for many more years slogging it out with the books are fundamental.

Best of luck with you decision, I don't envy you! It is not a good time to be qualifying as a solicitor in this country, all that work and no guarantee of a job:(:(

pajos55

Thank you for replying.

If I were a few years younger I'd probably go for a clean break but the truth is that I've gone down a few different routes before this one, and I cant afford to go and train at something else. I would also be very conscious of seeming like someone who can't stick at anything (although I am starting to wonder if that is the truth!)

So while I don't want to work in private practice, I do feel like I need to just get a job with the qualifications that I have. Your first suggestion is probably where I should be aiming, and I probably just need to do some research to see what types of jobs I could think about within that area that are not necessarily solicitor jobs but where a legal training might be of some benefit...lots of thinking to do...

Thanks again