FAQs: General issues
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- Financial problems
- Harassment
- Bullying
- Interviews – appearance
- Preparing for interviews
- Pro bono
- If you have qualified abroad
- Flexible working
- Job satisfaction
- Redundancy
- Alcohol abuse
I'm a one-year PQE in financial difficulty – I think I may have to take on extra work, but I'm worried as I don't want to lose what's left of my social life. What options are available to me?
It's common in the early years of your career to have financial difficulties due to loan repayments, overdrafts and credit cards. It's stressful and at times overwhelming, but there are things that you can do to relieve the pressure. First, write down your commitments and what is essential spending and what is not. Be realistic about expenditure and include a budget – even a small one – for socialising per month. You should then compare your income and essential outgoings. If you are concerned, talk to your bank or finance company; provided they know your circumstances, they are often willing to assist in budgeting, rescheduling things or even freezing interest for a while. These organisations are more sympathetic than most realise. There are trained money advisers at the Citizens Advice Bureau if you don't feel comfortable about going to your bank. Consider transferring credit card debts to a lower rate, there are many on offer. Don't get more credit to pay off credit as this doesn't improve your situation. An easy way of saving money is to use the internet to find cheaper telephone, mobile or utility contracts and use standing orders or direct debit to pay, many give a discount for using them.
Finally, in order to maintain a social life, consider joining your local JLD, which will hold events at low cost or even no cost at all.
I've been at my firm for five years and hope to be promoted to associate soon. My supervising partner joined the firm six months ago. Since he arrived, he has been making suggestive comments about my figure and personal life. More recently he has become very rude and begun touching me. I am concerned that making a formal complaint would ruin my chances for promotion and that I won't be believed. I have been too embarrassed to tell anyone. Is there anything I can do to resolve the situation?
This situation is unacceptable. You shouldn't be subjected to physical or verbal abuse within the workplace. You need to address the issue. It needs to be made clear to your superviser that you do not want this behaviour to continue. It would be advisable to begin keeping a diary of events and noting down anyone who may have seen or heard anything. You should check your employment contract and staff handbook to see what the procedures are for raising a formal or informal complaint. You have other options available aside from confronting the problem including moving firms, but you should not be ‘hounded out' of a job because of this person. Confronting the problem and resolving it, whilst harder for you, is better in the long-term.
If you feel after raising the issue formally that your concerns are not being addressed adequately then you should take independent legal advice as to your options. The Solicitors Assistance Scheme provides free legal advice (tel: 020 7320 5795). You may also find it helpful to speak to the discrimination/equal opportunities section of the Legal Complaints Service (01926 822084). You may also want to contact LawCare, a helpline for solicitors facing issues such as stress (0800 279 6888).
I'm a two-year qualified solicitor within a small firm. My supervisor berates me for seeking any advice to the point where I am afraid to do so because of what he may say. My confidence is beginning to suffer. All the feedback I receive from others is good. I'm very confused. Could you please give me some advice as to how to salvage the situation?
It would be advisable for you to have a meeting with your superviser and an independent person acting as a mediator to discuss your working relationship and try to resolve these issues. Ensure that the meeting is recorded in writing and that you keep a record yourself. If you feel you can salvage something, work out an action plan that you all agree with to try to improve the situation. Monitor the situation and then consider looking to other firms to continue your career should you feel that you no longer respect your supervisor enough to continue working for him. You should think about taking legal advice to ensure that your current position and any new job are not harmed by his actions. Do not allow this individual to destroy your confidence or your career.
I'm due to have an interview with a City firm and have been advised to take out my eyebrow ring and tongue piercing if I want the job. Is this really necessary?
You cannot be forced to change your image if you don't want to, but unfortunately it could jeopardise your chances of success. Competition for training contracts is high and City firms are inundated with applications. At the interview, you will not only have to show that you are capable of doing the job, but that you are able to present yourself in a way that fits with the image of the firm.
I've been offered an interview with a medium-sized firm. How much preparation should I do and exactly what type of preparation should I be doing?
You should do some background research into the firm – try the firm's website, or even ask for a copy of the firm's brochure to be sent to you. The brochure may include information about the firm's ethos, aims and objectives. It is important that you get to know the firm, as this shows the interviewer that you have done some research and, to say the least, shows a genuine interest in the position. You should get to know the job description! Revise your CV, know its contents inside out, so that you can answer the questions about your experience in a concise and comprehensive manner. In the interview, you are likely to be asked to expand on entries in your CV. As you can imagine, the range of questions is wide and it can often be difficult to second-guess these, but a lot of law-related websites do prepare a good range of likely questions, and it's worth having a look at these before the interview. Information on interview techniques can also be found on the Law Society Gazette website.
I'm interested in doing some pro bono work. However, I don't know how to get involved. Can you help?
Speak to your training principal / line manager in the first instance, as many firms operate their own pro bono schemes and it may be that you have just not heard about it. If there is not a scheme already in place, see whether this is something your firm would be interested in setting up and whether you can help with the process. Alternatively, you could try contacting LawWorks (tel: 020 7929 5601), an independent charity that aims to support pro bono work, for suggestions.
I qualified abroad and am desperate to start a career in the UK. Do I have to take any additional training?
As a qualified lawyer you can apply for admission as a solicitor in England and Wales. The provisions that cover this are the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT). You may also be required to undertake a training experience similar to that of a training contract, which is normally two years. If you have taken any additional form of training under appropriate supervision, you may be able to get this taken into consideration with regard to your training period. For further information on the QLTT, please contact the SRA (tel: 0870 606 2555).
I've recently discovered that I'm pregnant and have been thinking about approaching my employers about working flexibly on my return to work. I work in private practice and do not know much about flexible working. Can you help?
Flexible working is a growing issue for young solicitors. Many people in firms across the country have a flexible working arrangement, including partners, and there are a number of different types of flexible working patterns that you can consider. Some people work from home and only visit the office on certain days of the week. Others only work certain days or certain hours, and some even work on a specific project before moving on to a different firm altogether to work on another project or to follow another career.
Once you have thought about what type of work arrangement you would like, you should assess your role within your firm and practice area to see if what you do at work can be adapted in the way you require. You should bear in mind that you would be presenting to your partners on this and you need to convince them that this arrangement can work. You should look at the positive and negative aspects and try to come up with a solution for any negatives. This sort of arrangement takes time to adjust to and you should review the arrangement and not be afraid of adapting if necessary.
I qualified three years ago and moved to take a job. I'm having to work very hard and do not leave the office before 7pm most nights. I now hate my job and dislike the people I work with as I have nothing in common with them. I don't feel that I have the time or energy for a social life. What can I do?
In order to feel more confident and happy, you need to act positively to change your current situation. Several things may help but firstly you must get out and meet people. You could join your local JLD and meet other young solicitors socially. If things are really bad, you should consider finding another job rather than stay where you are not happy. A recruitment consultant could help you develop your career in a company more suited to you. Vacancies are also advertised in the Law Society Gazette. You may also want to contact LawCare, a helpline for solicitors facing issues such as stress (tel: 0800 279 6888).
I'm a three-year qualified employment solicitor in discussions with my employer about redundancy. I feel disillusioned and am now wondering whether being a solicitor is still for me. Could you please give me some guidance on what my options are?
You should seek legal advice. There is no reason why you shouldn't find another job in the law. The main thing is to decide what you really want to do and then work towards achieving it. It is important not to rush in to a decision that you may regret later. Do not allow one bad experience to put you off law completely, as all firms are different.
If you really are disillusioned with law, it may be worth taking a sabbatical and trying out something on a temporary basis (eg, covering for maternity leave) where you could use your legal skills and knowledge very easily without committing to leaving the law. You could stay in private practice or go in house, where there are many roles to choose from. Try to see this as an opportunity to take stock of your career at a stage when you are still able to change direction if necessary.
I'm becoming concerned about a colleague of mine. His general behaviour and appearance have deteriorated rapidly over the last couple of months, and he has become unreliable. He seems to be drinking a lot, and there have been times when he has returned after lunch obviously drunk. I want to help him: what would you advise?
It appears that your colleague has a growing dependency on alcohol that needs to be treated. You need to speak to him and, if necessary, encourage him to seek professional help. Denial is a frequent response to alcohol dependency and other addictions and you should prepare yourself for the possibility that he will deny all knowledge of a problem. Try not to develop too great a sense of responsibility, as ultimately he has to want to be helped and you cannot force him to accept it from you or anyone else. He has to take responsibility for his own life and decisions. You may initially want to speak with LawCare (tel: 0800 279 6888), which can help solicitors with alcohol issues. Professional help should also be sought from either a doctor or Alcoholics Anonymous (0845 769 7555).