Transitioning from Civil Litigation to Wills and Estates?

[IDK4321]

Hey everyone,

I’m a second-year call, currently practicing as a Civil Litigation/P.I. lawyer at a small firm.

Throughout law school, I was single-minded in my desire to be a litigator, and as a result, I didn’t take any courses outside that track in my second and third years. Now that I’m out of law school and actually practicing, I’ve come to realize that civil litigation isn’t for me. 

I’ve been thinking about transitioning into Wills and Estates for some time now, but I really don’t know how to make the move. I’ve had several lawyers tell me that, without any experience, I almost certainly won’t be able to find a position. From what I understand, most firms prefer to hire from among their articling students and aren’t likely to take a chance on someone with zero background in the field.

Does anyone have any success stories/advice?

 

Edited June 20 by IDK4321

[LMP]

Most wills and estate work is done at small shops. So you'll need to do the leg work, identify a number of firms and start reaching out. A personable cold email would likely go a long way.