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Switching Practice Areas


ATW123

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ATW123
  • Lawyer

I was a long-time poster on the old lawstudents.ca but this is the first time that I have ever posted here.  I owe a lot to that web site and honestly don’t think that I would have been able to get into law school or succeed as a lawyer without it.  I hope that this web site is just as good.  I’m going to be intentionally vague with some of the details I’m providing below in order to avoid ‘outing’ myself.  I tried to use headings to make this easier to read.  If you don't want my whole life story, just scroll down to "The Dilemma" section.  

Backstory Part 1 - Law School

I graduated from an Ontario law school in 2012 and was called to the bar in 2014.  I didn't particularly enjoy law school and my grades reflected that.  While there were some personal issues that got in the way, the main reason why I didn't do so great primarily had to do with the fact that I didn't work hard enough.  If I could go back in time and change that, I absolutely would.  However, I can't do that so I'm simply just living with my mistakes.  I did not have articling lined up upon graduation, but I eventually found a spot and was called to the bar.  

Backstory Part 2 - Early Days as  Lawyer

When I first became a lawyer, my goal was a find a job where I could make a decent salary while having reasonable work/life balance.  I did not apply to any jobs down town because I was a bit scared of the billable hour target (just being honest, I didn't think that I could handle it), so I ended up accepting a job at a smaller firm in a Toronto suburb.  During my first year of practice I earned approximately $35,000.00 per year.  While the pay was pathetic, I was under a lawyer who was committed to mentorship so I was content as I was developing as a lawyer.  Flash forward a few years later and I have been able to build a fairly good solicitor side practice for myself and I am currently earning $115,000.00 per year.  In addition to that, I have a great boss who is providing me with a decent work-life balance where I come in around 8:00pm and leave most nights by 6:00pm.  While I do spend the odd Saturday morning at the office, this is not the norm for most weekends (and when I come in on the weekend, it's 100% my choice). 

The Problem

I am literally living the exact life that I thought I wanted to live prior to becoming a lawyer.  However, I've fairly recently become miserable because my job is boring and I am not happy with my pay. 

The Job

The majority of the work I do is geared towards 'normal people' (if that makes any sense).  I used to like my job.  However, I'm finding that it is becoming very repetitive and just plain boring.  I love my boss, I have decent hours and I work with some great people.  However, over the past few months I've found myself absolutely hating my job.

The Pay

I did not come from money and, when I was in law school, I thought that anyone making $100,000.00 a year was rich.  While I would not say that I make terrible money, the fact is that Toronto has become incredibly expensive over the past few years and $100,000.00 isn't what it used to be.  At this salary, I don't know how I am ever going to be able to save up for a house while also enjoying life a bit.  The other issue with my firm is that I don't believe that I'll ever be making significantly more than what I am currently making.  I may get a $5000.00 or a $10,000.00 raise eventually but after taxes that really won't help me out that much.  I know that there are people in this profession who are making less than me, but I also know that I am making quite a bit less than the majority of my friends who I went to law school with (and yes, I know that one of the main reasons for this is because I didn't work hard enough in the early stages of my legal life - I've made some mistakes and I'm not trying to hide that). 

The Dilemma 

I am strongly considering leaving my job in order to do one of the following:

  • Take on a role at a Solicitor firm with a greater focus on corporate/commercial; or
    • CAVEAT: I know that it can be a bit challenging to move from a smaller firm to a bigger corporate/commercial firm.  However, I am really fortunate that I have quite a few friends in this profession who I know could help me get a job in that area if I really wanted it
  • Change practice areas altogether

My heart tells me that the right move is to leave my existing firm and go out there to explore potentially greener pastures.  I'm in my late 30's and, at the end of the day, the opportunity to try something new won't be there forever.  However, I have to be honest, I'm really good at my current job and I am terrified about going out there, trying something new and falling flat on my face.  I know that most practice areas are learnable as long as you are willing to put in the time and I'm less concerned about work-life balance than I was when I was younger.  If I leave and succeed, this will be the correct choice, but if I fail I'm concerned that I'll forever regret leaving my 'sweet gig' for nothing. 

Question

  1. Does anyone have any experience leaving a comfortable gig to move on to something more challenging?  
  2. Do any of you lovely people have experience learning a whole new area of law after already practicing in another area for 4-6 years?

Thanks for taking the time to read through this post and I hope that you all are having a great evening!

 

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Mountebank
  • Lawyer
14 hours ago, ATW123 said:

I come in around 8:00pm and leave most nights by 6:00pm. 

Wow that's a brutal shift.

Seriously, though, you're right that your pay is low for a solicitor of your year of call even outside the big city.

Maybe all you need is a change of scenery and a bump in comp? I'd be looking at my options to move to a different firm but inside the same practice area first before starting over altogether. Especially if you've not identified a practice area you'd love/have a dream of pursuing. And a lot of what seems to irk you about your situation is financial in nature. 

The truth is the hardest thing about being a solicitor is just showing up and doing the work. It's a grind, but you should be paid for it at least.

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Bob Jones
  • Lawyer
16 hours ago, ATW123 said:

I was a long-time poster on the old lawstudents.ca but this is the first time that I have ever posted here.  I owe a lot to that web site and honestly don’t think that I would have been able to get into law school or succeed as a lawyer without it.  I hope that this web site is just as good.  I’m going to be intentionally vague with some of the details I’m providing below in order to avoid ‘outing’ myself.  I tried to use headings to make this easier to read.  If you don't want my whole life story, just scroll down to "The Dilemma" section.  

Backstory Part 1 - Law School

I graduated from an Ontario law school in 2012 and was called to the bar in 2014.  I didn't particularly enjoy law school and my grades reflected that.  While there were some personal issues that got in the way, the main reason why I didn't do so great primarily had to do with the fact that I didn't work hard enough.  If I could go back in time and change that, I absolutely would.  However, I can't do that so I'm simply just living with my mistakes.  I did not have articling lined up upon graduation, but I eventually found a spot and was called to the bar.  

Backstory Part 2 - Early Days as  Lawyer

When I first became a lawyer, my goal was a find a job where I could make a decent salary while having reasonable work/life balance.  I did not apply to any jobs down town because I was a bit scared of the billable hour target (just being honest, I didn't think that I could handle it), so I ended up accepting a job at a smaller firm in a Toronto suburb.  During my first year of practice I earned approximately $35,000.00 per year.  While the pay was pathetic, I was under a lawyer who was committed to mentorship so I was content as I was developing as a lawyer.  Flash forward a few years later and I have been able to build a fairly good solicitor side practice for myself and I am currently earning $115,000.00 per year.  In addition to that, I have a great boss who is providing me with a decent work-life balance where I come in around 8:00pm and leave most nights by 6:00pm.  While I do spend the odd Saturday morning at the office, this is not the norm for most weekends (and when I come in on the weekend, it's 100% my choice). 

The Problem

I am literally living the exact life that I thought I wanted to live prior to becoming a lawyer.  However, I've fairly recently become miserable because my job is boring and I am not happy with my pay. 

The Job

The majority of the work I do is geared towards 'normal people' (if that makes any sense).  I used to like my job.  However, I'm finding that it is becoming very repetitive and just plain boring.  I love my boss, I have decent hours and I work with some great people.  However, over the past few months I've found myself absolutely hating my job.

The Pay

I did not come from money and, when I was in law school, I thought that anyone making $100,000.00 a year was rich.  While I would not say that I make terrible money, the fact is that Toronto has become incredibly expensive over the past few years and $100,000.00 isn't what it used to be.  At this salary, I don't know how I am ever going to be able to save up for a house while also enjoying life a bit.  The other issue with my firm is that I don't believe that I'll ever be making significantly more than what I am currently making.  I may get a $5000.00 or a $10,000.00 raise eventually but after taxes that really won't help me out that much.  I know that there are people in this profession who are making less than me, but I also know that I am making quite a bit less than the majority of my friends who I went to law school with (and yes, I know that one of the main reasons for this is because I didn't work hard enough in the early stages of my legal life - I've made some mistakes and I'm not trying to hide that). 

The Dilemma 

I am strongly considering leaving my job in order to do one of the following:

  • Take on a role at a Solicitor firm with a greater focus on corporate/commercial; or
    • CAVEAT: I know that it can be a bit challenging to move from a smaller firm to a bigger corporate/commercial firm.  However, I am really fortunate that I have quite a few friends in this profession who I know could help me get a job in that area if I really wanted it
  • Change practice areas altogether

My heart tells me that the right move is to leave my existing firm and go out there to explore potentially greener pastures.  I'm in my late 30's and, at the end of the day, the opportunity to try something new won't be there forever.  However, I have to be honest, I'm really good at my current job and I am terrified about going out there, trying something new and falling flat on my face.  I know that most practice areas are learnable as long as you are willing to put in the time and I'm less concerned about work-life balance than I was when I was younger.  If I leave and succeed, this will be the correct choice, but if I fail I'm concerned that I'll forever regret leaving my 'sweet gig' for nothing. 

Question

  1. Does anyone have any experience leaving a comfortable gig to move on to something more challenging?  
  2. Do any of you lovely people have experience learning a whole new area of law after already practicing in another area for 4-6 years?

Thanks for taking the time to read through this post and I hope that you all are having a great evening!

 

I would leave your firm, look for something at a bigger firm where the pay will be more compelling + increases faster + opportunity for partnership, which based on your year of call is not unreasonable. 
 

Sure, there may be more hours but you’re already working 8-6 and some weekends, so unless you’re working on some sort of international deal where your colleagues are in another time zone in Europe or Asia, im sure it won’t be too much of an adjustment. 
 

That said, you will also have more opportunities for more interesting work. 
 

Ultimately, the only way to grow financially and in terms of your craft is to challenge yourself. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation (ie by leaving your current gig where you’re comfortable) and try something new. 150-200k is not unreasonable at a mid-sized or larger national firm for your year or call (if anything that’s probably being quite conservative) + bonuses. And if you find you don’t like it after 1-2 years you can always leave and try something else. Nothing is keeping you there. Maybe you’ll end up in house an example which is more your speed. Or maybe you’ll want to open up your own firm. There’s a lot of opportunities out there and I wouldn’t limit myself to one particular firm because it’s comfortable. Try something new, it’s scary but try it, make a couple extra bucks and grow professionally. It’ll pay off in the long run. 

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ATW123
  • Lawyer

Thanks to the both of you for your replies - very thoughtful advise.  And yes, my hours are 8:00am to 6:00pm, not 8:00pm to 6:00pm!

I think that you both hit the nail on the head by diagnosing my real problem is that I'm very comfortable where I am and I'm a bit scared to get out of my comfort zone.  However, if I didn't get out of my comfort zone initially, I wouldn't be where I am today.  Those first couple of years were a struggle, but thankfully I managed to work my way through it.  

I know what I have to do - tough it out, go some place different and try my best.  If I fail, it's not like there are not other jobs out there that I can get.  However, I simply need to go out there and try.  Thanks again.

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