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Ever regret choosing your particular practice area?


99problems

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99problems
  • Lawyer

I went into law school hoping to become a criminal lawyer one day. Long story short, I am doing securities/corporation law now. I enjoy what I do, but also have at many times fantasies about becoming a criminal lawyer. It looks quite difficult, if not impossible.

I was wondering if you have made a career in a particular practice area that you do not enjoy anymore. How do you cope with that? Presumably, it will be very hard to start anew in another area after some years of non-relevant practice.

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Zarathustra
  • Lawyer

I started doing family law - not the entirety of my practice but a pretty significant percentage of my files. I hated every minute of it. Switching to Labour & Employment was the best decision ever. I would say it's not super difficult switching to a different area of practice as certain skills are transferable i.e. client management skills, litigation etc, though I imagine it would be pretty difficult to transition from a solicitor practice to litigation. 

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Bob Jones
  • Lawyer

More like regret choosing law if I’m honest lol. Too stressful, crushing debt, and it isn’t easy to get ahead unless you can make it within a big firm, which is easier fair than done. 

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TheAEGIS
  • Lawyer

Some days I wonder about this whole immigration thing ... 

But mostly because all the money seems to be elsewhere.

So, I don't think it's the practice area that gives me pause. I imagine I'd be wistfully pondering what I'm doing with my life no matter which type of law I chose. 
It's just that some other area might have allowed me to wipe my tears away with wads of cash money. 

Oh well ... 

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Aureliuse
  • Lawyer

Remember, grass always seems greener on the other side, even when looking at another firm in the same practice area.

I always wanted to do family law. I did nothing else but family law since law school. There have been always moments when I question this decision, whether my passion perhaps sent me too far to an undesirable area of practice - long hours, low collectibles, unreasonable (read: on occasion, disrespectful and mentally ill) clients, heavy non-stop litigation, chaotic court backlogs, little control over your day/weeks...

I do know lawyers who regret and are stuck doing family law (definitely not fun, they are mentally struggling too). You can tell from their quality of work that they stopped "caring" long time ago. Some quit law entirely.

On the bright side, watching your clients' face glow for the first time in years after "winning" a long trial, concluding a 5-6 year file that all other lawyers could not resolve, having a judge thank you personally after a long day etc... Is a feeling that you have to live the life of a family lawyer to appreciate it.

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PzabbytheLawyer
  • Lawyer

I love it when a judge or mediator calls out my work as excellent while I'm second chair.

One day judge, I'll be first chair, and I look forward to the day where you rip me to shreds while thanking my junior.

One day.

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Chambertin
  • Lawyer

I'm really happy I chose tax. I initially wanted to do planning but sort of ending up doing litigation by default. I wish I had insisted or done more planning because I would have better exit options. No real 'exits' for a tax litigator except tax litigation somewhere else. 

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Ghalm
  • Lawyer

I struggle with "grass is greener" syndrome ... are junior litigators at another firm working on cooler, more exciting, files?! Am I getting the best technical experience? Are lit boutiques the place to be?! blah blah blah... its all just bs tbh. It is so easy to lose sight of the great aspects of your practice (of which there are many in my situation). Someone once wrote on this forum that you reach a point where you have to accept that there are pros and cons to every practice you choose (or something to this effect lol). I really liked that piece of advice. 

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Rashabon
  • Lawyer

I like my practice and practice area and it gets better and more interesting the longer I stick with it. No regrets.

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Kimura
  • Lawyer
18 minutes ago, Rashabon said:

I like my practice and practice area and it gets better and more interesting the longer I stick with it. No regrets.

Have you, in the past, ever had any doubts about it? If so, how have you dealt with them?

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Rashabon
  • Lawyer
40 minutes ago, Kimura said:

Have you, in the past, ever had any doubts about it? If so, how have you dealt with them?

No. There was a period early on where I was too busy for my liking so debated talking to recruiters about a move but I still wanted to be in the same area and I made an excuse to cancel a meeting the second they asked for a resume. Since then it's been pretty smooth sailing.

I always set realistic goals and find ways to keep work interesting. If I'm bored of it, I delegate it and move on to something rewarding.

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Ghalm
  • Lawyer
7 hours ago, Garfield said:

Ok so it sounds like litigation sucks

I didn't mean to imply litigation sucks! In my circumstance, I like it so much I want to make sure I am getting the best experience hence "grass is greener" wandering thoughts. But, in reality, there are pros and cons to practising commercial litigation at a big law firm (what I do) and there are pros and cons to practising litigation at a boutique firm (what I don't do). The "grass is greener" syndrome makes you forget that there are pros and cons everywhere because you romanticize the other practice.

Edited by Ghalm
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PzabbytheLawyer
  • Lawyer

I've changed practice areas a lot in my career. Some people fault me for it. Some people applaud me for it. 

I'm a litigator. For only very niche and rare opportunities would I ever consider not being a litigator. I can see the appeal to tax planning, or certain solicitor advisory roles just because of how differently it (in theory) uses your brain. Personally, being a litigator is what being a lawyer is for me. That's just a me thing. If I'd wanted a solicitor type role, I'd have gone into economics.

But, I'm a generalist. So it's been difficult finding a place where I can be a generalist after articling. Everywhere wanted me to specialize, very very early, and I don't like that.

I would rather do something new every day of my life, than become excellent at one thing and one thing only.

And before someone calls me jack of all trades, master of none - I approach new litigation issues in a way that someone who has only ever dealt with one litigation area can't. I strongly believe I view it with a more creative lens, and craft better strategy and arguments as a result.

I hope at least.

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On 12/30/2022 at 5:13 PM, 99problems said:

Presumably, it will be very hard to start anew in another area after some years of non-relevant practice.

With crim, you absolutely can leave a job and start taking criminal cases. I think to do so responsibly, you’d start at the level of any other junior. Take other people’s agency work for simple matters. Do bails. Start with half-day trials for relatively minor offences. Make sure you have adequate mentorship. 

Anyone senior would take a step backwards in terms of career progression. Financially and otherwise. I guess my question is whether that’s a problem if you don’t like the path you’re progressing down. I’ve worked with lawyers who have probably overstayed their time in a given role. Senior lawyers who have had successful careers, but seem burnt-out and sick of their jobs. They remind me of the teachers I’d have in grade school, who are obviously coasting until retirement. 

Careers are long. They’re longer than the average life expectancy for most of human history. I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to do the same thing for a long career. Lawyers can, should, and do change what they do over the course of their career. That might mean taking different files, changing jobs, changing practice areas, or leaving practice altogether. Whatever it means for you, I don’t think you should be afraid to start anew, because it seems hard. Doing hard things is often necessary, if you’re going to live your best life. 

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Garfield
  • Articling Student
On 1/7/2023 at 1:31 AM, Ghalm said:

I didn't mean to imply litigation sucks! In my circumstance, I like it so much I want to make sure I am getting the best experience hence "grass is greener" wandering thoughts. But, in reality, there are pros and cons to practising commercial litigation at a big law firm (what I do) and there are pros and cons to practising litigation at a boutique firm (what I don't do). The "grass is greener" syndrome makes you forget that there are pros and cons everywhere because you romanticize the other practice.

Lol, it wasn’t just your comments that made me think that lit sucks (glad you clarified though!) but those of others in this thread as well as comments made in other threads on this forum. 

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Psmith
  • Lawyer

For anyone not yet in practice, I'll add that I also find litigation rewarding. Going head to head in intellectual/strategic combat and sometimes winning is a thrill. And if you're a generalist, which civil litigators can be, you'll get exposed to all sorts of new stories and milieus as new files come in. No two people are exactly alike, and as society develops we get new sorts of disputes, so there's always room for creativity (think of the "online harassment" tort in Ontario).

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KOMODO
  • Lawyer
On 1/7/2023 at 2:03 AM, PzabbytheLawyer said:

...Personally, being a litigator is what being a lawyer is for me. That's just a me thing. If I'd wanted a solicitor type role, I'd have gone into economics...

I know you probably didn't mean it this way, but I just want to clarify for anyone lurking and reading this in the future - I don't think being a solicitor is like working in economics, and in some ways it's the opposite. Economists spend a lot of time researching and writing papers, which are tasks I feel are more similar to litigation work. I'm a solicitor and nearly my entire day is spent advocating - I just do it over the phone and by email, never in front of an adjudicator. We're drafting complex documents and then negotiating them with other lawyers who often have different and competing interests. Even when drafting, we're making decisions about how far to push something and what the other side might accept. In my type of firm, solicitors spend more time directly advocating than litigators, because there is a lot more exposure to the "other side" and we don't typically need to do any research.

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PzabbytheLawyer
  • Lawyer
1 hour ago, KOMODO said:

I know you probably didn't mean it this way, but I just want to clarify for anyone lurking and reading this in the future - I don't think being a solicitor is like working in economics, and in some ways it's the opposite. Economists spend a lot of time researching and writing papers, which are tasks I feel are more similar to litigation work. I'm a solicitor and nearly my entire day is spent advocating - I just do it over the phone and by email, never in front of an adjudicator. We're drafting complex documents and then negotiating them with other lawyers who often have different and competing interests. Even when drafting, we're making decisions about how far to push something and what the other side might accept. In my type of firm, solicitors spend more time directly advocating than litigators, because there is a lot more exposure to the "other side" and we don't typically need to do any research.

Definitely.

 

And just to clarify, I meant no ill will against solicitors. My take on what being a lawyer resembles was an entirely personal take on what it looks like for me. Solicitors are obviously as much lawyers as we are :).

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Lawstudents20202020
  • Lawyer
19 minutes ago, Mountebank said:

LITIGATORS ARE GLORIFIED PARALEGALS!

False, I'm not nearly skilled enough to be a paralegal 

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Psychometronic
  • Lawyer

I'm a litigator and loving it. My issue is being helpless junior. I worry that if I don't double-check with someone more senior than me before making any move, it could blow up. I look forward to feeling more competent, whenever that is. 

I also kind of fell into the area of law I'm in and it grew on me. I went into law school with no real pull towards any one area. Over time, I crossed off things I didn't want to do and I ended up doing something that wasn't crossed off my list. 

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Lawstudents20202020
  • Lawyer
12 hours ago, Psychometronic said:

look forward to feeling more competent, whenever that is

I just had one of the partners tell me that never happens, you just get more. Comfortable with not knowing

Edited by Lawstudents20202020
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4 hours ago, Lawstudents20202020 said:

I just had one of the partners tell me that never happens, you just get more. Comfortable with not knowing

I’ve heard that you start to feel more comfortable a few years in, and then later you realize you still have no idea what you’re doing. 

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