Here we are, over halfway through the year already, and if you’re currently on a sun lounger sipping a cocktail (lucky you) enjoying a well-earned break, you may be thinking about your return to work and whether you’re currently happy in your career, or if it’s time for a change.

We all get the mid-career blues. And it can be for several reasons.

Perhaps you feel you have plateaued in your legal career, reaching a certain level of achievement but you can’t seem to break through to the next level?

Or you may be feeling a bit jaded in your current job role and looking for the thrill of something different?

Or maybe you really do think it’s time to up sticks and seek out a new career with a different law firm?

Spending some time asking yourself what the cause of your dissatisfaction stems from will enable you to make a rational decision on how to progress so that when you return after your summer break, you’re one hundred per cent committed and sure of your next steps.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things that could be stalling your career.

Have You Become Static in Your Current Law Career?

If you feel you have reached a plateau in your legal career, it may seem that there’s no way you can progress. Asking yourself what you ideally want to accomplish at work will help you decide the best way forward in this scenario.

There are several options to consider:

Make a lateral move. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for you to do a similar job elsewhere in your law firm but working in a different area. This would give you new day to day challenges and prevent you from feeling you are stagnating in the same job role.

Using the soft and hard skills you have already acquired in your career will set you up for success in a slightly different position as you will be able to adapt quickly to different tasks.

New tasks could also lift you up from a wellbeing point of view, improving your mental health and outlook and enabling you to feel positive about the future.

Become an expert in your area. If a move is not possible, you could consider becoming the ‘go-to’ person for information and expertise in your specialist area.

For example, if you are a Dispute Resolution Legal Secretary you could enhance your knowledge of IT so you are able to help others with IT-related questions.

Or if you are a Residential Conveyancing Fee Earner you could hone your customer service skills and knowledge to become an in-house trainer for colleagues.

By expanding your understanding of a specific area and developing your personal profile, you can soon become the name everyone thinks of first for advice or guidance.

Additionally, with your expertise, you could offer to train up new employees, giving both yourself and the firm a boost.

Consider an alternative to a salary increase. If there’s little chance of a pay increase in the foreseeable future within your law firm, have you considered other non-material rewards instead?

As well as the options of adjusting your working hours, having more flexibility with working from home will improve work-life balance – giving you more opportunity for activities outside the office: going to the gym, socialising with friends or spending time with your family.

It’s also worth remembering that by staying with your current firm, you could also enjoy less stress in your day to day job as you know what you are doing and what the firm’s goals are already.

This avoids the stress and anxiety that a new job can bring.

Are You Feeling Jaded in Your Current Role?

If you feel you have exhausted all opportunities within your current career specialism, it may be time to look for a new challenge.

Changing jobs is always a daunting prospect – especially if you have dependents, rent or mortgage repayments to think about, or even just a step outside of your comfort zone.

The Law Society offers practical advice on changing specialisms.

Although not for the faint-hearted, it is possible to take on a new challenge. This could be a move within your current firm from Property Law to Personal Injury, for example.

If you do decide to go down this path, being prepared is critical. Make sure you do the necessary research and be focused in your approach.

It takes courage to choose this route, but it could reap dividends in the long run.

Are You in Danger of Burn-Out?

The dangers of over-doing things at work and suffering burn-out, as a result, are very real.

There’s a lot of pressure on all employees these days, and especially on Senior Partners and Managers within a complex and competitive legal marketplace.

It’s crucial to remember that it’s vital that you remain mentally at the top of your game at work – you can’t run a legal firm with employees who are trying to burn the candle at both ends.

Something is going to crash and burn.

So, look after yourself.

Daily exercise, yoga, meditation, socialising with friends – whatever is your preferred way to relax away from your desk.

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day (or by one person!)

Stop trying to do everything and make time in your life for relaxation to ensure you are in peak form physically and mentally when you are in the office.

Is It Time to Break Away and Look for Something New?

If you really can’t see a way forward in your current law firm, then perhaps it’s time to consider a move.

If you are considering this option, here are a few tips to help you plan your move:

• Set up job alerts. Make sure you have registered with relevant career search sites online.
• Update your LinkedIn profile as recruiters and hiring managers will be looking here to find out about you.
• LinkedIn also provides the opportunity to seek employment and new challenges but beware of making this visible on your page unless your current manager is aware of your intentions!
• Talk to colleagues you can trust at work and ask them to let you know of any opportunities. They can also provide an excellent sounding board for interview practice.
• Contact a specialist legal recruiter to help you navigate the job market. They can offer valuable advice and have many contacts to help find the right job for you.

Next Steps

If you’re reading this article because you are looking for the next move in your legal career, call one of the Clayton Legal team on 01772 259 121 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our help, your transition can be smoother and quicker.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year, download our latest guide here.

Interviews. They don’t get any easier with time, even if you are a seasoned legal professional, it can still be nerve-wracking attending an interview.

Obviously, you are there because you want that ideal legal role, and the key to success is always in your preparation.

So, along with the usual planning of what to wear, how to get to the interview, times, dates and name of the interviewer, there’s the essential practising of potential interview questions.

But how on earth do you know what the interviewer is going to ask?

There will be specific role-related questions; that’s a given. And as you have worked in this role before and/or have all the relevant qualifications, you’re ahead on that one.

There may be questions about the company you are hoping to work for, so with a bit of research online, you can garner information about them, their latest news, company newsletters, mission and goals etc.

You can also bring your soft skills in to play by aligning them to the role. If you’re going for a Senior Partnership or Manager role, these could include your ability to lead a team, to time manage efficiently, delegate, and give constructive feedback thanks to your emotional intelligence.

If you are early on in your career and looking for a Fee Earner position, your soft skills could include being a great team collaborator, empathetic to others, able to manage your own diary and with an excellent work ethic.

There will likely be questions on all of the above, but there is also a set of fundamental questions that legal hiring managers ask all candidates time and time again.

So, note them down now and make sure your answers are ready to ensure you nail that interview!

1. Tell me about yourself.

This is often the first question interviewers will ask. They don’t want to know your life history here, so don’t be tempted to go off on a tangent.

What this question is trying to do is act as an icebreaker and test how you respond to open-ended queries. This could prove useful to the employer in gauging how you will react to similar questions within your working role.

You can use this question to (briefly, please!) describe how you got to be where you are today – so tell them about your achievements so far in your career, career highlights you have most enjoyed and your goals for the future.

Use the ‘present-past-future’ formula to enable you to give a potted version of your career history.

So, for example, you are applying for a position as an HR Manager in a law firm. Your answer to the past, present, future may look something like this:

“My interest in HR started about 6 years ago when I was working at X firm. I partnered with the HR team helping to design some custom training programmes.

I’m currently working as X. I recently completed my Master’s degree in Y, which I’ve studied part time.

My ultimate goal is to become an HR Director within a law firm.”

It’s also appropriate here to mention your hobbies. For example, you may enjoy chess or hunting in antique shops at the weekend.

Additionally, an interest in a sport or physical exercise such as tennis or yoga shows you take your health and mental wellbeing seriously.

2. Why do you want this role?

Don’t be fooled into thinking this question is asking about your personal goals and ambitions in the legal world.

It’s more about testing what you know about the job role you’re applying for: have you done your homework, and are you really keen, or is this just one application in a scattergun approach to job seeking?

Employers know that the best employees will proactively seek to improve their performance by embracing lifelong learning and growing their skillsets. This question, therefore, also addresses your motivation to learn new things and develop your career.

As well as establishing your interest in the role and your motivation to develop, this question will also allow you to give credibility to your current skills and qualifications and confirm you can hit the ground running in your new position.

If you mention the benefits of working for the company as a whole, you’ll score additional points too!

3. Tell me about a time you faced a significant challenge or problem in your last role – how did you successfully overcome it?

This question is trying to ascertain how you react to problems and your ability to solve issues that arise. It is looking to see how you work under pressure, test your emotional intelligence and resilience to stay positive and focused if things don’t go to plan.

The answer to this will require you to have one or two examples to hand, so ensure you can illustrate your response with tangible examples of a time when you dealt with difficult situations successfully.

4. What is your greatest weakness?

This one is a classic interview question and catches a lot of people out.

Whatever you do, don’t respond with the implication that you are perfect – the interviewer won’t believe you anyway!

The question is devised to test your self-awareness by acknowledging your less-positive strengths and how you cope with them. So, the best answer to this one is to give an example of an area you know you need to work on, and what you are doing to overcome it.

For example, you could say that you are a perfectionist who needs your work to be perfect every time, and consequently, you find projects can overrun as you tinker with things. But you are dealing with this by setting yourself deadlines to ensure you hit targets.

5. What can you bring to this law firm?

The interviewer is assessing the law firm’s ROI here.

They want to be sure they take on an employee who will be a good fit for them in terms of team working, skills, ability and dedication.

They are investing a lot of time and money in interviewing, hiring, onboarding and providing training – so they want to get it right first time.

So be sure to show your enthusiasm in your answer as well as expressing your confidence that you can help them increase the business in terms of clients and monetary value and collaborate in striving to achieve company aspirations and goals.

Armed with your responses to these questions, you can sail through your interview confidently and land your perfect legal role.

Next Steps

If you’re reading this article because you are looking for the next move in your legal career, call one of the Clayton Legal team on 01772 259 121 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our help, your transition can be smoother and quicker.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year, download our latest guide here.

As a legal professional, you know that mistakes in business happen. It could be the big deal with a project that doesn’t go as planned or a legal case that doesn’t go your way. These are the sort of mistakes that can be addressed and rectified to a greater or lesser extent. You can learn from them and move forward.

The problem with career mistakes is that they creep up so slowly it’s likely you won’t even notice they are there until they’ve taken root.

It’s crucial to know how to deal with the career mistakes that so many solicitors like yourself make. Not addressed, they can impact your general happiness and sense of unfulfillment in your legal work, as well as affecting your quality of life in general.

Here are the three main career mistakes to watch out for and tips on how to overcome them.

Fear of Failure

It’s easy to take the familiar route, the path more travelled, and where you feel most comfortable.

But comfort can slip into coasting without you noticing.

Then one day you realise you are bored at work, or dreading Mondays. Your work can suffer as a result of your lack of motivation and enthusiasm, and colleagues start to notice you’re not your usual self, or ‘on your game’.

You know inside, deep down, that you’re disinterested in your job and should think about moving to a new role or challenge, but you’re stuck in a comfort zone. Your salary is good, and it’s easier to do nothing than branch out – and risk failing.

If you’re not engaged with your current job, it’s worth identifying what’s behind the dissatisfaction and lack of motivation.

Ask yourself how fulfilled you are in your work on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being totally unfulfilled.

Has your income stagnated because you’re not engaged and motivated? Is being unhappy with your law firm impacting on your private life?

You spend nearly one-third of your life at work, on average. So, it’s crucial that you enjoy it. If you find yourself scoring low on your current job satisfaction, finding it hard to move to the next level of seniority within your law firm, and just not enjoying what you do – it’s time to ask the big question.

Should you stay, or should you go?

You have two options to consider. The first is to address what’s making you unhappy at work and seek to improve it. It could be negotiating flexible hours to improve your work-life balance. It could be requesting training to upskill yourself so you can meet future challenges head-on. Or it may just be a case of re-engaging with the job, your legal clients and colleagues.

The second option is to get a game plan in place for your escape.

If you can’t see a future in your current role, don’t be so afraid of failure that you feel you can’t move. See it as an opportunity to try something new.

A specialised legal recruiter can talk to you about your aspirations, hopes and ideal scenarios and help you find a legal role where you will be more fulfilled.

So, put fear of failure aside and never be afraid to leave your comfort zone behind. It could be the best career move you make.

One of my favourite quotes is from Mark Twain, who said “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Losing Connections

After a while, working in the same place and doing the same job, it’s not uncommon for many solicitors to give up networking. It’s easy to think it doesn’t matter anymore. After all, you’ve got the position you wanted; you already know the people you need to know. What’s the point in investing time and energy into developing your network further?

The problem with failing to maintain and increase your network is that you are limiting yourself to those people you have regular contact with; you’re missing out on the chance to meet new people and connect with important influences outside your law firm.

Failure to build your network and invest in relationships could see you missing out on opportunities. That new person you meet could be the one who changes your life!

Without new connections, your old network will eventually dry up, and there will be fewer people to turn to when you need help or advice, and fewer who will think of you when opportunities are there.

So, no matter where you are in your career, keep those networks going. Seek out professional relationships with colleagues and peers. Commit to meeting several new people each month, whether at a seminar, workshop, meeting or other event.

You could consider a mentor too. Mentors provide several positives. They teach you how to adapt, so you remain an asset to your law firm; you’ll have someone to share concerns with and who’s got your back. They can also help you plot your career path and spot personal development opportunities.

Not Fulfilling Your Potential

If you’re comfortable with things just the way they are, you’re in danger of stagnating and becoming out of date in your skillset.

Or perhaps you have been hopeful of achieving Partner in your law firm and it hasn’t happened. You may feel jaded and overlooked, and have become apathetic to chances to upskill.

The mistaken belief that your current knowledge will carry you through could see you out of a job if you refuse to acknowledge that you need to grow professionally and embrace lifelong learning.

Complacency will see you fall behind in skills and ability, and others will overtake you on the career ladder.

Not believing in yourself is a common mistake made by solicitors.

No matter how you feel inside, project an air of confidence and sound assured when you make decisions. If you don’t, others will stop believing in you too.

So, stay curious. Listen to podcasts on legal matters, keep up with the latest legal news and trends, read journals. Stay on top of change and development. Take up offers of training and development, whatever stage you are at in your career.

You may also wish to consider updating and developing your personal brand. Look at your online profile and ensure it’s current and accurate. Involve yourself in events and seminars and strive to become known as the ‘go-to’ person for advice on your specialist legal area.

Be sure your skills are current and invest in yourself by upskilling wherever there is an opportunity to do so – that way, you’ll be able to adapt to change and future proof yourself in your role.

I hope this article will help you avoid the common pitfalls made by many solicitors. If any of these mistakes resonate with you, it’s time to change the way you work.

Start today.

Next Steps

If you’re reading this article because you are looking for the next move in your legal career, call one of the Clayton Legal team on 01772 259 121 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our help, your transition can be smoother and quicker.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year, download our guide here.

Whether you are a Child Care Paralegal or a Senior Conveyancing Solicitor, an interview is potentially the start of a new level in your career and a step nearer achieving your aspirations. So, it’s essential to get it right.

You’ve already made a positive impression with your CV, or perhaps a direct application or covering letter – so that first hurdle has been crossed.

The interview, be it over the phone, over a video call virtually, or face to face, is a chance to bring all of those points to life – and it’s essential to put your best foot forward and create a positive first impression that increases your chance of the job offer.

Here are our top seven steps to success…

1. Plan Ahead

Give yourself plenty of time to do your research. Learn all you can about the law firm and the job you’re applying for.

Don’t just look at the facts and figures; see if they have an online newsletter and sign up for it and follow them on social media. You may spot an interesting snippet of information or news story that you can bring into the interview.

Find out what specialisms they have, and what their plans are for future scaling.

These easy hacks will show your knowledge and demonstrate you are keen to work for their law firm.

2. Work with Your Recruiter

It’s also a good idea to work closely with your specialist legal recruiter. They will be able to discuss the role in depth with you and point out any gaps in your skillset that need addressing.

They can also help you assess your value and the strengths you bring to the role, such as soft skills, as they will have in-depth knowledge of the law firm you’re hoping to join.

3. Create a Cheat Sheet

Interviews are stressful enough without adding to the anxiety.

This top tip is useful in keeping you calm and avoiding any last-minute panic. You can use the notes app on your phone to list all the essential things about the recruitment job you need to remember.

Include:

• address of the interview
• contact number
• interviewer’s name
• time of your interview

Add three or four main points you want to make during your interview, some brief notes on your answers to competency-based questions and anything else that you think you might need.

You will then have all the information to hand for last-minute revision – allowing you to walk into the interview with confidence.

4. Be on Time

Being on time for an interview is crucial to setting yourself up positively in the eyes of the hiring manager. It says you are a reliable professional and conveys respect.

Conversely, being late for an interview is a no-no. It leaves a lasting impression and will not go down well with the hiring manager, trust me.

To minimise problems on the day, make sure you know where you are going for the interview and how you’re going to get there. Ideally, do a practice run and time yourself.

Everyone knows that hold-ups on the roads or public transport can affect us all.

If the worse happens and you are delayed, phone and apologise as a courtesy. Keep calm and provide them with details of how long you will be (if you know) or ask to reschedule.

It won’t hurt to follow up with a polite email later in the day to reinforce your apology. Good manners cost nothing but can convey a good lasting impression.

5. Harness Your Anxiety

Even with the experience of presenting at conferences or making court appearances, interviews can make the most experienced solicitor or paralegal nervous.

An excellent confidence technique is to “make friends” with your anxiety, says mindfulness teacher Charlie Morley. Acknowledge its presence, but don’t let it overpower you.

Try channelling all that adrenaline by changing your thought patterns – so you view your nervous energy as excited energy. You’ll still feel charged but in a positive way!

You may also consider doing some basic breathing exercises before you go into the interview. I’ve found this NHS exercise helpful.

Finally, positive thought can work wonders. So, picture yourself having a positive outcome and landing your dream legal job. It will boost your confidence levels and give you that extra push to sail through the interview.

6. Know Your Value

Your value to the company goes beyond your knowledge and skills in your specialist area of legal practice.

That doesn’t mean to say that these are not a priority; of course, they are paramount to the job, but your soft skills are also relevant.

Ask yourself what you bring to the law firm that is your USP. Are you a great team player? Do your ethics match those of the law firm? Are you a good culture fit?

If you have relevant testimonials, referrals or letters of recommendation from satisfied clients, take them with you to show the interviewer.

7. Watch Your Body Language

Interviews are not just about talking the talk. You may know all there is to know about your specialist area of family law or litigation and have a first-class degree, but your body language can still let you down and scupper your chances of success.

Body language is more important than you might think – in fact, Mehrabian’s findings are that:

• 7% of meaning in words that are spoken
• 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said).
• 55% of meaning is in facial expression.

So, pay attention to it!

Avoid fidgeting, crossing your arms, making wild, distracting hand gestures, or slumping in your seat.

Eye contact is the fastest way to build rapport, but at the same time remember not to stare your interviewer out!

Three to five seconds of eye contact works perfectly. If you have more than one interviewer, give the person asking the question 60% of your eye contact when answering and share the remaining 40% across other panel members.

Finally, smile. It’s a fact that smiling will make you feel more confident and you will appear friendly.

The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself and prove your potential value to the employer. So, adopt a pleasant manner and follow these tried and tested interview secrets to get your dream legal role!

Next Steps

If you’re reading this article because you are looking for the next move in your legal career, call one of the Clayton Legal team on 01772 259 121 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our help, your transition can be smoother and quicker.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year, download our guide here.

Being a successful criminal lawyer is as challenging as it is rewarding.

Although they are sometimes viewed in a negative light due the types of clients they represent, criminal lawyers play a very important role in upholding both the law and order of our society. Everyone has the right to a fair trial, and it is the criminal lawyer’s responsibility to see that impartiality and objectivity are upheld in the service of justice.

In order to be effective in their roles, criminal lawyers must therefore have a great deal of integrity and a high moral code. However, these are just some of the many attributes that comprise a great lawyer.

If you want to stand out in the legal career race as a criminal lawyer, here are some of the skills and traits you should aspire to.

Effective Communication Skills

Great criminal lawyers are excellent communicators. In addition to being careful listeners, who are able to follow and analyse a complex testimony, they are also very articulate, having both strong verbal and written communication skills.

They not only need to have strong public speaking skills, enabling them to argue convincingly in the courtroom before juries and judges; criminal lawyers must also be able to write clearly, persuasively and concisely in order to produce a variety of legal documents.

Sound Judgement

The ability to draw reasonable, logical conclusions from limited information is essential for any successful criminal lawyer. They have to consider these judgements critically in order to be able to anticipate potential areas of weakness in their arguments.

At the same time, a great criminal lawyer will also be able to spot points of weakness in an opposition’s argument.

Strong Analytical Skills

Preparing legal strategies requires not only absorbing large quantities of information but being able to distil it all into logical and applicable information relevant to each case. There might often be more than one reasonable conclusion, or more than one precedent applicable to resolving a situation.

A great criminal lawyer must therefore have the evaluative skills in order to choose what is the most suitable for the case at hand. The ability to provide a compelling technical legal defence is where great lawyers excel.

Solid Research Skills

Criminal lawyers not only have to conduct legal research to find precedents and other cases with a bearing on theirs; they also need to research the alleged crime committed by their client and circumstances that the police may have overlooked.

A great criminal lawyer knows that over-investigating a case is the single most important thing they can do. In fact, the amount of independent investigations criminal lawyers conduct is probably the single biggest thing that distinguishes them from other lawyers.

Because criminal lawyers are playing catch up from the moment they get involved in a case, being able to research quickly and competently is essential to preparing effective legal strategies.

Proficient Digital Literacy

These days having effective research skills goes hand in hand with being tech savvy – it’s hard to have one without the other. Therefore, criminal lawyers must know how to effectively utilise the tech tools at their disposal.

A great criminal lawyer will not need to rely on their legal secretary – no matter how exceptional they might be – to navigate the digital world in order to conduct case research.

Intuitive People Skills

Regardless of how well a case is researched or presented, at the end of the day criminal lawyers work with people, on behalf of people, and the decisions they make affect peoples’ lives.

Great criminal lawyers must therefore be personable, persuasive and able to read others well. They’re not only able to decide upon the best approach to take in order to achieve the desired outcome but can also gauge jurors’ reactions as well as the honesty of witnesses.

Perseverance And Dedication

If you’re reading this, then you’ll probably agree that the very act of becoming a lawyer takes a great deal of perseverance and commitment. But of course, that’s only the beginning.

Most cases require many hours of diligent research and analysis as well as lots of writing; great criminal lawyers have the perseverance to complete the work necessary to get the job done.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.

Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

How many times in your life have you been told to step out of your comfort zone? Probably a lot more than you could ever remember.

Our minds go to a lot of trouble to keep us safely shored up in our comfort zones, where we carry out our normal routine, content in the knowledge that we have the skills and learned behaviours required to manage the situations we regularly face, whether at work or in our private lives.

Comfort zones exist for a reason; they provide a sense of peace and safety, and the confidence that comes from knowing what to expect. As such, they do an excellent job of protecting us from danger, impulsive decision-making, and potential embarrassment. However, the flipside is that our comfort zones also protect us from growth.

Sometimes, a comfort zone is just a cleverly-disguised cage, holding you back from achieving your true potential. When you’re “comfortable” in a position, you stop striving for greatness, which means that you stay in the same place rather than moving forward. Although staying still can seem like a good thing at first, it can too often hold you back – especially when it comes to standing out in your legal career.

Here are 5 ways your comfort zone might be holding you back from achieving your professional ambitions.

1. You’re Not Reaching Your Goals

Everyone wants to feel comfortable in their jobs; we spend a large portion of your life at work, so it’s crucial to feel satisfied with what you do. That’s why firms invest so much time into company culture to attract the right legal talent.

However, when you’re too comfortable in your position, you can begin to be swallowed by it. Eventually, you realise that you’re not making any progress towards your long-term goals, you’re just standing in place.

There’s a common idea among successful people that you’re either moving forward, or you’re letting your ambitions die. As long as you’re sitting in your comfort zone, you’re not moving forward.

If you stay in the same place for too long, you may miss out on opportunities to explore new roles and challenges that improve your quality of life. For instance, you might be happy as a paralegal now, but ecstatic about going to work each day as a solicitor one day in the future.

2. You’re Not Networking

The easiest way to change up your work life and step out of your comfort zone is to look for ways to network and collaborate with others. Take advantage of opportunities to work on challenging projects with others on your team. Even if you discover that you don’t like the work, you’ll still be investing some time into networking, which can be crucial for your future.

Whether it’s done online or in person, networking can be challenging; talking to people we don’t know and advocating for ourselves are things most people would rather avoid, regardless of their qualifications or experience. However, expanding your professional network is an essential part of career development in today’s competitive job market.

Not only will regular updates on LinkedIn allow your network to keep up with the work that you’re doing, but it can also serve as an excellent tool for recruitment. You wouldn’t want to miss out on the next big step in your legal career, just because networking was outside of your comfort zone.

3. You’re Afraid of Change and Failure

Fear isn’t always a bad thing; it can sometimes keep us safe from dangerous experiences. However, fear of change in the modern workplace is often detrimental to career development. With the ever-changing landscape of the legal sector, if you’re unable to evolve with the times, you may find that your career is stuck in a rut.

Often, a fear of change in the professional world comes from the desire to avoid failure. We assume that if we stick to the things we know, we’ll be less likely to make mistakes. However, the best employees know that they need to take risks from time to time.

If you’re a litigation fee earner, for instance, you might be great at consistently handling mixed caseloads, but to truly excel in your role, you also need to be able to network in order to drive the success of your law firm, which might mean reaching outside your comfort zone.

As with being afraid of change, being afraid to fail will keep you a prisoner in your comfort zone. Rather than going after what you really want to do, you’ll only focus on what you know how to do. We shouldn’t be afraid to fail, however, because failures pave the way for improvement and growth.

4. You’re Not Experimenting / Developing New Skills

The only way to discover your potential in any career is to experiment. You aren’t born knowing what you’re good at and what you have a passion for. You only find out more about yourself when you take on new challenges and explore unique opportunities by pushing your limits.

Trying new things in the workplace improves your chances of thriving in your career. You’ll learn more about what you like and dislike about your role so that you can pursue positions that suit you better in the future. Plus, you show that you have an experimental side with new experiences to place on your CV, which improves your chances of standing out to a future employer.

While working on the same projects all the time might make you feel comfortable, it doesn’t put your abilities to the test. On the other hand, stepping outside of your comfort zone to explore something new will allow you to develop new expertise.

Twenty years of employment as a legal secretary is excellent, but not if you haven’t gained anything from it. On a successful legal professional’s CV, you’ll see endless accomplishments that came from each of the roles they took on, no matter how long they stayed with a firm. A career is much more than just a profession; it’s a way to develop your knowledge and talents as an individual.

5. You’re Starting to Settle

Finally, if you stay in your comfort zone for long enough, then you might be conditioning yourself to settle. Even if you’re no longer happy in your role, you’ll tell yourself that it’s better to stay where you are than try something new.

This prevents you from pursuing a life where you’re delighted by your career. You may even reject opportunities to grow and explore new things because you’re afraid of the uncertainty the future holds.

The most successful people know that sometimes, to accomplish great things, you need to be willing to embrace change. You don’t have to be a risk taker, but you should be confident in yourself to know that if you do fail, you’ll learn from it and grow from it.

Future employers want to see that you are willing to try something new as evidence that you’re motivated and passionate in your professional endeavours. Don’t let your fear of the unknown or of failure hold back your career; you alone have the power to transcend the boundaries of familiarity and comfort that you’ve established for yourself.

When to Stay in Your Comfort Zone

While comfort zones can be limiting, they’re also helpful at times, too.

You need focus and energy to grow and develop successfully. If you’re continually stretching yourself in every available direction, you might end up feeling overwhelmed. Burning yourself out at work isn’t the best way to reach the top when it comes to your career. You need to find the right balance between comfort, and risk.

Achieving excellent things in your future doesn’t have to mean destroying your comfort zone. Sometimes, it’s just about knowing when to dip your toes in and test the waters. Consider your personal threshold for fear and change and build a strategy around it.

For instance, when working on your development plan, pick a few “stretch” goals to take you outside of your comfort zone, and balance them with tasks you feel content about. If you’re not sure where you should be stretching yourself, it may be time to speak to a mentor, or a specialist recruitment consultant, like Clayton Legal.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year download our latest guide here.

Everybody makes mistakes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a solicitor with years of experience in your field, or a graduate paralegal joining a team for the first time. Mistakes happen. A small misstep is a positive learning opportunity, particularly if you approach it with the right attitude.

However, there’s a difference between small oversights, and miscalculations that wreck your reputation, harm your career plan and leave you struggling to achieve your goals. Here are 5 common career mistakes that we constantly see as a legal recruitment specialist.

1. Thinking Your Career Progression Has To Be Linear

These days, terms like ‘job hopping’ have a bad reputation. However, there’s nothing wrong with moving to a different law firm if you can’t follow your career goals with your current employer.

When you look at the career plans of successful people around the world, you’ll see thousands of entrepreneurs, executives and legal professionals who got to where they are today not by ‘climbing the ladder’, but by developing their skills and pursuing opportunities where they could find them.

Countless legal professionals stick by the same firm for years, hoping for a promotion that might never happen. However, sometimes finding the right role means looking in a different direction. Don’t let your loyalty stop you from reaching your true potential.

2. Struggling With ‘Shiny Object’ Syndrome

While there’s definitely something to be said for self-advocacy and seeking challenge and advancement, it’s equally important to ensure that you’ve carefully explored your potential at your current firm before seeking opportunities elsewhere.

Although it’s essential to make sure that you’re being paid what you’re worth and developed to your full potential, you want to avoid falling victim to shiny object syndrome. It can be tempting to say ‘yes’ to a new job just because it sounds interesting or looks promising on the surface.

However, before you commit to changing your career path, it’s worth doing your research and finding out whether your new position fits into your plan for long-term success, as well as making sure you’ve done all you can to achieve your career goals at your current law firm.

Evaluate each potential job change carefully and turn to your recruitment agency for help if you need extra support. Remember, it’s not just about getting ‘new’ opportunities; it’s about finding the right ones that match your skills and interests.

3. Failing To Improve Your Skills

When you’ve got a great job with a competitive remuneration package, you might decide that it’s time to sit back, relax and reap the rewards of a successful recruitment journey. However, the most successful people know that there is no ‘finish line’ in their career plan. There are always new opportunities out there for growth and development.

To avoid being stuck in a rut, it’s necessary to work on developing your skills as well as acquiring new ones. If your employer can’t provide you with opportunities to build on your skills, then create your own. Look for networking events or professional development offerings related to your field and keep up-to-date on the latest sector trends.

The more you grow your professional skills and knowledge, the more you open yourself up to better positions, bigger promotions, and a more satisfying and successful legal career.

4. Letting Fear of Failure Hold You Back

Sometimes, if you want to accomplish great things, you need to take chances.

The most inspiring leaders in the world right now didn’t accomplish their goals by sticking to career choices they felt were safe. There’s nothing wrong with trying out a short-term role, signing up for an apprenticeship, or working part-time to find the position that’s right for you. If your experiments don’t work out, you can at least learn something from them.

Challenging yourself to take on new projects and try different things will impress the colleagues in your law firm, even if you don’t always succeed in your goals. What’s more, every failure is a chance to learn and grow in your field.

One of the main ways that fear of failure holds people back is by convincing them to stay in a position where they’re under-challenged, which means that they’re in a role that doesn’t utilise their skills or talents. Working with a specialist recruitment agency like Clayton Legal will help to ensure that you find the right position that makes the most of your abilities.

5. Forgetting to Network

Finally, although many people dislike networking, it is the most effective way to open yourself up to new opportunities and increase the value of your personal brand.

While it can be easy to become complacent and stop networking once you have a full-time role, continuously building your professional social sphere and making new connections in your field is a great way to advance your legal career. The more you network, the more you’ll learn about new job opportunities, professional development, and you may even find a mentor for your career plan.

Networking not only helps to develop your personal brand; it can also give weight to your application when you apply for competitive roles. Sometimes, ‘who’ you know really is just as important as ‘what you know’. Growing your network not only makes you a more valued legal professional at your firm; it will increase your chances of being noticed by other law firms, as well.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year download our latest guide here.

Now that you’ve mastered all of the requisite technical skills and have landed your first job as a legal secretary, how do you set yourself apart as an in-demand professional in the legal field? The answer lies in nurturing a group of key soft skills; though difficult to measure, these skills often count more toward career success than any of the core skills you will have learned. Mastering these five important traits will enable you to excel in your new role.

Reliable & Trustworthy

A legal secretary is a solicitor’s right-hand person, so reliability is a crucial trait that will ensure success. This goes beyond showing up promptly; you might occasionally find yourself called upon to stay at your desk long after other offices have closed for the day.

In a legal office environment, meeting your deadlines is crucial. Often, the work that you are required to do will be linked to a certain timeframe, and if you don’t complete it in time, it could have a negative impact on a client’s case.

Your employer will be relying on you to deliver accurate work within the assigned time. Solicitors value legal secretaries who are reliable and trustworthy, and who are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to get the work done.

Proactive & Driven

The most successful legal secretaries possess drive and initiative. Rather than waiting for a solicitor’s instructions or assignments, they stay on top of what needs to be accomplished in any given time period, by anticipating their employer’s and clients’ needs. Great secretaries are willing to step beyond their comfort zones to learn new skills that will help keep the practice running smoothly.

The best firms will encourage your professional development, as they know it is in their own interests to have a highly skilled team member. You might consider obtaining additional IT or legal qualifications. If you are working in a particular area of law, consider seeking higher qualification relevant to that area. With enough drive and initiative, you can carve out a niche for yourself, becoming not only great at what you do but also making yourself indispensable in the process.

Efficient & Organised

As with any law firm, time is money, so efficiency is an invaluable trait for any successful legal secretary. Secretaries who perform their jobs quickly and efficiently contribute to the bottom line, making themselves indispensable.

However, in order to be efficient, you also have to be organised. Legal secretaries must maintain paper and electronic files, manage projects, track multiple deadlines, maintain calendars, schedule meetings, organise events and keep everything orderly and accessible.

Discrete & Professional

Legal secretaries are constantly handling confidential client files and data, so discretion is essential. Disclosing confidential information, even inadvertently, is one of the quickest ways to end your legal career. If you want to succeed as a legal secretary, you need to make sure that you are able to act with discretion, and that you treat all your work with the necessary confidentiality.

Just as you should leave your personal life at the door when you arrive at work, leave work at work when you close the office door behind you. Avoid rehashing your day with family members or friends; what happens at the law firm, stays at the law firm.

Patient & Understanding

Solicitors have high-pressure jobs that keep them extremely busy, which is why great legal secretaries are so invaluable. Like all work colleagues, solicitors may have certain work habits or attitudes that require a little patience. Some are chronic procrastinators, while others are pretty sure they’re always right, and some are woefully disorganised. An ability to handle all personality types and work challenges with grace is a crucial work trait of any successful secretary.

The clients you deal with will also appreciate your patience and understanding; it’s always good to remember that you may very well be meeting them at a very traumatic or difficult point in their lives.

Patience is key, and the key to patience is understanding. The secretary who handles every situation with diplomacy and tact, smoothing over differences or forging solutions, can become an invaluable member of any legal team.

These are just a few suggestions that could make you not only a great legal secretary but also help you to stand out as an indispensable force in your law firm.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.
Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

A temporary legal role might not be something you have considered to develop your law career, but it can be an incredibly effective way to start paving the way for your legal career acceleration.

Did you know that Johnny Depp took a role as a temporary salesman selling ballpoint pens of all things to help him develop his tenacity or that both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates began their world-changing professions with internships, as did Michelle Obama?

Today’s business world is changing, and a permanent position isn’t the only option to develop your legal career.

In this week’s post, we’ll look at five reasons why a temporary role might be the perfect way to scale your career.

1. You Will Develop New Experience and Skills

Employers are always searching for the top-performing legal candidates. In today’s skill short market temporary work can provide a great development solution for people who want to expand their horizons, fill up their CV and experience new legal avenues.

With a temporary legal role, you can work with a number of different firms before you choose the organisation that’s right for you.

A temporary assignment can help you to discover what your true skills really are. What’s more, you’ll be able to adapt to different management styles and company cultures, so you know what environment supports your growth and which doesn’t.

2. It’s a Way to Use Your CV As a True Selling Document

Temporary roles allow you to reduce any awkward blanks in your history while gathering as much experience as possible; something legal firms are looking for.

The historic legal career path of finding a firm and staying for life is no longer the case. The market is full of movement which is a good thing.

Our clients at Clayton Legal are looking for candidates who have a broad range of experience that can add value at all levels to their growing firm.

3. You Can Discover New Roles and Legal Disciplines

If you’re not sure which direction you want your legal career to go and you’re keen to explore new companies or firms, then a temporary role offers unparalleled opportunities for research.

You can get to know your employer while demonstrating your value. The more experience you get, the more you’ll earn the attention of future hiring managers capable of offering more significant responsibilities, better remuneration, and faster paths to advancement. 

For instance, at Clayton Legal, we recruit for both permanent and temporary roles. The more experience you have in different companies, the more you’ll learn about what you really want and what is important to you.

4. A Temporary Role Can Quickly Become a Permanent Job

Finally, one of the best things about temp assignments is that they don’t have to stay temporary forever. The more you demonstrate your exceptional work ethic and professional value, the more likely you are to transform that transitionary role into a permanent position.

When spaces appear within a team, companies are more likely to offer the hours available to a temporary employee who has already proven their worth than begin looking for a candidate from scratch.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.
Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year download our latest guide here.

Your legal interview is just around the corner, and you have practised your responses to a list of the most common legal competency-based questions; but have you missed something critical to the process?

Your body language.

There has been extensive research into what impact our verbal and nonverbal communication can make and it’s fascinating. Have a look at Professor Albert Mehrabian’s work on the communication model. Here are a few key points he identified that are important in an interview situation.

• 55% of the message we communicate relates to our body language and facial expression
• 38% of the message we communicate relates to our voice tone and the way words are said.
• 7% of message ONLY relates to the words we communicate

It probably now makes sense why our nervousness can easily lead to a host of body language mistakes, from unconscious fidgeting to awkward facial expressions.

Unfortunately, since half of the interviewers decide whether a person is right for the job before they ever have a chance to answer a question; the way you present yourself is more important than ever.

The good news is the common mistakes interviewees make can be rectified fast provided you know what they are.

So here, in no particular order, are the most common mistakes we see:

1. Forgetting to Smile

Anxious, stone-faced candidates don’t do well in interviews; no matter how good your law degree is. Even if you have the best legal CV in the UK, it’s important to sell yourself as someone that has a pleasant manner and will fit into the culture of a legal firm.

No-one wants to work with someone who’s constantly nervous or grumpy.

Not only can smiling make you appear warm and friendly, but it could calm your interview-based nerves. A genuine smile will help to decrease stress in your system and ensure that you feel more confident than you would with a frown.

2. Poor Eye Contact

In the world of body language errors, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to avoid eye contact with your interviewer. Hiring managers want to see the confidence in their prospective candidates, and keeping your vision cast down towards the floor makes you look nervous and lacking in confidence.

Though this can be a part of your personality, it’s something you need to consider and address.

Although you don’t want to ‘stare’ your interviewer out with too much intense eye contact, looking at them when answering their questions, or listening to their responses is of paramount importance in an interview.

It shows that you’re engaged in the conversation and providing your full attention. If you’re in a group interview, it’s best to make sure that you maintain eye contact mostly with the person asking the questions, while looking at the other people in the room from time to time.

3. Too Many Hand Gestures

When it comes to the hands, many candidates believe their handshake is the biggest threat to their chances of success; wrong.

Though it might surprise you there’s more you can do to damage your first impression than giving a handshake that’s too weak, or too strong.

From our own experience screening legal candidates over the last 20 years and talking to the legal hiring managers we work with, too many hand gestures while talking is distracting.

Although talking with your hands might be a common habit, it’s something you should cut down on when preparing for an interview. The more nervous you get, the more uncontrolled your movements can become, which never communicates what you have to offer in the best light.

4. Crossing your Arms

Though you might think this doesn’t happen any more in an interview situation, it still surprisingly does.

Remember in an interview situation people often see crossed arms as a sign that the person they’re talking to is disengaged, bored, or even worse – defensive.

While it’s highly unlikely you are feeling any of these emotions, sadly for you, this could be what you are communicating.

Sometimes, crossing your arms can make you feel more comfortable or protected in an interview situation, but it also blocks you off from your employer. Instead, think about how you can portray interest and engagement with your body language, by keeping yourself open, perhaps with your hands by your sides, and your body angled towards the interviewer.

5. Poor Posture

Finally, sitting slumped in your seat won’t portray you as a confident, professional person who your hiring manager would be happy to put in front of a new legal client.

No matter how tailored your suit may be, a bad posture can cause you to appear uninterested, or again even lack in confidence, possibly even rude.

Keep your spine straight against the back of your chair, and square your shoulders. This will help you to look more confident and show that you respect your interviewer and the potential job ahead of you. A strong posture stands out, making you look more like a leader. If you can’t sit straight, then focus on leaning slightly towards your interviewer, to show engagement.

So often candidates focus their interview preparation on preparing to answer questions that they
will be asked.

Remember, what you say accounts for just 7 % of how you communicate in your interview. How you communicate those words will be the difference that makes the difference.

Practice how you want to deliver your answers as well as what you plan to say.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.
Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year download our latest guide here.