Motus Recruitment Insights

Have you considered where your legal career is heading recently?

It’s very easy to become blinkered as to what is going on around you. No doubt you are working extremely hard but are you still on the right track? Try to take some time out to stop and think about the path you are following. Is it still leading where you want it to lead?

Whether you are a mid-level Associate or a Partner you should plan to ask yourself a few simple generic questions every once in a while. These might include: Where is my career going? Do I enjoy what I am doing? Do I still believe in my law firm? Am I still culturally aligned? Do I feel energised? We're sure you can think of many more!

The key is to recognise when you have reached a plateau. This might be because your future career progression has become limited at your current law firm or it is no longer able to offer you the opportunity or support necessary for you to achieve your personal or professional goals. Maybe the strategy of the firm doesn’t now accord with your own views or the nature of your work.

Three recent examples come to mind:

1. A Senior Associate rejected for partnership feeling disillusioned despite a strong work ethic and good business development skills. We were able to help find a firm where the candidate could use their knowledge and expertise to add significant value to the strategic objectives of the new law firm and joined as a Partner.
    
2. An Equity Partner and Head of Department who felt they had outgrown their single office regional law firm. We secured a move to a large national law firm which had the necessary tool kit of specialist lawyers available to them to further develop their national and international client base.
    
3. A Fixed Share Partner at a national law firm looking to relocate from London to the South West for personal reasons. With our specialist knowledge of the local market we were able to advise and introduce the partner to the key decision makers of relevant and appropriate law firms. The Partner subsequently joined a major South West law firm as an Equity Partner.

Law firms evolve and change, so do you. Regularly review your career goals and try to assess whether your current law firm is still right for you. If it is, great. If not, don’t just bury your head in the sand. Think of it as unlocking the next exciting chapter in your legal career. You might be surprised by what opportunities are out there.

If you are currently at a crossroads and considering your career future, please contact the Motus team in confidence and we'll be more than happy to talk things through with you.