Despite being an experienced solicitor trained in a number of areas of the law and specialising in one of these areas for several years, I have been jobless for several months and cannot find work. I am either over-qualified in my specialism or under-qualified for another area of the law.


Various sources have commented on the effects of commoditisation and increased competition in the law. I am experiencing the realities of these changes. Many solicitors like myself face a terrible future. We could not have anticipated changes in the provision of legal services when we began training. We have invested in our futures, sometimes at great expense, and dedicated ourselves to high-street law firms. We have been encouraged to specialise, to the extent that our firms are not prepared to invest in retraining us. We are too young to think of retirement and, due to the relatively modest salaries we command compared with City counterparts, we do not have vast savings to live on while we retrain.



Is it not time for the Law Society to devote energy to helping such solicitors to prepare practically for the future? Forward-thinkers should also stop gleefully telling solicitors to 'wake up and smell the coffee' and start telling us what we can actually do to safeguard our own futures. Otherwise the profession will lose many hard-working and dedicated professionals.



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