Trading places

As the profession increasingly welcomes people with varied life experiences, Paula Rohan looks at the hostility which some solicitors encounter when they decide to jump ship and join the law

First the bad news - recent BBC research suggested that one way to get people's backs up is to choose a career in the law.

Lawyers are among the most disliked sectors of society, only just more popular than politicians and estate agents, and certainly with no chance against people like teachers or medics when it comes to winning friends.

The good news is that there is nonetheless no shortage of people looking to join the legal profession, even if it means turning their backs on established careers and making themselves unpopular.

Last month, Greg Waldron, one half of Chester-based Dental Law Partnership, spoke out about the hostility he encountered from some members of the dentistry profession after he and partner David Corless-Smith defected from the world of fillings (see [2002] Gazette, 13 June, 4).

The fact that law is becoming an increasingly popular option led the College of Law and the Open University to set up the first distance-learning degree five years ago, taken up by many people who wanted to combine their working life with retraining for another career.

Speaking at the graduation of the first round of students last month, guest of honour Cherie Booth QC criticised the 'narrow' model of the typical law student and said welcoming people from diverse backgrounds would be 'the better for both the development of the law, and for clients and scholars'.

Gary Slapper, professor of law at the Open University, says this is now very much on the cards.

'Law has become the most popular degree subject in Britain, and that interest is reflected as much in the adult world as it is in the school-leaver sector,' he says.

The Open University course is now the largest taught undergraduate law course in the UK with some 30,000 students.

Kay Pearson, careers consultant at the College of Law, says there are a host of reasons motivating people to compromise their relationships, time and money in exchange for a career as a lawyer.

Some have always been interested in the law but have been held back by financial or family commitments; others see it as more intellectually challenging than what they currently do, or they are inspired by the legal aspects of their current job.

The status and image of the profession is also a factor.

Some 27% of the College's students are mature, and a survey showed that although around half were already in law-related roles such as paralegal or legal adviser, the remainder were working in a diverse range of environments.

'A third were in commercial roles, ranging from PR account manager and auditor to cabin crew,' explains Ms Pearson.

'The other main work area is the public sector, where job roles range from members of the armed forces to teachers, medics and police officers.'

Ms Pearson tells them that they will face a number of hurdles.

The first step is to get through the vocational courses; for non-law graduates this will involve the post-graduate diploma (the dreaded common professional examination (CPE) as was) in law before moving onto the legal practice course (LPC).

The second is to secure a training contract.

Ms Pearson says life will be easier if they target firms with friendly policies on mature students and with the relevant practice areas, who are also more likely to view experience such as language and management skills as an asset.

'Be aware of the concerns employers may have about mature applicants, such as willingness to work for a younger boss, ability to take a salary cut and dependants,' she advises.

'All of these are surmountable but you need to work hard to convert a perceived negative into a positive.

For example, your ability to "hit the ground running", your relative stability - no further career breaks to come if you already have children - and your experience in dealing with people at all levels and all ages.'

Not all firms need convincing.

The College of Law and Open University have both noticed that high street firms - particularly those dealing with a large amount of legal aid work - are very keen to take on somebody with a different background.

'People who are entering the profession as mature students are more likely to have been through things like moving house and getting a divorce, and firms realise that you can respond better to clients who are going through these situations if you have the life experience,' says Beth Brown, careers consultant at the College.

However, it is not just the smaller firms that are receptive to the idea.

City firm Charles Russell has a policy of keeping an open mind about people who have made a career change, and human resources head Elaine Emmington says this is a sign of the times.

'A lot of firms are bringing people from outside the law into top jobs like chief executive and marketing posts,' she explains.

'There has been a real recognition that other people can bring something to the party, and that you are a bit arrogant if you think that the only intelligent people around are the ones with a legal background.'

Karen Mackay, director of the Legal Action Group, agrees that it is for the benefit of everyone to look at the wider picture.

'Lawyers who have experience from other walks of life are also likely to have a wider experience of life in general, which may help to deal with clients in the round as well as bringing fresh perspectives to the running of legal practices,' she argues.

And there is always the hope that accepting people with diverse backgrounds into the law is unlikely to harm the popularity of the profession in general.