Positivity and looking forward

JUNIOR LAWYERS DIVISION

Positivity and looking forward

It would be a true understatement for me to say that the last year has been tough for junior lawyers, particularly for those (like me) who were made redundant during the pandemic. For any junior lawyer reading this, of whatever age, and still looking for a role, please do not give up.

I am an unorthodox junior solicitor. After a 7-year career in IT I took a break to have a family then in 2012 I decided to study law because I wanted to have a purpose and make a difference to society (didn’t we all think that at some stage?).

Having laboured my way through tough GDL exams, the LPC, securing a training contract and landing my first role on qualification in Business Law in October 2018, all of that effort was swept aside when I was furloughed with no warning in June 2020 and then made redundant at the end of July 2020. The challenge for me during my 8-month search for a new role was the up and down battle against the sinking feeling that perhaps the legal profession does not want or need people like me. In the end, it was a chance conversation over LinkedIn with a contact, to whom I had in the past referred conflict clients, that led me to my new role beginning in May 2021.

I consider myself a positive person, but in fact it took some time for me to learn how to be genuinely positive and to stop listening to my inner critical voice (a topic of discussion in its own right). What I have learnt to do is to not look backwards – events that have happened are now in the past and nothing can be done about them – keep moving forward and live in the present as much as possible. In my view, this is the essence of positivity.

So how do we learn to be positive and maintain positivity? I mentioned purpose. Four months into my fruitless job search which included interviews, even a second-stage interview, but without a job offer in sight, I approached the CEO of a small charity I used to work for and asked if I could help out in any way, desperately wanting to feel useful again. I had heard that the charity was managing a food hub for low-income families but luckily for me, the CEO urgently needed somebody to work part time to process grant awards. From the first day I began working for this charity – the week before Christmas 2020 – my stress levels plummeted. I was having a deserved break from webinars and interview-prepping. I was in an office, surrounded by great people (socially-distanced of course) and doing critical work helping vulnerable people access funds urgently to enable them to pay for food, rent and bills. A real purpose.

The second significant step I took was to talk to a career coach. I chose a person I had met at a proper face-to-face networking event in late 2019 (can’t wait to attend those again) and had met up with again to chat about my role at that time. I realised that what I lacked in my previous role was a mentor to help with my career direction and I had got stuck in a rut – in my coach’s words I seemed to be “on an island”, i.e. I had no real career development support around me. During the pandemic, talking honestly about what I really wanted from my career in law was an important step. Even during lockdown, there is no reason not to consider your career options moving forward, what sort of solicitor do you want to become, whether you want to move inhouse or sideways into a different area of law? Think about what type of firm/company you really want to work for, e.g. traditional, modern, diverse, progressive?

Thirdly, I have learnt that positivity goes hand in hand with accepting that you are only human. One of the most important conversations I had during lockdown was with a recruitment consultant who runs her own business in the north of England. She couldn’t help me find a job in London of course but she quite simply said “as a junior solicitor, you will find it much harder to find a new role during lockdown but don’t be hard on yourself and focus on what you can offer”. That was all I needed to hear “don’t be hard on yourself and focus on what you can offer”. From that point on, I have stopped beating myself up for minor failures like not getting that second stage interview. I would encourage you all to reread Suzanna Eames’ 5 top tips on Self-Care from February 2021’s issue, particularly if you are feeling demotivated or exhausted.

Finally, what I have learnt is to be present in the moment and take time over conversations you are having with people – starting from today! Connecting with societies that have meaning to you or with forgotten contacts, friends or family now that lockdown restrictions have eased will revive you. Listen to others’ perspectives on life to continually see the bigger picture and remember that you never know when one of those conversations might come back to help you or someone else when life is turned upside down. ■

Amanda Lathia

Business Law Solicitor

TWM Solicitors (Fulham, London)