Choosing to become self-employed can bring a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. For solicitors and lawyers considering legal consultancy, one of the first questions is often a practical one: will I be able to generate enough work and build a sustainable practice?
It’s an understandable consideration, particularly if you have spent much of your career within the structure and security of traditional employment. Moving into consultancy can feel like a significant step, but it can also create opportunities to shape your career around your own priorities, ambitions and lifestyle.
Freedom and flexibility are among the reasons many legal professionals explore consultancy. Having greater control over when and where you work, the clients you support and the direction of your practice can provide a very different experience of working in law. However, you don’t necessarily need to have every part of your future mapped out before exploring whether consultancy could work for you.
Sometimes, a different career path develops naturally.
London-based Family Law Solicitor Kalpana Shah shares how a planned two-year sabbatical unexpectedly led to a long-term career as a consultant, as well as some of the concerns she had before making the move:
It was a joining of dots that led me to start Taylor Rose as a consultant. After 25 years in practice, I had decided to take a two-year sabbatical with the plan to return to employed work after two years. During that time there was a need for me to undertake some legal work for cases that were still being referred to me, and I found my way to the Taylor Rose consultancy programme that allowed me flexibility to work as well as maintain my sabbatical interests.
If I had not taken the sabbatical, I am not sure I would have taken the leap of faith into becoming a consultant; I was not confident that I could generate new work that would sustain a full-time position for myself. The plan was to undertake consultancy until the end of my sabbatical, however 10 years on, I am still here.
Taylor Rose has a very supportive work environment. The consultant concierge team are always swift to respond to help I might need in some of the processes. I have a go to person who always knows who I need to contact in the firm to assist with a process.
For me the advantage of being a consultant is the freedom it gives to flex work needs around my other commitments and interests. As the case management system makes the admin easier, I can focus more on client needs, which improves positive outcomes and clients feeling supported through the process.
There are pros and cons to any working situation, if you are considering becoming a consultant then I would be happy to arrange a call for you to get a bit more clarity for your own journey.’
Kalpana’s experience shows something that many legal professionals may recognise: you don’t always know where a career decision will lead when you first make it. What began as a way to continue undertaking legal work alongside other interests became a consultancy career that has now lasted a decade.
It also demonstrates that concerns around generating work are not unusual. Taking responsibility for your own practice and income can understandably feel very different from receiving a fixed salary. For the right legal professional, however, consultancy can provide the opportunity to build a practice on your own terms, with greater control over your workload and the potential to increase your earnings as your practice grows.
At Taylor Rose, consultants are self-employed but have the backing of an established law firm and access to infrastructure, systems and support. Our Consultant Concierge Team is available to provide practical assistance, alongside wider support across the firm, helping consultants spend more of their time focusing on their clients and developing their practice.
Consultancy can also give you greater choice over how your working life fits alongside everything else that matters to you. That might mean making more time for family, pursuing interests outside of work, changing the pace of your career or simply having greater autonomy over your working day.
As the largest legal consultancy programme in the UK, the Taylor Rose Consultant Programme is designed to give experienced legal professionals the freedom to develop their own practices while remaining connected to a wider professional community.
There is no single reason to become a legal consultant, and everyone’s journey will look different. If you are beginning to wonder whether there could be another way to practise law, exploring your options can be a useful first step.
To find out more about our different routes into consultancy, contact our Consultant Recruitment Team on 020 3551 8100. The team can talk you through the options available and help you consider whether consultancy could be the right fit for your career.