Changing practice areas post-qualification

Dear Oracle

Is it possible to change the area you qualify into? For example, if I qualify as a property solicitor, can I then change to be an employment solicitor? Would I need to obtain some extra qualifications and how long does the process take?

The Oracle replies

This certainly would be an unusual step. In most cases a training contract consists of four seats in different practice areas, which are agreed upon by you and the training department at your firm. You will qualify in one of these four areas, so it is important to ensure that, if you think you would like to become an employment lawyer, one of those seats is in employment. As you approach the end of your training contract, you would apply for a place in the employment team and hope to qualify there.

There are times, of course, when the firm cannot accommodate your wishes - perhaps because there are no places in the employment team at that time or the positions available are oversubscribed. Usually, you would then look to move to a new firm when you qualify. As a consequence, a significant transfer market operates for those finishing training contracts who have been unable to secure their preferred choice where they have trained.

There are occasions when a firm will ask someone to move from one area to another - perhaps because of a significant increase in work in the latter department - but there is almost always an obvious overlap between areas. Therefore, you could qualify into property and later request a move to employment, but there is no guarantee that you will get it unless it suits the firm's needs at the time. Potentially, it would also be harder to move to another firm as an employment lawyer, because all your post-qualification experience would be in property law. There are no further qualifications to take, as you would already be on the roll of solicitors.

In summary, the obvious way for you to achieve your goal of becoming an employment lawyer is to make sure that you agree with the training department of your firm that one of your training seats will be in employment and then bid for a place on the employment team at qualification. If they can't accommodate this, you may want to consider moving to another firm.

However, we do acknowledge that flexibility and versatility are more important than ever for solicitors and barristers alike, so it’s important to be open to different possibilities throughout a training contract or pupillage, and post-qualification. When the Oracle discussed a similar topic a couple of years ago, one reader contributed this salient point: “The training of solicitors is now skills based so, at the end of your training contract it's about being able to exhibit the skills needed to be a good solicitor, not the ability to, say, draft a lease or a compromise agreement. In an ideal world, you would look to do a seat in a particular practice area, but in the current climate, you need to be more flexible to your firm’s needs and to which practice areas the market is likely to offer. Three-years PQE in property would make a subsequent transfer to employment more difficult, but if you've displayed the right attitude and the firm sees you as an asset that it wants to keep, it's much more likely to support a transfer when market conditions change. Don't become a ‘one-trick pony’ too early in your career!”