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GAZETTE
N E W S
DECEMBER 1993
Alternative Careers for Solicitors
Law School launches
employer campaign
Word on the street is that choosing a
career as a solicitor these days is some-
thing of a hazard. Indeed, one wag
recently suggested renaming 'How to
Become a Solicitor' — the Society's Law
School booklet - 'Why Become a
Solicitor?' In spite of the humour, the
remark nevertheless carries a real sting
in its tail and sums up the present-day
reality being experienced by many
would-be practitioners in the profession.
The graph below illustrates the
numeric difference between the
number of solicitors holding practising
certificates and those on the Roll for
the period September 1985 - October
1993. Although the last period spans
1
thirteen months and shows a striking
rise in solicitors not in practice, an
equivalent earlier thirteen month
period ending in October 1986
indicates no such rise. How this
| difference is made up we are currently
unable to say: generally numbers
include solicitors on career breaks, on
maternity leave, in retirement or
unemployed, those engaged in
alternative careers and, perhaps, some
newly-qualified solicitors who have
not yet taken out practising certificates.
It is in the area of alternative careers
for solicitors where the Society's Law
School sees the greatest scope for
alleviating the pressure currently being
Difference between Number of Solicitors on Roll
and Number of Solicitors in Practice
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experienced by the profession. In
conjunction with the Employment
Register a campaign is being launched
over the coming weeks to persuade
employers of graduates to consider
recruiting solicitors to non-legal
positions. 'It will be a vigorous
campaign to which we anticipate a
good response. The service being
offered to potential employers will be
free of charge and many benefits they
may expect as a result of recruiting
solicitors - contrary to both the
Zeitgeist and general recruiting practice
- should more than breed its own
success," said
Hazel Bovlan
, Careers
Adviser. "More than 95% of people on
the Register have indicated they would
like to be considered for alternative
careers. Indeed, part of the drive is to
alter people's thinking - both solicitors
and potential employers - to recognise
that solicitors are highly educated and
professionally trained individuals with
a great deal to offer in spheres other
!
than private practice."
'
The focus will be to market solicitors
as individuals who, for example
• can meet the challenges of a wider
range of career opportunities,
• have the ability to think or
conceptualise critically
• have the ability to identify pitfalls
before they occur such as in
negligence, nuisance or libel, in
breach of contract or statutory duty
• understand the domestic and EC
legal environments and legal
obligations, such as employers'
liability.
To back this up and to respond to
requests for CVs by users of the
Employment Register, there is an
urgent
need for solicitors seeking jobs
to reshape their résumé to address the
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