In this month’s Careers Clinic, we’re handing over to Lucy Wickham, Associate Consultant at Realm and specialist in recruiting family and care lawyers across Yorkshire.
Lucy is answering a question from an experienced solicitor who’s become comfortable in their current firm but is starting to wonder whether their role is still giving them enough room to grow.
Q: I’ve been at my firm for several years and, although I’m generally happy there, I’m starting to feel like I’ve outgrown my role. I know the job inside out, I’m comfortable with my caseload and I’ve taken on more responsibility over the years, but I’m not sure what else there is for me to achieve where I am.
How do I know whether I’m just going through a bit of a lull or whether it’s genuinely time to move on?
A: Feeling comfortable in a role isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You’ve worked hard to build your experience and confidence, and there’s a lot to be said for enjoying your work and knowing you’re good at what you do.
But there’s a difference between being comfortable and feeling like you’ve stopped developing.
If you’ve started questioning whether there’s anything left for you to achieve in your current role, I’d take that feeling seriously – without assuming that moving firms is automatically the answer.
Here’s what I’d think about first.
Look at how you’ve developed over the last year
Think back to where you were 12 months ago.
Are you handling more complex matters? Have you taken on greater responsibility? Are you developing new skills, supervising others or becoming more involved with clients and business development?
If your role looks almost identical to how it did a year or two ago, despite you wanting to progress, that could be a sign you’ve reached a ceiling.
Think about what you want to achieve next
It’s difficult to know whether you’ve outgrown a role if you’re not clear on what you want from the next stage of your career.
For a family lawyer, that could mean developing a particular specialism, working on more complex matters, moving towards Senior Associate or Partner, building your own client following or eventually leading a team.
Once you’ve identified what you’d like to achieve, ask yourself: can I realistically do that here?
If the answer is yes, you may not need a new firm at all. You might simply need a new challenge within your existing one.
Have an honest conversation with your firm
Before assuming you’ve reached the end of the road, talk to your manager or Head of Department.
Explain that you’re keen to keep developing and ask what opportunities could be available over the next couple of years.
Try to come away with something tangible. What could your next step be? What do you need to demonstrate? What experience do you still need? And is there a realistic timeframe attached to it?
If there’s a clear pathway and your firm is willing to support you, that may give you exactly the renewed sense of direction you’ve been missing.
Pay attention to how you feel about new challenges
Another useful test is to think about what happens when an opportunity to stretch yourself does come along.
Does the prospect of taking on more responsibility or tackling something new excite you? If it does, you may simply need greater challenge.
If you’ve lost enthusiasm for the work more broadly, there may be something deeper to explore – whether that’s your environment, workload, priorities or even what you want from your career longer term.
Explore the market without committing to anything
You don’t need to hand in your notice to find out whether there might be something better suited to where you are now.
Have a look at the kinds of family law roles available. Speak to a specialist recruiter. Find out what other firms could offer someone with your experience.
You might discover opportunities involving more complex work, clearer progression, greater autonomy or the chance to help shape a growing team.
Equally, exploring the market might remind you that your current firm actually offers many of the things you value.
Either outcome gives you useful clarity.
Is it time for a new challenge?
Outgrowing a role doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your firm – or that you’ve made the wrong choices by staying there.
Sometimes you’ve simply developed beyond what a particular position can offer.
If you can see a genuine next step at your current firm, start a conversation about how you can work towards it. But if you’ve made your ambitions clear and there’s nowhere meaningful for you to go, exploring the market could help you find the challenge you’ve been missing.
If you’re a family or care lawyer in Yorkshire and you’re wondering whether you’ve outgrown your current role, I’d be happy to have a confidential conversation about what the market could offer you.
You don’t need to be actively job hunting. Sometimes understanding your options is all you need to work out whether it’s time to stay and grow – or move on to something new.
