10 pieces of career advice for aspiring and junior solicitors in 2026
It’s never too late to start your legal career
It’s never too late to achieve your dream, says Pauline Campbell, who qualified at 41.
Now principal litigation lawyer at Waltham Forest Council, she believes the life experience people in their 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s bring to the profession makes them an amazing asset.
The first step when changing careers is the toughest: “because you’re most vulnerable and you’re still in two minds” explains Pauline.
Be alert to the “doubting Thomas’s” who want you to stay safe and don’t want you to take a risk, too. “You’ve got to be strong.”
Find your legal niche
“I look back so fondly at my time as a junior lawyer”, says Kingsley Napley LLP partner Jessica Clay.
“When thinking about my next move, I knew I wanted to grow in the public and regulatory law space, but with increased responsibility and the opportunity to really develop subject matter expertise. It became clear that a move in-house was the way for me to do that.”
It was a difficult decision, Jessica adds, and one she often thought about in those early days.
“But it gave me the springboard I needed to be where I am now.”
It’s always good to have a plan, but life doesn’t always go to plan. She says, “You need to be flexible and take the opportunities that feel right, as they present themselves.”
Celebrate your successes
“Every time I win a case, I jump up from my desk and do a dance”, says Geldards partner Kevin McManaman, who attributes winning 90 to 95% of his cases to thorough preparation.
“It's quite amusing for my colleagues because we're in an open plan office. It’s good for the team to see that though – particularly junior staff. They need to have that passion too.”
Kevin believes you’ve got to “drive yourself and believe in yourself, especially as a solicitor”.
He says, “whatever experiences you face, good or bad – there is always a positive to take away.”
Connect to grow your client base
“I want people in my local area to know what I do”, says Sarah Cookson, head of residential at Switalskis.
For residential conveyancers, she believes, "the most effective marketing tool you have is yourself”.
Potential clients need to know that you are the go-to person in your field, with the knowledge and empathy to guide them through the stressful time of buying or selling a residential property, she explains.
“Outside of your office, be proud of the work you do.”
Demonstrate your expertise
Qualifying during the post-2008 financial crisis meant it was hard for many people – including IP lawyer Rosie Burbidge – to land a job.
“I think that made me much more aware of how important it was to differentiate yourself”, says Rosie, who has been blogging since she was a trainee.
“I want to stay up to date and use my knowledge”, she explains.
“A blog reader or LinkedIn follower might not necessarily become a client, but I may have helped someone to become aware of a potential problem.
“Or I’ll have helped them understand that a relatively straightforward thing, like filing a trade mark early on, could save them a lot of issues down the line.”
Expand your network
Salome Coker is an in-house solicitor and working artist who has spent a chunk of her career as a consultant solicitor, to allow her to dedicate some time to paint, brushes and canvas.
“I wanted to create a professional life that allowed me to pursue my creativity”, she explains.
“I became a bit of a lone ranger when I was contracting, so I decided to join the Law Society Council to be part of something. It was great to expand my network and gain exposure to the wider profession.”
During her four years in office, “I really found my voice and developed so much confidence”, she says.
Foster a mix of skills, if you work in-house
“If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d say ‘the smartest thing you can do is be very good at a few things, rather than ‘the best’ at one thing’,” says Ben White, founder of in-house community Crafty Counsel, who credits the wisdom to cartoonist Scott Adams.
“From what I’ve experienced, people who have satisfying career paths have some sort of combination of skills rather than being in the top 1% for one skill.”
As an in-house lawyer, these might be skills or niches adjacent to their core area of practice, in a combination that gives you a unique strength, he adds.
“So give yourself permission to go out and explore your wider interests.”
Learn to communicate with the business as an in-house lawyer
When starting out as an in-house solicitor working with lots of people in a business, “having an awareness of their individual communication preferences and adapting to them can be really effective”, says Robyn Sandilands, founder of Sandilands Legal Limited.
“It boils down to different personality types. Whilst we can’t change how people communicate with us, we can change how we communicate with them”, adds Robyn.
For legal, the ability to take a legal issue that is complicated, and present it back to the business in a down-to-earth, concise, commercial way, means you’re much more likely to get your point across.
“It’s really important to get your stakeholders on board by making sure they know what the business issues are.”
Build your technical expertise before you build your profile
Former international tax solicitor – now barrister – Jivaan Bennett has amassed over 5,000 LinkedIn followers over his career.
He recommends early-career lawyers should focus on becoming known for their technical know-how before they prioritise building a professional profile.
“Get the technical expertise right and nurture your relationships – and have those as your foundation”, he explains.
“There's little point in having a public profile which attracts internal and external clients to you for your technical input if you don’t have anything of substance to add. They will quickly realise this.”
Consider a secondment to help you grow
Senior associate Jon Quirk at DAC Beachcroft had a bit of imposter syndrome before he took on a secondment in mid-2024, as he revealed during a conversation piece with partner Ben Daniels.
“It’s funny because I’d advised insurer clients for nine years, but those concerns still popped into my head at the thought of sitting next to clients”, says Jon.
Observing how other lawyers on secondment were operating was interesting.
“Those that were getting the basics right were the ones that were standing out, rather than those that were coming up with brilliant, convoluted arguments for litigation”, he adds.
“I didn’t come away thinking, ‘I have to be cleverer’. I came away thinking, ‘I’ve got to set things out as clearly as possible and be aware of the internal pinch-points of the people I was reporting to’.”
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