“It is unlikely that most law students would say ‘I want to be a regulatory lawyer’”: finding your legal niche

It is unlikely that most law students would say “I want to be a regulatory lawyer”. Whilst regulation touches many areas of our day-to-day life, it is not a focus area during your studies.

My technical specialism is, it’s fair to say, quite niche. I primarily advise law firms, including their general counsels and heads of risk on a range of Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) matters.

My career before working at Kingsley Napley has been a crucial part of building the platform for what is now my day-to-day work.

I have worked both in private practice and in-house, and during my career, have advised regulators and the regulated. In terms of my in-house experience, this included working in a small in-house team at the Legal Services Board (LSB), where I was given a lot of responsibility and autonomy.

I then moved to the general counsel and legal policy team at the SRA itself, which – over a combined period of eight years – offered me extensive insight into the workings of the regulators. This is what forms the basis of my subject matter expertise, which placed me in quite a unique space when moving back into private practice. My clients find this very helpful.

Finding your feet in law

I knew I wanted to be a lawyer in sixth form. But before committing to that path, I wanted to pursue the subjects that I already loved and excelled in at school – so that led me to a degree in modern languages and linguistics.

At university, a lot of my friends were reading law, which gave me some insight into the path to becoming a trainee solicitor. Many of them were attending law fairs and were looking to get training contracts at big City law firms. I felt I wanted to take the same path.

Whilst still at a relatively early stage in my undergraduate degree, I started to follow what were – at that time – the standard steps to becoming a solicitor. This included attending assessment days and interviews at major City firms.

This seemed like the natural thing to do as my friends opted for corporate and commercial law. But as the recruitment process advanced, I soon realised that I wanted to take a slightly different approach – to find specific areas of law that felt relatable and that I wanted to learn more about.

I paused the recruitment process and instead, focused on my degree. I decided to pick up my longer-term plans for law once I had graduated.

Finding the right firm for you

During my law conversion course, I began to think more about the areas of law that I enjoyed and the law firms that practised them. I focused my research on what were at the time more mid-sized firms (think the top 25 to 100 firms). I also wanted to be in my hometown, London.

Only then was I able to say with any certainty why I wanted to be a solicitor and why I wanted to work for a particular firm. It became clear that I was not going to be successful in applying to a firm I didn’t know much about. You must really demonstrate what it is about the firm that appeals to you.

For me, this was about firm values that resonated with me and practice areas I could really see myself working and thriving in.

Learning points

I would wholeheartedly recommend getting as much work experience as you can.

Then, apply for vacation schemes and taster days at firms you would like to work at.

Here at Kingsley Napley, we run a great online event, where people from all over the firm talk about what they do and their areas of law. There are opportunities for attendees to ask questions and learn about practice areas they might otherwise never know existed.

Finding your niche

When I first started at Fieldfisher (it was then FFW), where I trained and qualified, I thought I wanted to be an intellectual property (IP) lawyer. However, Fieldfisher also had a combined public and regulatory team which was quite unusual and not an area of law I became aware of until I started that deeper dive into firms during my conversion course.

I did a seat there during my training and I absolutely loved it. The work was so varied and interesting and I found it really challenging. There was always more I wanted to learn.

Being able to work in the public law team so early on in my career, but primarily within the sphere of regulation, is what enabled me to take my next steps. That included moving to the LSB where my practice focused on public law principles and statutory interpretation – but in the context of legal services regulation.

Jessica speaking at the Law Society risk and compliance conference.

Expectations and reality

What have I learnt from my journey? I would say that you might think you want to work in a particular area, without really knowing what that entails or really thinking about whether it’s something you would really enjoy. It’s also important that it’s something your day-to-day values align with.

If you’re looking at private practice, ask yourself questions such as ‘what does this firm actually do? Does it do areas of law that I’m interested in and want to know more about? What are its values? How many trainees are there? How much opportunity will I be given to take on responsibility for matters?’

Final words

I would encourage you to always trust your instinct and go where the opportunities are that most excite you.

If you think an opportunity has arisen that is right for you at that point in time, take it. See where that leads. But be mindful to build a strong network of contacts around you and do not lose sight of that as your journey progresses.

I look back so fondly at my time as a junior lawyer. 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 very difficult decision and one I often thought about in those early days. But it gave me the springboard I needed to be where I am now.

I often remind myself that I am lucky that it worked out. It could have backfired, but at that point I’d have happily explored other avenues and could have then returned to private practice.

I think it’s always good to have a plan, but remember that life doesn't always go to plan. You need to be flexible and take the opportunities that feel right, as they present themselves.