How to Re-ignite Your Career

How to Re-ignite Your Career Without Putting on Your Superhero Cloak

If you believe the statistics, the sole practitioner is a dying breed...

According to the SRA, as at the end of February 2022, less than a fifth (19%) of solicitors’ firms had recognised sole practice status. In 2000 it was close to half (42.5%).

WHY THE DECLINE?

There are various factors. Some commentators speak of a business model which is unattractive for external investment. Others include lack of resources to invest in IT and back-office infrastructure, the financial repercussions and uncertainty around the Solicitors’ Indemnity Fund run-off provision/ PII contributions, legal aid franchising and the abolition of the old legal aid system, and the stress of sole practice.

The result is that some sole practitioners have moved to a legal consultancy model. Some have become associates at other law firms. Others have merged or amalgamated with other practices. Analysis by Arden Partners plc in 2021 pointed to the corporatisation of law firms. Some sole practitioners have ceased practising altogether.

Those that remain might feel like Clark Kent - an ordinary human who has the need to transform into a dazzling superhero in order to avert disaster.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Professionals facing a potential major upheaval or change of any sort will undoubtedly experience uncertainty. This in itself can lead to significant stress, which can be especially difficult for a sole practitioner who has basically invested their whole life into their business.

It’s interesting to note that, according to the Bar Council, 36% of sole practitioner barristers who want a change want to leave the Bar. Anecdotally, I’m aware of solicitors and other legal professionals who are so disillusioned or under so much strain that they can see no way through their challenges unless they leave the profession.

The fallout from the pandemic has also added a layer of stress. Several of my clients have said they hadn’t consciously realised the longer-term impact it has had on them.

MENTAL WELLBEING

LawCare (www.lawcare.org.uk) is the mental wellbeing charity for the legal community. One of the key findings of the “Life in the Law” report commissioned by LawCare and published in September 2021 was that legal professionals are under strain and have a high risk of burnout (regardless of how much autonomy they have. And sole practitioners have more autonomy than most).

69% of the 1,713 participants reported that they had experienced mental ill-health in the previous year.

87% of participants accepted responsibility for their own wellbeing, with 84% saying additionally that responsibility was with their employer. Sole practitioners wear both hats: as their own employers, they would do very well to equip themselves with strong resources to maintain good mental health!

SYMPTOMS

Some of the things you might experience which may indicate mental ill health include poor sleep, low energy, sadness, depression, inability to relax. Relying on stimulants like coffee, or using alcohol or other addictions to ‘numb’ your senses. Mood swings, anger, changes in eating habits/sex drive, reduced ability to concentrate, anxiety or feelings of guilt. Overwhelm or feeling there’s no end in sight, avoidance behaviour, procrastination, making mistakes, withdrawing from friends and activities. Physical problems such as unexplained aches and pains. Difficulty making decisions.

When your neglect your own mental health, these problems can build up over time. The cumulative effect results in the straw breaking the camel’s back. Intolerable stress. Even breakdown.

The tendency I have noticed is that most people are motivated to get away from what they have (but don’t want) far more strongly than to move towards what they do want. In many cases, they don’t actually know what they want, they just know it’s not ‘this’. The result is that a lot of energy is spent on fighting fires, fending off marauders, just keeping their head above water.

This is not a powerful or resourceful way of being. It leads to more struggle and it becomes a vicious circle which can end up as burnout.

It is national Mental Health Awareness Week from 9-15 May 2022. There is no better time than now to take stock of your psychological fitness and shore up your inner resources... BEFORE the strain gets overwhelming.

Mental health struggles arise when things occur that are not aligned with how we think they should be.

TAKING STOCK

However long you’ve been in practice as a sole practitioner, think back to the time when you decided to go solo. What were your reasons at that time for making that decision? And what was your underlying purpose, the driving force that compelled you to choose that?

It’s worth pondering on this for a few minutes. Dig deep! Connect with the deep desire you had at that time. Resist the temptation to evaluate your original intention or to make comparisons.

When you’ve done that, now identify the progress you have made towards bringing that ‘vision’ to life. Take an honest look at your dayto-day experience of life and work.

Have you achieved your desire? What has got in the way? What do you feel about that? Where are you compromising? What conflicts do you encounter? What is the impact of all of that?

For many people, there is a discrepancy between how they would like things to be and their actual reality. And I have noticed through my coaching over the last 12 years, that most people believe they have to ‘put up with’ it and simply find ways to cope. This approach tends to lead to a drip-drip effect, wherein they gradually go into decline. It can be so subtle that they don’t even realise it’s happening.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. There is another approach.

It IS possible to bring about your ideal life and career. The single most valuable resource you can cultivate in order to achieve that is your personal connection to your true purpose. When you have this, you can begin to consciously choose to create exactly what you want in your life and career. A life on your terms.

I support clients in finding their unique purpose, connecting with it and then creating a life and career consistent with that. Time after time, they are surprised at how simple it is to achieve or to create something even better!

One example of this was Caroline, an English qualified solicitor living and working abroad. She had become disillusioned with her career and felt trapped and listless. She was on the verge of throwing in the towel. After working with me, she set up a new part time structure for her legal role, and launched a thriving music promotion business alongside her career. Her stifled creative nature began to flourish and she was delighted. Caroline’s testimonial, along with many others, is on my website.

Everything that Caroline needed was already within her. She just needed a little expert support to reveal it and bring it to life. She could potentially have achieved her breakthrough by herself. But she had been stuck for a while. The thing is, as humans we all have blind spots. A skilful coach sees what you don’t and is able to shine a light on the things that matter most, thereby freeing you up to create the seemingly impossible.

Just as prevention is better than cure, so proactivity is better than reactivity. When you connect with your heart’s true purpose, you receive an injection of vitality and renewal.

Your inner superhero saves the day. What’s not to love?

Are you ready to reveal and connect deeply with your true purpose? You can find Kim’s free Purposeful Life Checker here: https://www.

kim-parker.com/purposeful-life/

Biography: Kim Parker, a former solicitor in private practice for over 20 years, has run her successful practice as a transformational and wellbeing coach (www.kim-parker.com) since 2009, helping legal professionals around the globe create a fulfilling life and career they love, while being true to themselves. Kim is an established volunteer for the Law Care helpline and is currently developing The Heart Centre, a beautiful retreat space in rural Herefordshire.