The credit crisis has wreaked havoc on several practice areas, including real estate and finance. Many lawyers who specialize in these practices are seeking new positions. The problem is that there aren’t many openings for these lawyers right now. Worse, the trend for the last 5-8 years has been to hire “specialists,” those with niche areas of expertise – the round peg for the round hole.
Here are some tips on how to break into a new area, or “re-tool” your practice:
- Start building your résumé and your knowledge base. Attend CLE courses and list them. Research and write an article about a particular area. Better yet, find the experts and ask if you can assist with an article. These people are usually on the speaking circuit and are frequently publishing. They may welcome some assistance on a particular topic.
- Try to get contract work in that area. Many companies and firms need attorneys to fill in on a project basis (not just for document reviews).
- Take on some pro bono work in that area if you can find it.
- Work for a government agency. Although it may be a temporary financial setback, the hands-on experience can be fantastic.
- NETWORK. Despite the trend of hiring lawyers with a track record in a particular area, there are still employers out there who simply want hard-working individuals with bright minds. They just won’t pay a search firm to find them.
