Whether you’re lying on a beach, walking up a mountain, exploring somewhere new, or simply enjoying a quiet coffee or cocktail in the garden, the summer often gives us something that’s in short supply for most of the year: space to think.
Legal careers move quickly. One matter rolls into the next, deadlines replace deadlines, and before you know it another year has passed. Sometimes it takes stepping away from your desk to properly ask yourself whether your career is still taking you where you want it to go.
Take a few moments to think about these signs
Last month I shared the first three signs it might be time to move on. Over the past few weeks I’ve also been posting short videos on LinkedIn exploring these signs. If you’ve missed them, here are the final four.
4. Your values no longer align with your firm’s.
This isn’t about your firm being good or bad. Sometimes organisations evolve, and so do we.
Perhaps the culture has changed. Perhaps the way success is measured no longer reflects what motivates you. Or perhaps you simply find yourself making decisions that don’t sit comfortably anymore.
The longer your personal values and your working environment drift apart, the harder it becomes to enjoy your work, no matter how successful you appear on paper.
5. You’re no longer excited by the work.
Every job has difficult days, but if Sunday evenings have become something you dread and Monday mornings feel like something to endure rather than embrace, it’s worth paying attention.
Often people assume they need to leave the legal profession altogether. In reality, it may simply be that the right challenge, practice area, firm or in-house opportunity is somewhere else.
6. The people around you are making you unhappy.
One of the biggest influences on our working lives is the people we spend them with.
Supportive colleagues, good leadership and a positive team culture can make even the busiest periods enjoyable. Equally, poor management, difficult personalities or a culture that doesn’t bring out your best can slowly chip away at your confidence and motivation.
Sometimes it’s not the legal work that’s the problem. It’s the environment you’re doing it in.
7. You’re staying because it’s familiar, not because it’s right.
This is probably the most common one I see.
You’ve built relationships. You know the systems. You know the clients. The idea of moving feels like hard work, even though a part of you wonders what else might be out there.
Comfort can be a wonderful thing, but it shouldn’t become the only reason you stay.
Some of the happiest lawyers I’ve worked with are those who made a move they had been putting off for months or even years. Looking back, they often say the same thing: “I wish I’d done it sooner.”
None of these signs automatically mean it’s time to hand in your notice. Sometimes the answer is a conversation with your manager or HR. Sometimes it’s taking on a different challenge within your current firm. Sometimes it is making a move.
The important thing is to not ignore the questions.
If you do find yourself with a little downtime over the summer, perhaps use an hour to reflect.
Ask yourself:
Am I still learning?
Am I progressing?
Do I enjoy the people I work with?
Does this role still fit the life and career I want to build over the next five years?
You don’t need to have all the answers while sitting on a beach or halfway up a mountain. But creating the space to ask yourself the questions is often where clarity begins.
