How to Move from Public Interest into Private Law Practice

Many of the professionals involved in law jobs desire to move from public service into private law practice. It may either be to look for law firm jobs or to become an independent law practitioner.
 

The reasons for such a move are many. You may want to challenge yourself with practicing law on your own. You may want to avail of the lucrative rewards of being in private practice. You may want to make a difference in the law by working on it without the hackles of supervisors looking over your shoulder. Whatever your reason, you must carefully think through your decision as indeed it entails risks as much as it provides for benefits.

Legal Skills Transfer

Of course, you can move from the government sector to the private sector to practice law as previously implied. However, you must consider the transferability of your skills in the public sector as these skills apply to your desired law jobs in the private sector. After all, you want to find the best fit as much as possible so that you can reap the benefits faster.

For example, if you were a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice specializing in corporate law, then law firm jobs related to said field are the best options. Or if you were a federal prosecutor in your government job, then becoming a civil litigation lawyer in your private practice is the most logical switch possible. Think of it as just transferring your lawyer skills with just a little bit of tweaking in approach and attitude.

Job Availability

And then there is the matter of job availability. You may want to shift law jobs from the public to the private sector but the job market may not be favorable to said move. It may be that the area you are working in now or intend to work in suffers from a dearth of law firm jobs. It may be that the specialization you are in is on a downswing. It may be that your qualifications are not yet up to par with the requirements of the law firm you are transferring in.

Indeed, there are many reasons for why you may not be able to make the switch in your desired time frame. Still, there are also many reasons why you can make the switch despite the seemingly unfavorable conditions. You can always choose to take calculated risks, which is always the best move for any career shifts including law jobs.

Consider the Benefits

Last but not least, you have to consider the benefits involved in each sector. After all, there is always room for doubts in making the switch especially when you have had time to think about it.

Keep in mind that the government sector offers many benefits in terms of psychic income in that you can work on cases with big import on how the law is perceived in the land. Plus, you may also exert great influence especially if you are already holding mid-level or top-level positions.

Of course, with top-paying law firm jobs, you have the ability to buy all the material comforts you have been eying for some time now. And you will also be constantly challenged with the cases you handle.

Just make sure that when making the switch between law jobs that indeed you will be happy with it.