Returning to legal work after a career break: insights from candidates and hiring managers

More and more legal professionals are finding it difficult to return to work after taking a career break - whether for family, health or personal reasons. Despite having relevant experience, many candidates face barriers when re-entering the profession, such as outdated knowledge, reduced confidence, or stigma from hiring managers. 

At Sellick Partnership, we regularly speak to candidates in this situation, and we also work closely with legal hiring managers across the UK who are looking to better support returners. To help bridge the gap, we spoke to two individuals with different perspectives: a legal candidate who recently returned to work after a five-year break, and a public sector Legal Services Manager involved in recruitment. 

Here is what they had to say. 

What are the biggest challenges returning candidates face?

One returning candidate told us: "The biggest challenge I faced was a lack of confidence. I took a break to have a family and to get involved in some property work, and during that time, there were many changes which made me doubt my ability to do the role successfully.

"My slightly outdated knowledge made me feel like it would make more sense for a firm or organisation to take on a newly qualified candidate because their knowledge would be more up-to-date. This obviously made me feel anxious about getting back into law and I bet that so many other candidates face the same confidence issues."

From the employer's perspective, our client agreed: "Hiring managers can be concerned about how up-to-date someone’s legal knowledge is. Soft skills like time management may also be a concern. Career breaks often affect confidence too - so returners need support to feel capable again.

"Candidates coming back into work after a long break will also be facing a big shift in their routine, so some may also worry about how they are going to cope with getting back into the routine of work, something that can be challenging for the best of us."

What stigma or bias do returners experience? 

Unfortunately, many returners also face bias around their reasons for taking time off, particularly when it comes to needing flexible working arrangements. 

Our candidate shared: "I faced a lot of stigma around my need for some flexibility when looking for a new opportunity in the sector. I have young kids, and I needed some leeway on the standard 9-5 working week. I found that there were still a lot of businesses that would shut you down on this. Overall, I felt like a lot of places just didn’t want to invest the time and training to get me back up to speed and did not want to give me the flexibility I needed to work whilst bringing up a young family.

"People often view career breaks as a negative, but I think they can be incredibly valuable and give people a new perspective that can be hugely beneficial to a company."

Our client echoed this, adding: "A lot of people have a long career break and pick up various skills as a result. I know first-hand that it can give you a real appreciation for time management. Candidates can also build up skills in co-ordinating and managing people that are transferable as well. I often see the lines blurring between the skills I pick up in work and the ones I have picked up at home. 

"When looking at CVs of candidates, I am receptive to examples from outside of a work environment to demonstrate the attributes I am looking for. Candidates just need to ensure they detail whatever skills they have learnt on their CV as there are always ways to show career breaks in a positive light."

How can returners refresh their CV and experience? 

Many returners are advised to volunteer or take on unpaid work, but that is not always feasible.

Our candidate explained: "A lot of people told me to volunteer at legal firms to refresh my experience, but it’s not something everyone can do. It’s hard to pay for childcare that gives you the time to volunteer if you aren’t being paid for it. This can be extremely demotivating, and not having people around you can make this difficult.

"Speaking to ex-colleagues and friends in the legal sector really helped me in this regard. It gave me a massive confidence boost that I could still do it without getting the experience I was told I needed. I do think there is a real gap in the market for accessible refresher and training courses. There are some out there, but they are so expensive that they’re only available to a few."

The client, however, recommended looking at online and local government resources: "There are a lot of training courses out there that retuning candidates can take advantage of. For example, we have the LLG courses that would be relevant to people looking to get back in to local government legal work. 

"These are important to build up knowledge and show hiring managers that you are committed to getting back into work. Just having some evidence on your CV that you have made some efforts to re-fresh your experience can go a long way to calming any reservations a hiring manager may have." 

How can employers better support legal professionals returning to work? 

Both interviewees had clear advice for employers:

• Be open-minded when reviewing CVs with career breaks.

• Make your adverts inclusive by stating that returners are welcome.

• Offer flexibility from the start to support work-life balance.

• Create structured return plans with phased starts or tailored training.

The client said: "Keeping an open mind when you are going out to recruit and considering applications from all candidates is a good start. Hiring managers also need to ensure their adverts are accessible and do not put some people off. I have seen some firms state specifically that they are open to applications from people who have had a career break on the advert, which I think is a great step forward. I imagine that a lot of people count themselves out of a lot of roles as soon as they read an advert, so it is important to make the role look attainable to as many candidates as possible.

"When employers know that someone is leaving for a maternity or career break they could add them into an alumni association or a group that enables them to keep in touch with the business and, in this sector, law. This is something that we had at my old firm and whilst it is more of a social thing, it is a way for people to keep in touch. It could be expanded to include details of training course, which would be helpful to someone who is looking to re-fresh their skills.

Our candidate went on to say: "Businesses need to be open-minded and think outside the box. There aren’t enough of us to do the jobs that are out there, so if more businesses were open to candidates who have had a break, they could help close the skills gap across the sector.

"Having a return-to-work plan for people would also be great. This can include things like a phased return or offering additional support/training to returning employees in the first few months. Legal candidates coming back into the profession want to know that someone is going to work and support them, so making this clear is very important, and companies could really benefit from promoting what they can do to help from the outset."

What role can recruitment agencies play? 

Recruitment Consultants can be critical allies in the return-to-work journey - but only when they offer realistic advice and ongoing support. 

Our candidate shared: "Recruitment agencies are hugely important and can help advise, but they need to manage expectations. It’s easy to tell someone you’ll be able to find them a job in a week and promise the world, but that isn’t always possible. 

"It’s better to provide candidates with honest feedback so that they can try and improve moving forward and offer advice where possible. Things like helping candidates with their CV or offering advice for interviews would be helpful and can make the difference between securing a new job and not."

Speaking about Sellick Partnership, they said: "A lot of recruiters contacted me and told me they would easily find me a position, but I never heard back, which was frustrating. My experience with Sellick Partnership on the other hand was very different. They have been honest and open from start to finish which I really appreciate.

"I felt like what I was looking for was really listened to and that the team at Sellick Partnership understood what I wanted, and within a matter of weeks I had an interview lined up. I’m now back doing what I love, at a time when I really thought my legal career was over, and I can’t thank the team at Sellick Partnership enough for their help."

The client added: "Locum roles are great as they allow candidates to gain hands on experience without the employer having to commit to a permanent contract in the first instance. 

"Recruiters can play a vital role here, especially in helping legal candidates gain the experience needed to get back into work. Recruiters work with hiring managers daily and will be able to look for suitable vacancies and support candidates in finding a role. Locum roles often come up with very little notice, so being in touch with a recruiter can be helpful in learning about new opportunities first."

Breaking down barriers for returners

There are currently plenty of vacancies in the legal sector, especially within public sector organisations. At times, roles can remain unfilled, while experienced professionals struggle to return after a break. So, by rethinking hiring approaches and working collaboratively with recruiters, the sector can support more returners - and gain talented professionals in the process. 

How can Sellick Partnership help? 

If you're considering a return to the legal profession, are unsure of your options and would like a confidential discussion, or if you're an employer looking to attract returners, our team can help. 

You can either contact our legal recruitment team, browse our latest legal vacancies or register as a candidate and set yourself up for job alerts.