Family Law with Scott Halliday
Joining us this week on LegalTea was Scott Halliday. Giving a candid account of the challenges and rewards of his role as an Associate Family Law Solicitor at Irwin-Mitchell, Scott talks us through the route he took to get there, and his drive to use his platform to give back and shape conversations around the issues close to his heart. If you’re looking for a role working closely with individuals rather than corporations, a career in family law is definitely worth thinking about.
As a Family Law Solicitor, there’s a wide scope of potential issues you will be dealing with. Working in private law, the majority of Scott’s workload involves things to do with children or things to do with money when people are having difficulties or separating. This can go from arranging future arrangements for a child or resolving income disparity issues, all the way to working on international child abduction cases. No two days are ever the same working in this area, but at the heart of it all are always the needs of individuals.
It was the opportunity to work closely with people and help resolve their issues which was the driving force behind Scott wanting to be a lawyer. While, as a student, he originally wanted to pursue a career in international human rights law, family law actually ticks a lot of the same boxes. You are placed in a privileged position as the person people come to for advice and support at extremely difficult times and it’s your role to think strategically through their issues from a number of angles, devise a plan, and then put it into practice. It can be incredibly rewarding work and you’ll find yourself developing close personal bonds with clients as you navigate them through the process and see how they change and grow.
Being a people person is therefore a real key to success in this area. If you enjoy meeting new people and building up a rapport with them, family law could be a great fit for you. You’ll spend a lot of your day advising clients, and so it’s essential that they trust you. As a family lawyer, you’ll regularly be asking people to make decisions based on your advice, and it’s much easier if they can get to know you a bit and understand who you are, your style and personality.
On the flip side, you also need to be prepared to spend a lot of time at the office sometimes, and to drop social plans at short notice. There can be times when the job is all consuming, for example if you’re working on a finely-balanced, details-driven case, or if a child abduction case comes in. Out of the blue, you can suddenly find yourself extremely busy and needing to put in a few late nights. Although work-life balance is extremely important, and there will definitely be times when things are quieter and you can go out for a drink or catch a movie, Scott’s advice for when things get so busy is to try to embrace it. If someone is in an awful situation and don’t know where to turn, it can be incredibly disruptive to you on a personal level but don’t forget that being able to take them through it and help them come out the other side is a big reason for wanting to work in this area!
The nature of the work does mean that it can take an emotional toll and there will be times, probably quite often, that you’ll find yourself thinking about clients even when you’re outside of the office. You’re dealing with real people and difficult and often highly emotionally charged situations. Although helping them is part of the reward, if you are thinking of working in this area you also need to prepare yourself for when things don’t go to plan. It can sometimes be very difficult and clients will always be on your mind to some extent. Brace yourself for some hard conversations and try as much as possible to balance the expectations of your client. It’s important to be honest and let them know if a case is looking finely balanced.
If you’re keen to purse a career in family law, you need to be prepared to put in some hard work to land that first job. As with most areas of the law, especially at the moment, it can be tough to get that all important ‘yes.’ It’s a given that you’ll have a good degree from a good university – you need something else to help you stand out. Scott’s advice is to try as much as possible to approach the application process with confidence in yourself and authenticity. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you know what the recruiter or interviewer wants. At the end of the day, the biggest way to differentiate yourself is to be yourself – they want to know who you are, so don’t be afraid to show them. Explain what you’re interested in, explore a particular point or angle in more detail and show off your passion and enthusiasm. It’s not always easy but, now more than ever, firms are looking for confident people who can articulate who they are. So, spend some time thinking about this and really unpicking what it is that drives and inspires you to work in whatever area you’re applying to.
So, what are the key takeaways for people considering a career in family law?:
Be a people person. As a family lawyer, it’s vital that you feel comfortable building a rapport with new people. They will be taking your advice in extremely difficult situations, so it’s vital that they trust you.
Embrace the workload. There will be times when you need to put in long hours, prepare your clients for bad news, or find yourself thinking about cases outside of the office. At these times remember that helping people through these difficult times is the reason you wanted to work in family law.
To differentiate yourself, be yourself. Landing your first job in family law can be tough. Really think about what makes you stand out and approach every application process and interview with the self-confidence and authenticity to show people who you are and what you’re about.
