I have spent a considerable portion of my career transitioning fee earning lawyers to professional support lawyer roles and if there is one question that consistently comes up, it is this: “Isn’t that kind of a dead-end job?”. In short, the answer is an emphatic “NO”!
20 years ago, when professional support roles were starting out, these roles were very much seen as back-office roles for those who couldn’t really manage fee earning. A PSL was seen as the firm librarian who just wrote precedent pieces, answered a few queries and clocked out at 5:30. While that was never really all the role entailed, today’s PSL are miles away from that perception. These roles are now dynamic, varied and essential.
What does a PSL do?
PSL roles are now a critical position for most legal practices. While that has been the trend for some time, Covid made that truer than ever. While we were in lockdown, the more junior lawyers lost out on the chance to learn by osmosis by sitting next to a senior associate or partner and being able to ask questions on the spot about what they have heard - this is bound to mean trouble in the future. Forward looking firms are realising that in 3-4 years’ time, the current junior lawyers are going to mid-level lawyers who may not be as advanced as they would normally be, so they are looking to their PSLs to help them bridge that knowledge gap.
Legal tech and innovation is another area where PSLs are adding tremendous value. Legal tech is developing quickly and is a major advantage when it comes to making firms more efficient every year. As a PSL within a firm, you have the opportunity to be the expert on that tech. You will see the various innovation initiatives and be able to assess which ones will most benefit your firm.
Possibly the most important thing you can do as a PSL is disseminate information. In this role, you are the hub of the wheel and are seen as the go-to expert in all matters. Traditionally, PSLs ran a training course a few times a year, but now, you can do so much more. PSL are creating their own YouTube channels, podcasts and webinars as a way to make information accessible and interesting for both internal clients (the firm’s lawyers) and external clients alike. They also organise the firm’s training programme. This does not mean that as a PSL you have to deliver all the training yourself. It is now standard practice to make the junior lawyers deliver training themselves when they have an area that they are developing in, or need developing in, as well as bring in outside experts.
Additionally, you have the chance the shape the strategic objectives of your firm as well. PSLs are working closely with their practice area partners and associates to identify the knowledge gaps within the team, write thought leadership pieces, work on business development initiatives, act as a firm representative at seminars and conduct horizon scanning exercises in order to “future proof” their firm wherever possible.
What makes a great PSL?
It’s simple, gravitas, if you are a 6 year + PQE lawyer, you have seen and done a lot in your career and being a PSL is a great way to pass on all that knowledge to the next generation of lawyers.
In this role, you have exposure to all of the firm’s stakeholders. By developing a rapport with the firm’s lawyers, the Business Development team and the clients, you will engage with stakeholders across all levels and be seen as the trusted advisor whose input on vital matters is essential.
But won’t I take a pay cut?
In a word, yes, but probably less so than you think. Traditionally, taking a PSL role would mean a 20% salary reduction from a fee earner’s salary, but with the sharp increase in fee earning salaries over the past couple of years, the difference is roughly 30%...at the moment. However, with firms increasingly seeing the value of their PSLs, that is now being reviewed. Unsurprisingly, the US firms are leading the way in this, but that will cause a ripple effect across the market. While there are no hard and fast rules with respect to PSL salaries due to the changing market, salary bands tend to be as follows:
|
Salary |
US Firms |
Magic circle |
Top 100 |
Mid-tier firms |
|
No experience |
£135K+ |
£120K-£130 |
£90K-£115K |
£65-75K |
|
Senior Candidate or Previous PSL experience |
£145K -£165K+ |
£135K-£145K |
£115K- £125K |
£90K - £105K |
What are the benefits of a Professional Support Lawyer role:
As you will see, salary bands for PSLs are very attractive. In addition to offering a great salary, PSLs also have much more control over their work/life balance. Without the pressures of fee earning target hours, PSLs can look at part time work options, flexible/hybrid working and, in most cases, they stick to core working hours.
In addition, there are now genuine career progression options for these roles. Your first role as a PSL will set you on a path with many options: you can move to a senior PSL, Head of Knowledge Management or even Global Head of Knowledge Management. However, if after trying your hand at a professional support role you find yourself missing your billable hours targets (I’m sure there are one or two of you out there!), you can transition back to fee earning. Returners to fee earning are one of the most valuable resources in the legal market today so giving a PSL role a try is not an exercise in career limitation.
Given the full picture, the question you should ask is not “isn’t that kind of a dead end job?”, the question you should be asking is “why have I not looked at this before?”.
If we can assist you and you might appreciate a no obligations discussion, please get in touch with one of your dedicated consultants,
https://www.chadwicknott.co.uk/contact/our-offices
