Law Society: Overspecialisation Has Stuffed Young Lawyers
You may know this already. First hand…
But there are alternatives (note pic).
How are your securitisation lawyer friends doing these days?
There are philosophers that believe that specialisation can lead to extinction. Take this abstract from an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica – Extinction and Overspecialization: The Dark Side of Human Innovation:
Specialization is evolution’s answer to fine-tuning a species to its niche, but it comes with a high risk should the narrowly defined niche change in substantive ways. Without flexibility, the lag time needed to adapt through random mutations is too long and collapse follows.
Ok so that might (or it might not) sound a little dramatic vis-a-vis a stalled legal career but there are parallels. According to the Law Society, young lawyers specialising in banking, property and commercial law are having a harder time finding employment as a result of the global recession.
CityAM: “In the property boom, there was a great demand for conveyancing lawyers but, in the recession, this is not the case and many will now find it difficult to find or retain emoployment,” said Heidi Sandy, chair of the Junior Law Division at the Law Society.
She said that younger lawyers have taken the brunt of the economic downturn, which is in part due to early specialisation in their careers.
Fortunately for young lawyers they can adapt rather more quickly than evolution normally caters for. And the improving (lets be optimistic here) economy will provide plenty of new opportunities. Whether those will be in a new area of law or something else altogether is up to the individual.
No going back – here’s some inspiration:
1. Tim Kevan, author of Why Lawyers Should Surf.
2. Brian Moore, rugby player, manicurist and commentator/columnist.
3. Bob Mortimer, comedian.
4. Barack Obama, American President.
5. Alex Wade, beach bum. Formerly a lawyer with Carter-Ruck. He authored Wrecking Machine, which he followed with another book, called Surf Nation.
6. Oona O’Connell, Playboy Model. (pictured)
7. Tony Blair. Former lawyer, Prime Minister and band member. Now jet-setting statesman. Loaded. With great prospects for becoming really loaded.
March 23, 2010
Glad to see there is always an excuse for a scantily clad woman.
March 23, 2010
The Playboy option would not be open to me if it came to that, unless Hugh plans on retiring or dying soon. Sure am glad someone chose it so I could see the way so to speak.
March 23, 2010
What exactly does the Law Society propose we do about this problem of overspecialisation other than talk about it?
Force firms to prolong generalised working practices? Other bright ideas, no, didn’t think so.
March 24, 2010
And it’s taken them how long to work that out?
March 25, 2010
This is probably true but it is also unlikely to change. Specialisation is more efficient and since when did law firms worry about the interests of young lawyers.
Nice picture by the way.