60-second interview: Mena Ruparel on returning to practice

What are the profiles of the lawyers who are returning to practise in family law?

A lot of them are maternity-leavers returning to practice, but quite often they're not people who were family lawyers before. Quite often we get commercial lawyers who've decided they don't want to go back into the City, and they're requalifying into family law.

What are the emotional challenges for lawyers returning to work after a career break, to any area of practice?

It's difficult because people who leave practice have a perception that they won't be able to get to grips with the changes that have occurred. Confidence can be a real issue, the ability to walk back in and say, 'I can do this', as opposed to 'I don't really know what I'm doing, I don't know if I'm going to go back to practice' - it can be daunting, whether someone's been on maternity or sick leave. Quite often we get people from the armed forces who have been overseas, and coming back to practice is really difficult for them because it's an entire change of ethos. When you're in the army there's a very clear structure, whereas in practice you're left to your own devices.

Family law has changed at an exponential rate over the past year. Are we likely to continue to see change?

Yes, absolutely. We have to change to adapt to the removal of legal aid for so many people, and ensuring that those people still have access to justice means change has to come at a faster rate to keep up, otherwise there's going to be a huge justice gap.

What would you say to lawyers returning to practice in family law, worried about the effects of LASPO and the financial instability of the work?

It's a completely different era; somebody who left family law three years ago and is returning to work will have to adapt quickly to the way that we help clients. For example, we now offer unbundled services. It's just about getting to grips with the new ways of servicing clients and ensuring that we get the money that we deserve for our services.

Is it more difficult being a family lawyer now than compared with two years or even one year ago?

It's just adapting to a new way of working. I don't think it's any more difficult.

Mena Ruparel CIArb will speak at CLT's Family Law: Return to Practice course on 23 October, London, and 4 December, Manchester

For more information visit: www.clt.co.uk/course/returners-course-family-law/