A job where you write the script

I had never been sure what I wanted to do, but I had always loved to write and formally trained with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). But I didn't want to be stuck on a small local rag (which is what I would be destined for without further studying), so I did a law degree.

A new direction

The defining moments in my career came during a two-week vacation placement at a Birmingham law firm, which steered my career thoughts away from a journalistic career and into the solicitors' profession.

Securing a training contract was as difficult then as it is today, facing month after month of that sometimes interminable task of sending hundreds of CVs and application letters. It was a chance phone call to the secretary of the local law society on a different issue that resulted in me being invited to his office with my CV - and he offered me a training contract there and then.

I was one of the successful ones, but many of my peers on the LPC were distraught and depressed that their applications in their hundreds were being rejected - not to mention the debt they had got into to get so far. I was angry that we had all got to this point with no real information about the best way to secure a training contract and how to deal with the lack of places available, and the fierce competition.

I started writing a letter to the Law Society Gazette. Instead, that letter became a book, and Blackstone's Guide to Becoming a Solicitor was published in 2000. Meanwhile, in 1998, I had qualified and I started to look for PQ employment. I didn't mind what area of law I practised as long it was not commercial or property law. However, I was quickly offered a job very near home which included some property law '“ and accepted it on the basis that I would continue to look for something I wanted to do.

But the work turned out to be far more challenging and enjoyable than I ever expected. I remained there until I fell pregnant and went on maternity leave '“ and stayed out of practice for the next six years, during which time I started working from home, writing for the national and international legal press, juggling my work with looking after my tiny children.

Twists and turns

Then last year my career took another unplanned turn when I fell pregnant again and, in November 2008, I had my third child, starting another new chapter in my career. Maternity leave has now finished, and I am concentrating solely on my writing career.

My career change has evolved gradually and working as a solicitor and a legal journalist have frequently run parallel to one another; I have found the skills demanded for one are skills needed for the other. Both require excellent writing and organisational skills, and the ability to communicate with other professionals at the same level. And a crucial feature is the ability to work to a tight deadline and under stress.

But for anyone considering switching from law to journalism, it is not a simple or painless transition. Unless you have a substantial pot of cash to fund the early months or years (or a partner with a regular income!) you need to start writing and marketing yourself while working as a lawyer. Read the national broadsheets daily for ideas for articles, subscribe to the legal publications, and be prepared to write articles without a fee.

Patience is a virtue

It took me two or three years building up a varied portfolio of work and it required persistence, self-assurance and patience. This attitude won me a training contract in 1996, and it has got me good writing opportunities since. I have written for the Law Society Gazette, Solicitors Journal, International Bar Association, Legal Week, the Times Law Supplement and many other publications. I research and write editorials for legal directories, I've written a conveyancing handbook and I'm currently writing a short legal book that is to be translated into German for law firms, banks and financial advisers in Germany and across its borders.

With the expansion of the internet and the increasing number of legal publications on the market, the prospects for legal journalism are widening. Many publications are 'specialist' (property or practice management supplements, for example), reflecting the niche areas of law and legal practice; legal internet sites constantly require content.

I never know what I'm going to be asked to write next, and the unknown makes it all the more interesting. But being a freelance journalist is not an easy life. Financially, there are lean times; there is of course no regular income. Meanwhile working from home can impact on you socially: I miss the office camaraderie.

Working from home requires discipline and constantly re-ordering priorities, which can change from hour to hour. But I am my own boss, I organise my day and my week according to my own work and home requirements. On a busy day I can be on the laptop while feeding the baby; on a quiet day next month I can do some Christmas shopping while most other people are at the office.

And thank goodness for my Blackberry!

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