I am currently working as an assistant professor. I am in my mid-thirties. During these years, I always wanted to practice but never got the courage and needed a stable income. so I opted for academics. Now, I am financially sound. I still want to give it a try. I have two small kids. Can anyone give their experience or advice in this regard? No godfathers to help.
You need to use your advantage of in-depth knowledge in particular areas of law and translate that into benefit for clients. For example, if you taught competition law, then you need to position yourself as a specialist in this area and be thorough in all aspects of the law. You can set up a practice by joining a firm which needs your expertise to grow that practice, or get someone with a general practice to join you and grow a specialist practice jointly. Pick an area to be a specialist where your knowledge will always keep getting enhanced with time and experience, and not something which can be replaced by procedural knowledge.
Category: Advice, no direct experience in this regard. Have a few colleagues who had a profile similar to your's as to starting practice later in life.
If you want to know whether or not it is possible, short answer is yes.
It is doable, but you need to manage your expectations appropriately. Expectations from your self, and from the profession.
You would be aware that teaching and litigation are complete different playing fields.
There might be slight room for flexibility in teaching, particularly in terms of deadlines. That might not always be the case in litigation.
Litigation is hour-intensive. It is at times physically strenuous. See for example: running around between courts, handling bulky briefs, etc. It is mentally engaging.
Be crystal clear with your own self, in terms of how you want to devote your time to your household and your practice.
You need to team up with your folks so that you all can manage the household in a manner which helps you devote necessary time for your practice.
Seriously vet the firm/ chambers you join. Be frank and open with them as to how much you would be able to offer in terms of your time.
You haven't been completely out of touch with law as a subject, given your teaching experience which is close to a decade. Just start looking at it from a non-academic perspective. Earlier, the only people who would be impacted by your words and actions as a professional would have been your students. Only to the extent of their marks. Now, your actions and words will have a direct bearing on the lives of litigants you come into contact with. The level and nature of responsibility is vastly different.
Be ready to be treated like you know next to nothing, that's how juniors are treated.
Be ready and willing to ask if you don't know something. Persons younger than you are likely to have more experience of the profession, no shame in asking.
Be ready to have juniors ask you something, since in all likelihood, you look your age. If you don't know the answer to their questions, tell them that you could find it out together, you've been a teacher, after all!
So far as getting a foot in the door is concerned, you have far a greater number of openings than what you could be thinking of. Former college mates, former students, current students, colleagues- in short you're not entirely cut off from opportunities.
I am currently working as an assistant prosecutor. I am in my mid-thirties. During these years, I always wanted to teach but never got the courage and needed a stable income. so I opted for practice. Now, I am financially sound. I still want to give it a try. I don't have two small kids. Can anyone give their experience or advice in this regard? No godfathers to help.
If you want to know whether or not it is possible, short answer is yes.
It is doable, but you need to manage your expectations appropriately. Expectations from your self, and from the profession.
You would be aware that teaching and litigation are complete different playing fields.
There might be slight room for flexibility in teaching, particularly in terms of deadlines. That might not always be the case in litigation.
Litigation is hour-intensive. It is at times physically strenuous. See for example: running around between courts, handling bulky briefs, etc. It is mentally engaging.
Be crystal clear with your own self, in terms of how you want to devote your time to your household and your practice.
You need to team up with your folks so that you all can manage the household in a manner which helps you devote necessary time for your practice.
Seriously vet the firm/ chambers you join. Be frank and open with them as to how much you would be able to offer in terms of your time.
You haven't been completely out of touch with law as a subject, given your teaching experience which is close to a decade. Just start looking at it from a non-academic perspective. Earlier, the only people who would be impacted by your words and actions as a professional would have been your students. Only to the extent of their marks. Now, your actions and words will have a direct bearing on the lives of litigants you come into contact with. The level and nature of responsibility is vastly different.
Be ready to be treated like you know next to nothing, that's how juniors are treated.
Be ready and willing to ask if you don't know something. Persons younger than you are likely to have more experience of the profession, no shame in asking.
Be ready to have juniors ask you something, since in all likelihood, you look your age. If you don't know the answer to their questions, tell them that you could find it out together, you've been a teacher, after all!
So far as getting a foot in the door is concerned, you have far a greater number of openings than what you could be thinking of. Former college mates, former students, current students, colleagues- in short you're not entirely cut off from opportunities.
It is not easy
It is not impossible either
Take a reasoned call
Best wishes