What is the least stressful type of law to practice?

Jul 09, 2021

Written By Helena Kudiabor

If you are interested in becoming a solicitor, you may feel disheartened by the stories of late nights and weekend work many lawyers must undergo. However, there are many sectors of law which are less stressful:

Real estate law

Real estate lawyers negotiate the buying and selling of property, renting agreements, and resolve disputes about who owns what land. The work can be incredibly varied: from the acquisition of a large shop in Central London to working out land rights for cottages in the countryside. Rigid deadlines are rare, meaning you can have more flexibility as to what time you finish work and how many hours you spend in the office.

Intellectual property law

Intellectual property law (IP) ensures brands and logos are protected from plagiarism. If a business wants their own logo or to trademark certain phrases, they will work with intellectual property lawyers to negotiate a license. Inventors also work with IP lawyers to secure a patent, meaning no one else can use their design idea. If a business feels like their trademark or design has been infringed upon, IP lawyers will work with the business to find a solution.

This sector has been in demand recently, as many technological and pharmaceutical companies work a lot with IP lawyers to ensure their products are protected. Despite this, there are not as many late nights and extremely busy periods as the corporate and commercial sectors.

High Street family law

Family lawyers tend to deal with people who are dealing with divorce, and how they wish to divide up their assets and sort out child custody. Many also deal with other issues such as adoption. High street firms tend to be smaller than their city-based counterparts, with fewer employees. Given their convenient location, they are specifically designed for someone to walk in off the street and ask for advice.

Their small size means there will be less work for lawyers to complete and fewer deadlines, so workers will feel less overwhelmed and stressed. One thing to consider is that individuals who seek advice from family lawyers will be going through a very stressful time in their lives, and lawyers may struggle with the emotional impact of cases.

Government lawyers

Government lawyers provide members of government departments with legal advice surrounding issues like environment, discrimination and taxes. The large variety of work means it is difficult to get bored, so working long hours won’t feel too monotonous. Furthermore, seeing your work make a difference to the public can be very rewarding. Many lawyers describe their work as stressful due to high demands from clients; however government work tends to be more flexible.

Working In-House

As opposed to private practice, in-house lawyers work for a specific organisation and provide them with legal advice. The type of work varies: from legal work specific to the business (breaches of privacy and defamation if it’s for a broadcasting company) to general work such as employment and tax law. As you are only working for one business, there are less demands from the client and less rigid deadlines, as well as a more intimate feel as legal teams tend to be smaller.

If having a work-life balance is important to you, there are still a variety of different sectors available for you to choose from. Although large, corporate firms in the City tend to be more popular among students, it’s important to choose what type of firm best suits your needs.

Becoming a Lawyer