Family law in Sydney is a legal area of practice that involves issues related to familial relationships including adoption, divorce, child custody and responsibility and financial/property settlements. Being a solicitor specializing in family law in Sydney can be a rewarding career. Solicitors help families to settle disputes to do with finances, property and children, and can go home knowing they have helped people settle differences that day. However, the career comes with a strong emotionally charged territory, and there are definitely some situations that can weigh on solicitor’s shoulders.
Whether you are considering practicing family law in Sydney, or are just interested, these are the pros and cons of being a solicitor practicing family law in Sydney.
Pros
The financial rewards are high
Being a solicitor in general, it is expected that the salary is relatively high compared to other careers. Being specialized within a certain practice, such as family law in Sydney, can increase the financial rewards, as you have a special skillset in which clients will come to you for. In addition to this, as your reputation increases, you will have a higher demand and client base, which in turn allows you to reap the increased financial rewards.
Provides a diverse and varying environment – no day is the same!
Practicing family law in Sydney guarantees that you will face unique situations and challenges every day. With every new client comes a new dispute that must be resolved, and often these disputes are emotionally charged. This ensures that every new client will not be the same, and keeps the work and legal process exciting and intellectually challenging. No one day will be the same and it is unlikely you will get bored.
Career satisfaction
People can often time find it hard to find satisfaction in their career, however as a solicitor practicing family law in Sydney, you are the reason for settlement between couples, and will be helping people every day resolve their disputes. This can be very satisfying to know, and finally finishing a long drawn out case can be an amazing feeling. As a result, it is common for solicitors to be satisfied in with their career. In addition to this, you are part of a career that is very well respected by the community. More so, the financial rewards are substantial for a good solicitor, as discussed beforehand.
Cons
Very emotionally charged
A solicitor practicing family law in Sydney will understand that the environment they live in is inherently an emotional one. The disputes to do with this field revolve around two parties that do not agree with each other and are looking to separate. It can be hard to have a tough skin and to take a neutral stance on the situation. Whilst empathy is a good trait, it can get in the way of professionalism when dealing with these types of environments. It is very common to see clients cry, especially when outlining the realities of the legal situation.
It is a stressful job
Practicing family law in Sydney is an emotional environment, and with emotions comes stress. Dealing with two parties who are disagreeing with each other and staying neutral can be very stressful. Furthermore, you have to constantly hear negativity and possibly arguments between the two parties, which is also very stressful to keep the situation calm.
In conclusion, practicing family law in Sydney as a solicitor is a rewarding career which has large financial rewards, and a high rate of career satisfaction. However, it can be a very emotionally charged and stressful environment to be in, and a tough skin must be maintained to adapt to the given environment.
