Why join our Reconnect Programme?
Have you taken a break from law to care for a loved one, learn new skills or to start a new business? Perhaps you fell out of love with law but now you are missing the intellectual challenges and purpose that first attracted you to your career? With us, you'll be supported back into legal work on our Reconnect Programme.
Life changes
Leaving the legal industry to try something new or take time out doesn’t need to mean the end of your legal career. Perhaps you previously qualified as a solicitor or stepped away from your Senior Associate role for a while, whatever your situation our Reconnect programme will support you in returning to the legal profession. At DAC Beachcroft the door to return is always open.
We know your time away from law, no matter how spent, was not time wasted - we recognise you will have gained life experience and insights which make you a well rounded individual and see the value in bringing those attributes into the workplace. Coming back into the legal sector might feel like a challenge but at DACB we proactively champion those looking to return to the law.
We understand that returning to law may feel daunting and you may have concerns about being able to "pick back up" from your previous role. The Reconnect scheme is there to support you through those early weeks. We’ve learnt from the experiences of past returners and through our partnership with Career Returners to provide a bespoke programme tailored to the specific needs of individual returners.
Join Reconnect, and you will receive the kind of support, collaborative culture and mentoring you’d expect to support you in returning, enabling you to ultimately deliver high quality, bespoke work for our clients and achieve everything you want to in your career. This is a life that works.
How Reconnect works
As a broad-based commercial firm we are offering routes back into law via six month paid returnships across a large number of our teams, such as insurance and commercial litigation, corporate and commercial, healthcare regulatory and employment teams. On application we consider each candidate's past experience and transferable skills against gaps in our current teams. We may have a current vacancy or we may look to match you based on the team's future resource needs.
You will earn a competitive salary and receive mentoring support from Reconnect Alumni, as well as coaching from Career Returners. You won’t be thrown in at the deep end; your hiring manager will understand your strengths and the areas where you’ll need help. We are a supportive Firm determined to harness the unique skills of returners.
In terms of what we look for you will need to have qualified and practised as a lawyer for our legal vacancies as well as having an interest in your chosen area. You will also need to have IT skills including Microsoft Word and email.
What’s in it for you?
Opportunities that welcome your knowledge.
Support that will bring out your strengths.
We are fully committed to our Reconnect programme, the only in-house scheme of its kind in the legal market. Joining the Reconnect programme is joining a business that already understands and values your experience. You will be recognised for what you bring to the team, in a supportive environment and be provided with challenges in your development. We offer a range of support to help you feel comfortable in your new role. You will be allocated a buddy in your team for any day to day questions, a back to work mentor who has experienced returning to DACB after a break and we also have our returner network.
We recognise that returning can be a challenge so in addition to the internal support DACB is partnering with Career Returners, the return-to-work experts, for our Reconnect Programme. Career Returners will provide successful candidates with their Career Returner Coaching Programme, an insight-led, four stage programme specifically tailored for returning professionals, to address the practical and psychological challenges on re-entering the workforce. The coaching is delivered at key points during your time on the programme to support and ease your transition back to work. You may have 1:1 returner coaching or if you start alongside a fellow returner, you’ll be in a pair or mini cohort. At DACB we recognise how important it is to provide a supported and structured route back to work.
FAQs
A list of common questions we get asked. Click the link below to view.
Reconnect: A life that works as you return to law
Support from the Business for Returners
Rewards and benefits
- Prepare to step out of your comfort zone. No-one can deny that re-joining the workplace after an extended leave is a scary prospect, but it’s also an exciting one. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and you never know what might happen. What have you got to lose?
- Shape the narrative of your career break. There are as many career break stories as there are returners, and you are the only person who can tell yours. Think about all the skills you have built up in your time off work, and how they can strengthen your application. Don’t make excuses for your career break or try to hide it; it could end up being your biggest asset!
- Refresh your professional knowledge or skills. There are lots of free online courses available which means you can easily refresh your skills ready for your return (see here for ideas). Reading or listening to a podcast is a terrific way to build up your knowledge! Making time to do this can help with increasing your confidence too.
- Prepare and Practise. When it comes to interviews it’s natural to feel nervous, particularly if it has been a while since your last one. Preparation and practice will be hugely beneficial. Craft your introduction, write down your strengths, mock-up a list of questions you might get asked and prepare answers. Practice saying them in front of a mirror, so your answers become fluid and natural. Interviewing is 2-way, come prepared with questions to find out if this is the right role for you.
- And finally, don’t give up! It’s easy to lose confidence and feel demotivated if your return to work is taking longer than expected to find the right opportunity. Do be persistent, be proactive and remain positive. It will happen and when it does, you’ll be glad you kept going. Read our success stories to keep you motivated!
Life as a returner
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Joining as part of the Reconnect Programme means everybody wins. We get the benefit of your experience in law and life, and you get the support of our mentorship and external training programmes. You'll also participate in challenging and interesting work, to help our clients succeed. You'll be collaborating with experts in your field, in a supportive atmosphere where you'll build relationships, not just cases. |
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”We have had 2 successful Reconnect candidates join our Clinical Risk Team in Winchester in the last 12 months and they have both been fantastic additions to our team. One had only a relative short break from the law, 2 years, another, a very long break of over 15 years. Both have fully embraced the opportunity that the Reconnect Programme has offered them to reignite their passion for the law and the enjoyment they experienced from their earlier legal career and we have seen them grow in confidence as they realise their experience and talent is still relevant. For us, what they bring to the team is a diverse perspective and a real enthusiasm to collaborate in delivering the best for the team and our clients and I am delighted that the Reconnect Programme has enabled returners to the law to meaningfully re-engage with the profession and put their talents to good use. Those kinds of opportunities are hard to find, not just in the legal profession, and I am proud that, as a firm, we are able to provide the support through the Programme that makes this a reality."
Heather Durston-Hillyer, Partner
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”We think that it is true to say that the essential skills that you learn as a young lawyer in a good firm remain with you, certainly in our field, litigation. That is what we banked on when hiring Vicky, and we were proven right. There is naturally a period of bedding in, relearning those skills , or rather remembering them and self-confidence is one of the biggest hurdles to get over for the returning lawyer. However, after 6 months behind a DACB desk, the confidence and ability has returned and she is now a key senior member of a team on one our larger and more challenging cases. We are lucky to have her and will look after her.”
John Bramhall, Partner
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”The time I save by not having to travel those days mean I can see my children off to school, making sure they’re packed and ready, and helping them with any last minute preparations they need for their day. To me this is invaluable and one of the best advantages of working from home. Then, when everyone’s left the house and I log on, I have the ideal working environment. Peace and quiet, with no interruptions or distractions. I’m fully connected to the network with tools like Skype messenger that allow me to stay connected to the team. I have access to the helpdesk too – but I rarely have any issues. It’s brilliant to have this level of flexibility.”
Emma-Jane Orchard, Senior MI Analyst
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”I returned to legal practice after a five-year break. I had advice from recruiters that this would be difficult, if not impossible so I was thrilled to join DAC Beachcroft through a returners programme. I have received so much support from my team and from the firm as a whole. I have been put in touch with other returners and mentors. Here I am valued on my competencies and abilities, rather than my time away being a barrier to progression. The fact that the firm chose to work with Women Returners on a UK returner programme supporting people to come back into law through supported hires is testament to how committed and supportive the culture truly is.”
Caroline Dean, Senior Associate
Support for returners
Sounds good? Then we would love to hear from you.
Applying is easy and there are two routes to application:
- Apply to our specific Reconnect vacancy. If we don’t have a current vacancy that catches your eye then please feel free to apply to our specific Reconnect vacancy.
- You can apply for a one of our current vacancies. If we have a current role advertised that looks of interest then please apply online with a brief covering letter and put “Reconnect” as your source of application when asked by our online system. All of our current vacancies can be found at apply.dacbeachcroft.com.
We recruit all year round and we’ll review your CV when we receive it, but we can’t guarantee we’ll have something for you straightaway. If we think we might, we’ll be in touch.
We appreciate you may have other questions before you apply. If so please contact our Recruitment team at recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com with Reconnect in the subject box and one of our team will be in touch.
Locations
We offer one of the most comprehensive legal networks in the UK, with 11 offices across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
We have a strong presence globally too, with offices, associations and alliances everywhere from Malaysia to Mexico, Argentina to the Asia-Pacific.
