With the possibility of redundancies looming, Stuart Burrows provides a step-by-step guide to maximising your skills and making yourself indispensible, both in your current field and beyond

As the effects of the economic slowdown take their toll on all aspects of UK industry, an increasingly negative atmosphere has begun to pervade the legal workplace. In a lot of firms, staff may well feel insecure about their position and feel the need to show their skills to the best of their ability, in order to become indispensable to the business and avoid possible threat of redundancy.

Here are some simple but effective ways of making the most of your role and ensuring you stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive market.

Be proactive within your firm

If, like many workers, you are feeling worried about your future, be proactive and talk to people in your firm about potential career options. There may well be opportunities that you were totally unaware of where your skills can be put to good use. It is crucial to speak with your human resources department to gauge the possibilities before you are facing the threat of redundancy or you have become unfocused and fed up in your current role.

Your employer will not only look positively on a proactive attitude, but it could also lead to being redeployed in a new area of the business you had previously not considered. It is happening more frequently in this market.

General attitude can be very important. Lend help around the office wherever you can and express willingness to take on extra responsibilities – this is key to cementing a positive perception in your firm.

Diversify your skills

If your speciality has been affected by the downturn, then you might want to consider diversifying. This could involve moving into an area that has a natural crossover and which incorporates similar skills. For example, a structured finance lawyer will have picked up the necessary skills to switch relatively easily into funds. Alternatively, it could mean becoming more of a generalist, allowing you to contribute to a wide array of challenges within the business and further helping your prospects.

The benefits of retraining need to be weighed against the downside for each individual. On the one hand, it can help you get noticed by senior management and open new doors. On the other, it could involve a drop in salary or seniority, depending on your circumstances, and for the vast majority, this is neither practical nor appealing.

Go on secondment

Secondments are a perfect tool to gain greater understanding of, and exposure to, wider business and commercial issues. Whether you are thinking about going in-house for the long-term or not, exposure to in-house work will ensure you develop product knowledge, along with business development skills. It will help you understand the skills needed to succeed in different environments.

You are also more likely to improve your networking skills as you will deal with your in-house counterparts as well as feeding back to partners in your law firm. Widening your book of contacts in this way can only ever help your future career prospects.

Look outside London

Much media attention is devoted to London as the thriving hub of the legal market in the UK. While this is to a large extent true, it can pay to ensure your horizons are set wider than the limits of the capital.

Other areas across the UK continue to hold exciting opportunities for legal professionals in a diverse range of fields. Don't be closed off to overseas opportunities either. The economies of the Middle East (Dubai in particular) and Asia have, until recently, been far more buoyant than the UK and although not at the same level as six months ago, there is still some recruitment activity. Lawyers with financial services, banking, litigation, project finance or corporate experience could benefit from working in such a market for the next few years and should be open to roles in these areas. It goes without saying that working in these areas can also prove financially beneficial, with favourable tax regimes or even tax free benefits in some countries.

Learn a language

While learning a language may seem a very long-term solution, it shows a determination to embrace other areas of the business. Although opportunities abroad are less common than 12 months ago, those with the relevant language skills are far more likely to succeed.

Freelance

We are hearing of a small number of residential property professionals who are offering their services on a freelance/contractor basis – whereby they are given office space, but no basic salary and earn a commission on what they bring in. It is a potentially risky option and to date we have only heard of this happening in exceptional circumstances, but it may work well for lawyers with property experience who are struggling to find work in the current climate and are particularly resourceful and good at business development.

Networking

Now is the time to hone your networking skills. This has not traditionally been an area where lawyers have excelled, but if you can forge strong relationships with clients and develop new business, then you will always be highly regarded by employers.

As workloads decrease, there is much more opportunity and time to get out and meet clients face to face.

Sell yourself!

If you are looking for a new job, your CV needs to become a career tool you can rely on. Competition for jobs is high in the current climate, and you need to ensure that your CV is capable of beating the competition.

Stuart Burrows is a senior manager, legal at Badenoch & Clark.