How do I assess my fitness to become a Specialist?
This is a very difficult issue and the Professional Practice Department who operate the Specialist Accreditation regime receive regular calls on this. We would not wish to discourage anyone from applying for Accreditation but clearly in a perfect world we would encourage applicants with the right level of qualifications and experience and avoid applicants applying a year or two before they are actually ready. If you are in any doubt, please feel free to contact the Department for guidance but you might find it helpful to ask yourself the following questions:
All modesty aside, do I feel that I have the knowledge and experience in this area of the Law to be regarded as capable beyond the ordinary?
Do my colleagues in the firm regard me as extra knowledgeable in this area and do they seek out my advice and guidance with problem cases?
Do colleagues in other firms and/or practising in other disciplines regard me as extra knowledgeable in this area and do they seek out my advice and guidance with problem cases?
Do I present in-house or external seminars on this area of law?
Have I written items on this area of law for in-house distribution, a web site, newspapers or legal publications?
Is much of my caseload complex and unusual as opposed to run-of-the-mill standard matters?
Do I work autonomously as opposed to being a junior member of a larger team?
If the answer to all of the above is no then you probably need more experience before applying. If you can answer three of these questions in the affirmative, it may be worth preparing an application for submission. If you can answer all in the affirmative, you should certainly consider applying.
As a final tip, you should have a trusted colleague review your Application for you and give a frank analysis of whether that they feel it adequately makes your case. It is often worth taking another year or so to flesh out the balance of your skills before making an application if in doubt.
