Whether you’re interested in criminal law, human rights, immigration, taxation, agriculture or medical negligence – to name a few specialisms – there are niche firms to suit your interests.

Niche firms tend to be quite small and make their money and reputation by specialising in either one very specific area of law or several related areas. While some firms are based in London, others will have their headquarters in the regions, particularly where their specialism is most needed.

Niche (or ’boutique’) firms represent a growth area within the legal profession, both now and in the future.

Who are the employers?

While these firms can be large, in no way can they compete in size with the massive City practices. Nor do they want to. What makes them different is their focus on select areas of law rather than offering a full-service practice.

Their professional strength and appeal lie in the extensive expertise of their solicitors, as is the case with London-based corporate, commercial and litigation specialists Forsters. Many niche firms also enjoy a high public profile, particularly technology and media law practices like Olswang, and privacy and reputation firms like Schillings.

Niche firms are very popular with potential solicitors, as they can be seen as a trendy career path to take. However, even though there are numerous firms out there, competition outstrips places, since niche firms tend to take on fewer trainees, ranging from a couple to perhaps ten or slightly more.

Typical work for trainees

Niche firms specialise in one or several diverse types of law including crime, music and entertainment, human rights, shipping, immigration, taxation, private client, intellectual property, agriculture, medical negligence, construction and sports.

For this reason, prospective trainees need to show more than a passing interest in their chosen firm and its legal area. Relevant work experience and knowledge of the particular specialism is vital.

Trainees in niche firms must undergo the same breadth of legal training as in any other firm, as stipulated by the Law Society. Early and high levels of responsibility are the norm, as they assist partners and other senior members on very complex and specialised projects.

Consider working for a niche firm if you…

• have a strong interest in the niche area of practice and want to qualify into it
• want to work in a friendly atmosphere – niche firms tend to be small and relaxed
• want to work for a firm that is are well regarded in its chosen practice area and has a strong reputation.

Think again if you…

• want to keep your options open: training in a niche firm may limit these if you decide not to qualify into the niche area of practice
• think you’ll need a lot of help from staffed support services: the small size of niche firms means that these are not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.