In this article we discuss the challenges Queensland lawyers have in positioning themselves for a career transition. Discover why clarity and moving with strategic intention towards a long-term goal is always going to get a superior outcome compared to reactively aiming for a “better job.”
As Queensland-based legal recruiters placing lawyers across private practice, government and in-house roles, we have one consistent observation: most lawyers don’t struggle because they lack capability. They struggle because they lack clarity.
The Queensland market is competitive. There are numerous available roles across private practice, government and corporate. What there isn’t, in equal supply, is talent that can clearly articulate its value.
Our team regularly meets with strong lawyers who have solid experience, good technical skills and respected firms on their CV. Yet when we talk about a career move, they can’t quite explain what makes them different, where their real strengths lie, or how their background positions them for the role they want next.
Their CV lists matters. They describe tasks. They outline chronology.
But hiring decisions are not based on task lists. They are based on your clearly articulated value.
The Market Is Fluid. Your Career Doesn’t Have to Be Linear.
In the last decade in Queensland, we’ve seen far more fluidity than ever in legal careers:
● Private practice lawyers moving in-house.
● In-house lawyers returning to private practice.
● Government lawyers stepping into corporate roles.
● Commercial litigators using their experience as a stepping stone into construction.
● Senior lawyers recalibrating into more specialist streams.
There is no longer a single, linear path. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Where we often find problems arise is when a move is reactive rather than deliberate.
When lawyers move purely for title, salary or flexibility, misalignment often follows. It might feel like a step up on paper, but if the scope, influence and mandate aren’t there, it won’t deliver long-term progression.
The best career moves are intentional. They build on your strengths, expand your scope and shape your longer-term trajectory.
If you are considering moving, don’t just move away from something. Move toward whatever that ideal role, goal or stepping stone might be.
The Common Thread: It’s Not Capability. It’s Clarity.
At every stage of a legal career, the challenge shifts:
Early career lawyers struggle to gain exposure in a competitive graduate and junior market.
Mid-career lawyers sometimes struggle with differentiation. After several years in private practice, what sets you apart? Is it your specialisation? Client exposure? Technical depth? Industry insight?
Senior lawyers often struggle with trajectory. Where is this leading? Partnership? General Counsel? A sector pivot? A broader mandate?
The common issue across all levels is clarity.
Can you articulate what you are genuinely good at?
Can you describe where you consistently add value?
What kind of problems do people trust you to solve?
One of the most useful exercises our team often suggests to candidates is to undertake a mini skills audit. Go back to your performance reviews. What skills do supervisors consistently praise? What themes show up? What feedback do you get from clients or colleagues?
Sometimes your “superpower” feels mundane to you. Perhaps you are exceptional at managing clients and are only early in your career. Or maybe you thrive in complex contractual negotiations. Or you have an instinctive talent in building trust with executives. Because talent comes naturally, you may not realise how valuable it is.
The market does not reward potential. It rewards clearly articulated value.
Title Is Not Strategy. Scope Is.
In recent months, I’ve spoken with several senior lawyers wrestling with their titles.
An insufficient title for a significant role. Or an inflated title with a lower salary. A “Legal Counsel” title attached to what is effectively a General Counsel mandate. Or conversely, a “General Counsel” title with limited influence and no strategic seat at the table.
Title can matter in a legal career. But title does not determine seniority. Scope does. Influence does. Reporting lines do.
A big title without a mandate is not career progression.
When considering a move, we recommend that you ask:
● Who will I report to?
● What is the scope of responsibility?
● How does this position shape my longer-term positioning?
● What type of business decisions will I influence?
Sometimes part of our roles as specialist legal industry recruiters is educating corporate clients on these distinctions and how they relate to role titles. Sometimes, we find ourselves helping lawyers see beyond the title.
Storytelling Is a Strategic Skill
One of the biggest gaps we often see is in how lawyers present themselves.
Most CVs read like this:
● Acted for…
● Advised on…
● Drafted…
● Assisted…
But hiring decisions are not based on lists of tasks. They are based on narrative.
What problems did you solve? In what environment did you thrive? What patterns show up across your career? Where did you create a measurable impact?
Instead of saying:
“Advised on commercial contracts.”
Consider:
“As Senior Legal Advisor for a multinational expanding into a new market, I led the redesign of their commercial contracting framework, reducing risk exposure and accelerating deal turnaround by 20 percent.”
That is a commercial story. It shows context, challenge, role and impact.
Storytelling is not a soft skill. It is a strategic skill. When you position yourself well, you become the chief storyteller of your own career.
Your LinkedIn profile, your CV and your cover letter should reflect that narrative. Unless you are applying for truly vanilla roles, don’t write a vanilla CV.
Transferable Skills: Often Undersold
Lawyers frequently underestimate the portability of their strengths.
Private practice lawyers often underplay:
● Their commercial exposure.
● Their resilience under pressure.
● Their client management capability.
● Their ability to operate in high-performance environments.
In-house lawyers often underplay:
● Their proximity to executive decision-making.
● Their enterprise risk perspective.
● Their cross-functional influence.
● Their ability to align legal advice with commercial realities.
An in-house lawyer who understands the business’s risk appetite and can bring together sales, operations and executive teams has far more than “stakeholder management” experience. They have strategic influence.
But these strengths are only useful if you can articulate them in language that hiring managers understand.
Technical skills might get you shortlisted. Strategic clarity gets you appointed.
Alignment Is a Two-Way Responsibility
Before you apply for a new role, ask yourself:
Do I genuinely want this role? Does it align with my strengths, life stage and ambitions? Have I researched the firm or organisation properly? Do I understand their client base and culture?
Alignment is not just the employer’s responsibility. It is yours as well.
The in-house market in particular is increasingly competitive. We regularly see three-way competition:
● Private practice lawyers wanting to move in-house.
● In-house lawyers moving laterally.
● In-house lawyers competing for step-up roles.
The “grass is greener” narrative doesn’t always hold. In-house can be just as demanding. Salaries can plateau. Expectations can grow as internal dependencies increase.
Clarity about what you want, and why, is critical.
The Magic Moment
In conversations with candidates, my team often finds that there is often a moment when their eyes light up.
When they talk about client engagement. Or untangling a particularly complex contract. Or navigating a difficult regulatory environment.
It is that moment that tells us something important.
It tells us where their energy is. Where they naturally add value. Where their longer-term narrative might lie.
When we join those dots, positioning becomes easier.
Intentional Careers Win
Our role in recruitment is not just to introduce lawyers to opportunities. It is to help them uncover and refine the commercial narrative in their careers and to help them make strategic and intentional moves.
Sometimes the most valuable advice we give is, “this is not the right role for you”.
Movement for movement’s sake is not strategy. A better job is not necessarily a bigger title or a higher salary. It is a move that aligns capability with opportunity and builds toward a defined end goal.
If you are considering a transition, whether it be private practice to in-house, in-house back to private practice, government to corporate, or into a more specialised stream, start here:
- Understand your value.
- Articulate it clearly.
- Ensure the move aligns with your long-term trajectory.
When you do that, you compete better. You transition better. And you build a career that is intentional, not reactive.
If you are unsure what your next step should be, or how to position yourself effectively in this Queensland market, get in touch. Sometimes clarity is the only missing piece.
Are you looking for your next ideal step in the legal market?
Reach out to find out how my team at Alex Correa Executive can help you build the career you aspire to. Get in touch here.
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