For many mid‑career, and even early-career solicitors (especially those on an uncertain partner track) consultancy has shifted from a fringe idea to a mainstream career option. Fee‑share and platform firms now account for a growing slice of the market, yet deciding to leave a traditional firm is only half the story.
The quality of your exit – financially, relationally and reputationally – will shape your first years as a consultant more than almost any other factor. Before you even think about notice, you need to answer a blunt question: is consultancy actually the right move for your life and practice, or are you simply running away from a bad role?
Start by interrogating your motivations. List what you want more of (control over time, say in which clients you act for, transparency over fees) and what you want less of (commuting, politics, rigid billing targets). Then test those against the reality of consultancy, not just the brochure version. In a fee‑share environment you gain flexibility, but you also become responsible for generating work, managing your own finances and dealing with lumpy income.
Next, consider fit. Do you have (or can you realistically build) a portable client base? Are you comfortable with more visible business development, including being active on LinkedIn and nurturing referrers? Could you live with a few lean months while your pipeline builds?
If, after this reflection, consultancy still aligns with your goals, the final pre‑exit question is about timing. Major life events – a house move, a divorce, the arrival of a new child – can absorb enormous emotional and financial bandwidth. That does not mean you must wait for a mythical “perfect” moment, but it does mean you should be honest about how much change you can handle at once. In some cases, the right answer is to spend 6–12 months deliberately strengthening your client base, savings and profile while still employed, so that when you do step out, you are doing so from a position of strength rather than exhaustion.
Once you are confident that consultancy is the right destination, the next challenge is getting from here to there in one piece. That means treating your transition like a client matter: with a clear strategy, timelines, risk assessment and contingency plans. Start with the numbers. How much do you actually need to earn, after tax and costs, to cover your household expenses and reasonable savings? What do your last 6–12 months of billings look like, and how much of that work could realistically follow you?
With a realistic earnings range in mind, build a 6–12‑month personal cashflow plan. Aim to have at least three months’ essential expenses in an accessible buffer before you resign, more if you are the main earner. If that number feels unachievable in the short term, it may be a sign to lengthen your runway rather than gamble on instant success. In parallel, map your current client base. Which relationships are genuinely yours, and which are primarily owned by the firm or a particular partner? Which clients would you want to take with you in an ideal world – and are you contractually permitted to approach them? Your contract and any partner agreement may contain post‑termination restrictions covering non‑solicitation, non‑dealing and non‑compete obligations.
Next, decide whether you are heading for a fee‑share platform or your own regulated entity. For many, joining a consultant‑focused firm under a fee‑share model is the first step. These structures reduce regulatory and PI burden while still giving you autonomy over clients, pricing and hours. If you are set on running your own SRA‑authorised firm, factor in the additional time and capital needed for authorisation, professional indemnity insurance and systems.
The hardest part of leaving is often not the business case but the emotions: guilt about your team, anxiety about money, fear of regretting the move. A structured final 90‑day plan can give you something solid to hold onto while those feelings ebb and flow. Once your offer from a consultancy platform or your own regulatory approvals are in place – and you have taken advice on notice, covenants and bonus or equity entitlements – you are ready to resign.
Keep the initial conversation with your firm short, factual and calm. You do not need to litigate every frustration; you simply need to give clear notice and confirm that you will support a smooth handover. Guides aimed at employers on managing leavers often stress the benefits of professionalism on both sides; the same is true for you. Even if you never work there again, partners and colleagues may be important referrers in your new life.
During your notice period, treat your file‑handovers as if you were your own COLP. Make sure attendance notes are up to date, critical deadlines are flagged, and key documents are easy to find. This is partly ethics – your clients deserve continuity – and partly self‑protection. A clean, well‑documented handover reduces the scope for later complaints about what happened on “your” matters.
Where your restrictions allow, get in touch with long‑standing contacts to say that you will shortly be practising in a different way, emphasising continuity of personal relationship and clarity about how conflicts will be handled.
Your first 90 days in consultancy should balance fee‑earning with foundation‑building. Carve out regular time to learn your new platform’s systems, refine your pricing, and build a simple client‑pipeline tracker so you can see at a glance who you need to follow up with.
Drawing on business‑development frameworks aimed at independent lawyers – for example, the Law Society’s guidance on building a client base for small firms and consultants – pick a small number of high‑leverage habits you can maintain even in busy weeks.
A fortnightly LinkedIn post, one networking conversation and one focused hour on pipeline review will often do more for you than sporadic bursts of activity. Most importantly, give yourself permission for the transition to feel strange. You are swapping a decades‑old identity – “partner at X” – for something more entrepreneurial. Surround yourself with peers who have made a similar move, whether within Mezzle’s community or via other consultant platforms.
Their stories are a reminder that you are not the first to walk out of a City office into a brighter, self‑designed practice – and that with planning, you can do it without burning bridges behind you.