However, the pandemic has affected an array of different practice areas with some facing disruption and uncertainty. It is understood some practices areas dried up completely during the pandemic whilst others thrived.

Progressive Legal principal Ian Aldridge had told Lawyers Weekly that he had to pivot and broaden practice areas and varied service offering to navigate through the pandemic hit.

Is it more logical to now create a broader practice and cast a wider net and appeal to the market segments at times of uncertainty? 

Maryanne Atalla, principal solicitor at MGA Law, said that there are now challenges to the approach and for those considering starting out a new firm, they should think twice and consider their target market carefully and whether it may become limited due to uncertainty.

“If the market changes in that area of law or if there are significant legislative changes to the area, there is the potential risk to the viability and cash flow of a firm,” Ms Atalla said.

“Over the last couple of decades, we have seen the impact of various changes on law firms and various practice areas.”

Cara Austen founder and principal lawyer at Twine Business & Law said that lawyers starting out may need to focus on their strengths but they also must start predicting what direction the firm should take with a future in mind. 

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“I spent over 10 years in-house prior to starting my own firm. I’m a general commercial lawyer, so I can deal with a wide variety of legal issues and industries. This means focusing has been really challenging for me,” Ms Austen said.

“The main issue when I started was that I was scared I wouldn’t get enough work in, so I bent my own rules about focusing. It was financially sensible at the time, but it did mean I wasn’t growing my own expertise in the industry I want to focus on.”

As a result, lawyers starting out should be definitive when choosing a single practice area and weigh in on unknown factors that could come in times such as a pandemic.

However, Ms Atalla reaffirmed that lawyers starting out new firms ultimately should still consider a single area to specialise in.

“By specialising in a particular area of law it may be easier for a firm to build a reputation in that area and become a leader in that area compared with trying to build a reputation across various areas of law,” she said.

“Clients may be more confident in your expertise if you specialise in one area of law. From a branding and marketing perspective it may be easier to market a firm specialising in one area of law.

"It can be tempting when starting out your practice to branch across different areas of law, particularly when acting for a client with different needs.”

Although starting out broadly, Ms Austen said that she has been running her own firm for just over a year and has seen her firm has become even more focused. 

“For lawyers starting out, firstly, focusing is simply a practical measure,” she said.

“Secondly, when you focus you can ensure you get a good reputation for doing that thing because you do it so well.”