The difference between rural and urban seems a touch out of date nowadays, almost Dickensian.
After all, since every aspect of the world exists online, surely those cherry-cheeked scamps are as likely to be trying to catch a Pokémon as scrumping apples?
But Dickensian is a good adjective to apply to the world of law, with its wiggery and archaic language.
So here, at least, the divide between town and country is still well defined.
And, if you thought the law is the law regardless of how many hedgerows you can see from your window, that’s missing the major benefits of working as rural lawyer.
In fact, if you’re more country dweller than city slicker, a rural legal practice is a sure bet for a thriving and lucrative career.
For a start, a countryside firm is less regimented and usually has fewer departments, which means a lawyer has to be capable of multi-tasking.
Being a master of all trades is also necessary for the simple reason there won’t be enough family disputes, landlord/tenant, or criminal work for you to specialise to the degree a busy urban practice lawyer would be able to.
There are also legal idiosyncrasies that pop up constantly in rural property law that would have even an experienced expert in an urban practice scratching their head and reaching in despair for the Websters.
Consider coal reports, right to roam laws and how they apply in the case of boundary disputes, grandfathering in boundary changes in an area where no-one has moved away in centuries, yet all have long memories for grievances and family feuds.
All of these areas can be bamboozling for the urban lawyer but bread and butter to those dealing daily with law in a rural landscape.
Better still, there are many opportunities to enhance your reputation and advance your career – there are well-established names who operate solely and on a grand scale in the agriculture sector.
This can involve advising farms and estates in a wide variety of projects and areas, including land reform and new developments in the Common Agricultural Policy.
There are also opportunities in the emerging renewable energy sector, working with wind farms and local residents.
If the idea of life in the country sounds appealing, keep a weather eye on all the best Legal vacancies on s1jobs.