Looking to take the next step in your career but not sure how to make it happen? The LIV Young Lawyers Professional Development Committee asked former lawyer and Burgess Paluch Legal Recruitment consultant Thomas Hobbs about which practice areas are in demand and how young lawyers can gain a competitive edge and make themselves stand out. YL: In private practice, which areas are in high demand? TH: This really varies. In Melbourne, lawyers with two to six years post-admission experience exclusively in commercial property, commercial litigation/insolvency, commercial, corporate/M&A, construction or insurance law have been in strong demand over the past 12 months. There’s also been some demand for family, tax, superannuation, immigration, employment, IT, IP and wills & estates lawyers over this period, but it has been patchy.