Help with finding work experience for law

For the last week I've been trying to find places where I could apply for work experience for law as a year 12 student who recieves bursary and free skl meals and goes to a state school but I can't find anything apart from virtual work experience could someone help me find a place in London?

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Law is an academic degree. There’s no benefit to your application in having WE - in fact in many cases it can weaken your application if your PS focuses too much on vocational aspects without demonstrating an understanding of and enthusiasm for the course content

If your college are insisting on WE then just find something you think could be interesting or even something completely different to law to try it out.

Reply 2

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by D17Hio

Hi there

it is great to hear that you are looking for work experience at such an early stage in your career, it really demonstrates your interest in law, and I think they are really useful in giving you an insight into legal practice.

Starting to look for work experience early can be really good, and i think it will reflect quite well on your CV and applications for the future. Unfortunately, law is quite a competitive degree and opportunities for both university students & graduates are quite rare, which makes it more challenging to gain in person experience at sixth form. However, that is not to say you shouldn't start looking at an early stage.

It is great to hear that you have identified some online virtual work experiences these are quite useful for an early stage. I have heard that MOOCs online are quite useful, perhaps you could check this out as well.

In terms of securing in person experience, some larger firms may offer opportunities on the websites. This can normally be found under the early careers tabs, however, like I said these are quite hard to get into and are relatively competitive. So please do not get discouraged in you are unable to secure relevant experiences. Alternatively, you may benefit through unsolicited applications. When I was in year 13, I actively researched for firms in the local area, sending my CV and cover letters to different firms. This eventually secured me some volunteering work experience, even though it's just a few hours or days in a week, it could be quite beneficial for your career growth. Normally I target small to medium sized firms, which do not have an early careers tab on their website, in some situations their entry requirements may be lower and this may help you to gain experience. In my experience, I only received one reply after sending 50 emails, so keep trying and you may secure some good opportunities. 😊

Overall, even though you are unable to secure legal work experience, many universities and law firms do appreciate this when they consider your applications. Instead, securing other experiences will give you transferable skills that you can mention when applying for future jobs. I hope this helps.

Good luck
Chloe
University of Kent student Rep