Quitting my Law Training Contract during my First Seat - Help!

Commercial/city law firms have an incredibly toxic culture where people will happily throw you under the bus to get a promotion. The long hours and very corporate nature of city firms is not for everyone. But not all of the legal sector is like that. Regional firms and boutique law firms have a far friendlier culture compared to large city firms. Maybe go for a boutique law firm in the area of law you are interested in. Then you won’t have to go through seats you hate. You could also do some outreach like work. I know someone who works in criminal law for a charity that supports victims of sexual assault and rape. The pay is a lot less than city law firms but in return you feel like you are helping people rather than simply making money for a business.

Plus, you are less likely to meet toxic colleagues in these environments because most people in these charity sectors are passionate about the cause.

are you a partner at one of these firms ...? or rather a student who's talking based on their viewing of Suits? (suspect the latter)

I do find it hilarious when people divide firms on the basis of commercial/west end/regional/boutique. such a childish delineation

lawyers don't get 'promotions' until several years PQE

senior associates everywhere will be like sharks in a tank... partnership isn't less valuable because you 'only' stand to make partner at BLM instead of Allen & Overy... a 10-15 PQE everywhere will be salivating at the prospect of the sweet equity

charity law is practised by plenty of large firms that also have commercial practices (Farrers, Withers) ... you don't need to be a saint to represent a charity

as a paralegal i worked with teams that only had a couple associates on the deal. even if associates are like sharks, they are not really given the opportunity to interact with their direct competition in the same department or even team - each probably has a partner with whom they're especially close and who will champion them if they get on well.. it's just how the hierarchy works

the idea that a 'friendly' culture can be generalised across a firm is obviously very silly - firms are made up of people, different people have different personalities, the type of firm you work for and the messages from management can only determine the 'culture' so far

No I am not a student and I have never seen an episode of Suits in my life. I have worked in further education for two years, worked as a careers advisor to students interested in law and volunteered as a legal secretary with a ngo whilst studying for my legal secretaries diploma. I’ve also received career coaching from a coach who worked as a recruiter for top city law firms as well. I think it’s more childish to resort to ad hominem attacks and make assumptions about people you know nothing about. Quite worrying for someone working in the legal sector. One of the most important qualities for anyone wanting to work in law is to not be judgemental and actually listen to others.

The user was expressing that they were currently unhappy with their training contract and wanted to leave the legal sector completely. I was simply offering what I hoped was comforting advice in that the user doesn’t have to leave the legal sector completely and can still find a workplace that they will feel happy in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big commercial city law firm was all I was saying.

Rather than making snide comments to me you could have given the user some helpful advice. I hope you don’t display this snobby attitude to clients.

Honestly, what I'm hearing is 'I'm not a paralegal, trainee or associate and I'm coming with things out of my arse'. Also may the Lord help us if you're the one giving people advice! No wonder why students go into university so uninformed (my sixth form careers advisor was equally bad if it helps)

My post gave the OP more actual inside information from someone who worked at the lowest level of an actual big law firm than most of the other posts on this thread. You seem to conflate being called out on factual inaccuracies with someone being judgmental against you... not the same

OP's made their decision, the user you replied to doesn't need to be told that 'some law firms will be better' if they get butterflies every time their inbox notifs flare up... they might need some counselling or a sit-down with family or friends

Perhaps this is flogging a dead horse, but personally I would view a decent legal secretary as having a more senior and valuable role than a paralegal in your average city law firm.

For the record:
- TheMandalorian is completely correct to point out that mid-size and boutique city law firms tend to have a much friendlier culture than some of the largest city law firms. A lot of associates move from the very large firms to that sort of firm for exactly that reason.

- A number of the large city law firms and some of the US firms do have a toxic macho / old boys' club culture in certain departments, and a very toxic attitude to work/life balance. Not all firms have this, and in larger firms it will vary massively from department to department.

- Traditionally, most firms gave people titles like "Senior Associate" automatically when you reached a certain PQE. These days a lot of firms, including some of the Magic Circle, are trying to make a bit more of a song and dance about it, and treating it as a bit more of a promotion process, where not everybody necessarily gets promoted at the same time. Likewise a lot of the larger firms have moved away from a pure lockstep/PQE model of compensating their associates towards a more discretionary model.

are you a partner at one of these firms ...? or rather a student who's talking based on their viewing of Suits? (suspect the latter)

I do find it hilarious when people divide firms on the basis of commercial/west end/regional/boutique. such a childish delineation

lawyers don't get 'promotions' until several years PQE

senior associates everywhere will be like sharks in a tank... partnership isn't less valuable because you 'only' stand to make partner at BLM instead of Allen & Overy... a 10-15 PQE everywhere will be salivating at the prospect of the sweet equity

charity law is practised by plenty of large firms that also have commercial practices (Farrers, Withers) ... you don't need to be a saint to represent a charity

as a paralegal i worked with teams that only had a couple associates on the deal. even if associates are like sharks, they are not really given the opportunity to interact with their direct competition in the same department or even team - each probably has a partner with whom they're especially close and who will champion them if they get on well.. it's just how the hierarchy works

the idea that a 'friendly' culture can be generalised across a firm is obviously very silly - firms are made up of people, different people have different personalities, the type of firm you work for and the messages from management can only determine the 'culture' so far

I agree. Regional firms, from my friends' experiences, have the same potential as being just as bad as City firms. Toxic traits can also fluctuate between departments as you have rightly pointed out.

I will also say to any students reading this, don't let your university peers pressure you into applying for top law firms. There is a lot of snobbery and pretentiousness around who gets TCs at "bigger firms". The only friend I know who is happy in his job is at a small high street firm, and is also one of the few I know who is being kept on as an NQT.

What did you decide to do in the end?

I left. A lot of people I know who have just finished their TCs aren't being kept on either due to the current economic conditions, so I feel happy in my decision. Much happier and I do not miss legal practice whatsoever.

Hi there, OP here

Definitely try your second seat. That's what I did. I actually enjoyed my second seat until I left, but that was basically because my mind was already made up beyond the point of no return, and I didn't want a career in law whatsoever anymore. But you will gain experience and skills from your second seat even if you do decide to leave

I didn't have to repay any of my LPC contributions, which was a big factor in me leaving! I think if I did have to repay, I'm not sure what I what have done, although I won't go down hypothetical routes. Let us all know how you're doing in your new seat

Hi,

It has been over a year now. I was wondering if you have moved to another firm.I really hate my training at a snall law firm as my supervisor yells at me and speaks loudly infront of everyone. I hate it and I will confront him one day. I am not tolerating his rude behaviour towards me. I really wish i didnt do law as the pay isnt even so competitive as a trainee plus the work that I have to do. I really hate it and my supervisor leaves everything to the last minute. I am thinking of working until I move abroad by the end of the year. Thats it for me! It is very stressful and horrific. Escp when you around toxic people and team members who try and get on to your nerves.

I knew someone in a similar position who wanted to quit their TC in their first seat because the team was awful. They stayed for their seat rotation and found that the new department was 100x nicer and actually liked it, finished their TC and qualified.

I think you should just grit your teeth and get on with it until your next seat. If it’s still unbearably ****, then think about whether you should leave

Hey. Unsure whether this question was for me (I'm the OP) but I quit law and never went back. Rarely think of the profession anymore.

Yeah, pay is bad considering the hours, sacrifice and stress. Brighter things are waiting for you in the future <3