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Finding it hard to get work experience for law

Hey. I'm new here, but I just wanted to get some advice. I do a non-law degree, but want to do a conversion course at the end of it. However, I've applied to loads of solicitors, courts, barristers chambers etc, and been rejected from all of them apart from one courtroom, where I'll be doing work experience in January. How do I progress from here? Do I just keep writing to firms? How much experience do I need to get before my conversion course? Thanks.

Reply 1

superdillon

7

I wouldn't be too stressed about not getting any work placements at this stage.
How do you progress from here? Well I would certainly do that courtroom placement which could be quite interesting, do you know exactly what you will be doing?
I wouldn't right to many more firms if they are all saying the same thing and absolutely not offering you any places if on the other hand they are asking you to apply at a later stage or are saying that they will keep your record on file, then there is some opportunity for success.

In the long term you should bear in mind that when you are in the third year of your non-law degree (which presumably isn't now), then you will be able to apply for vacation placements at most city firms. Providing that you submit a decent enough application and do well in any other tests that the firm may have, you should be more successful in gaining a place. Besides which this kind of placement is likely to be better in terms of what you will get to see and/or do.

Reply 2

puppy

Quite a few firms will take non-law students in their penultimate year of their degree. What kind of law do you want to do when you finish uni? Are you getting work experience to help you decide or just going for anything to put on your CV?

Deciding between being a barrister, commercial lawyer etc. might give you some focus so perhaps it's worthwhile doing some reading around to start with- putting some serious thoughts into these different areas will probably strengthen your applications to these places because it shows you're serious about it.

Have you looked into work with the probation service at all? Might be another slant on things that might interest you.

Are you sending speculative applications or going through 'offical' schemes? Perhaps it's also worthwhile sprucing up your CV and covering letter. Go to your uni careers service and get some help and information, they'll be able to help you with all aspects of your career.

Reply 3

superdillon

7

puppy

Quite a few firms will take non-law students in their penultimate year of their degree. What kind of law do you want to do when you finish uni? Are you getting work experience to help you decide or just going for anything to put on your CV?

Deciding between being a barrister, commercial lawyer etc. might give you some focus so perhaps it's worthwhile doing some reading around to start with- putting some serious thoughts into these different areas will probably strengthen your applications to these places because it shows you're serious about it.

Have you looked into work with the probation service at all? Might be another slant on things that might interest you.

Are you sending speculative applications or going through 'offical' schemes? Perhaps it's also worthwhile sprucing up your CV and covering letter. Go to your uni careers service and get some help and information, they'll be able to help you with all aspects of your career.

The main problem is that he is sending speculative applications because the 'official' schemes aren't open to him yet.
Any type of career service anywhere is rubbish. Careers advisers fulfill a thoroughly unimportant role in life. You the applicant should know best what it is that you need and if you need any more information then there is plenty available- Law career presentations etc.

Also if the OP is looking for general work experience within the law to see what it is like then he should definitely apply to courts directly. They usually respond fast and offer some sort of experience for a decent length of time. I don't really know if it is all that interesting though, just that it is available.

I agree that researching the place to where you are applying is likely to make you a more serious applicant but thats something that you will have to do anyway when you apply for the 'official' placements. I don't think that you can do the same thing to the same effect in a non-official application.

Reply 4

Stikks

OP

Should I be applying for Easter placements this year, or wait until next year (my final year of non-law)? I can't do any summer placements this year because I won't be in the country, but I could do some next summer.

Reply 5

superdillon

7

As puppy mentioned there are some City firms that offer vacation placements to non-law students in their second year. There are very few however. The only one I can think of, and this may be wrong, is Allen & Overy.

Reply 6

Lewisy-boy

11

There was another thread which listed more than I thought, think were maybe 7?

Reply 7

Stikks

OP

Ok, well I think I'll do my court experience and concentrate on getting a first this year, and then apply for more formal schemes next year when I apply for my CPE and stuff too.

Reply 8

puppy

superdillon

As puppy mentioned there are some City firms that offer vacation placements to non-law students in their second year. There are very few however. The only one I can think of, and this may be wrong, is Allen & Overy.

Well I applied to 7 places and those are by no means all of them:

A&O
Freshfields
Slaughter and May
Baker and McKenzie
Pinsent Masons
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Jones Day

Some are Easter schemes, some are in the summer, but they all take penultimate non-law students.

If you want Easter work this year you need to get on it right now because deadlines are between 5th and 30th January for most places and they usually fill up before the deadline. I believe Slaughters, Freshfields and Jones Day all offer Easter placements to penultimate year non-lawyers (for Jones Day that is the only time they'll take you, the others offer them as preferences).

Reply 9

dragon_1706

superdillon

Any type of career service anywhere is rubbish. Careers advisers fulfill a thoroughly unimportant role in life. You the applicant should know best what it is that you need and if you need any more information then there is plenty available- Law career presentations etc.

You may have had bad experiences, but that simply isn't the case. I gained a huge amount from talking to a specialist legal careers adviser and got some useful tips for applications. You have nothing to lose by talking to your uni careers service, so I'd give it a go.

I did about 5 work experience placements before getting my training contract and had another 1 planned, but that's far more than most people I know, so don't worry too much about it at this stage. I got my placements through friends, parents' friends, etc, which unfortunately seems to be the best way of getting experience at many firms. Have a think about anyone you know who works in law...

Reply 10

Lewisy-boy

11

I can imagine careers advisors are extremely useful for those who aren't doing law, and end up going into law. After all, before having the idea put into your head you may not know what many branches of law are about (outisde of criminal). Just talking to someone about available options can open your eyes to stuff you wouldn't even think twice about unless you had the content explained. You may, of course, like some people I know, have lived with lawyers and get into it that way instead... but many, when told law, immediately think of criminal. Many may not know of corporate/commercial law etc as they haven't had years of law firms constantly sponsoring society events etc!

I think they serve a great purpose where you don't already know what you want to do.

Reply 11

puppy

Lewisy-boy

I think they serve a great purpose where you don't already know what you want to do.

Plus you can go and pick up loads of prospectuses for different firms, guides to law (i.e. which firms deal with what practice areas, what the pay, when to apply) and careers advisers can check you CVs and application forms and do mock interviews and tests with you.

Reply 12

Reema

14

puppy

Well I applied to 7 places and those are by no means all of them:

A&O
Freshfields
Slaughter and May
Baker and McKenzie
Pinsent Masons
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Jones Day

Some are Easter schemes, some are in the summer, but they all take penultimate non-law students.

If you want Easter work this year you need to get on it right now because deadlines are between 5th and 30th January for most places and they usually fill up before the deadline. I believe Slaughters, Freshfields and Jones Day all offer Easter placements to penultimate year non-lawyers (for Jones Day that is the only time they'll take you, the others offer them as preferences).

Add to this:

Berwin Leighton Paisner
Simmons & Simmons
Taylor Wessing
Eversheds
Clifford Chance
Freshfields.

All the MC firms with the exception of Linklaters considers penultimate non-law.

Reply 13

puppy

Reema

Add to this:

Berwin Leighton Paisner
Simmons & Simmons
Taylor Wessing
Eversheds
Clifford Chance
Freshfields.

All the MC firms with the exception of Linklaters considers penultimate non-law.

Some of those have scary forms though so I didn't bother!

Finding it hard to get work experience for law

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