Legal vs Non Legal work experience?

if given the choice for one type of work (legal vs non legal related), which one is better in terms of securing a TC/VS (at a different law firm) down the line?

what if the area of law you want to eventually specialise in is completely different to the area of law at the current legal work being offered to you at the moment (and you have no real interest for the latter)? i.e. you don't want to get pigeon-holed this early on in your career...

but the legal training you'll receive at said current legal related role will take you all the way up to being a fully fledged fee-earner able to progress/take on own cases...

any thoughts to help a confused layman?

(haven't done the LPC yet if that makes a difference?)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

happyinthehaze

Are you saying you are being offered a legal fee earner job in an area of law you aren't interested in and will that have a detrimental impact on your career?

Well I suppose you might end up relying on that experience post qual to get a job.

Depends where you train and what seats.

If you train at a firm that takes you on it won't matter

If you don't get taken on then will depend what experience you get in your seats

You will only get pigeon holed if you get meaningful fee earner exp not just work ex

I would say legal work exp better for VS and the like but I also think it's extremely helpful to have any work experience.

Your question was a bit vague!

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Reply 2

999tigger

Whilst is handy to get legal work experience, then it depends.

1. What you are being offered.
2. the firms.
3. What experience you already have.
4. What you wnat to do.
5. The non legal alternative.

You are looking at it supporting your application for a TC and how you wll sell those bits of experience that they are useful to the firm you are applying to. Oys a bit hard to answer without knowing more detail becayse they could point you either way.