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Vac schemes - penultimate year lawyers only?

Hi all,

I only applied for a few vac schemes for 2007 - I am taking a gap year after uni and wanted to do the bulk of them over next summer. I got one at a regional firm which was great, but didn't get anywhere with the 2 city firms I applied to (which I didn't expect to, considering how few I applied to!). You're probably all going to think I'm a complete idiot for not knowing this but I've just been informed/realised myself that firms seem to only offer them to penultimate year law students. Is this the case with all London firms? Do I have no hope of getting anymore? And also, why do they do this? Is it a case of, if you don't know what you want to do by penultimate year we're not going to let you experience our firm? Seems a little odd.

Help :frown:

Reply 1

litispendence

1

I think it's more the case that you need to be a penultimate year student at the earliest. I have met people at later stages in their academics who have vac schemes - don't panic!

Reply 2

silence

16

although i'm not a penultimate law student, i'm a penultimate english student and wish to go into law. i only applied to one vac scheme (magic circle firm and got rejected after interview) so i too know that feeling of not laying my eggs in as many baskets.

i have the feeling that it is the norm to apply for xmas 07 vac schemes when you get back to uni - when it comes to training contracts, you don't actually need to have done a vac scheme, it just helps to say you've got one in the bag. don't worry - i really don't think that vac schemes are the be all and end all if you genuinely want to do a career in law, though work experience at some stage will help obviously.

Reply 3

Kerrigan

You can do a vac scheme later than penultimate year. I have a friend who is a graduate (and a postgraduate) and who is doing a vac scheme this year.

Reply 4

~ o ~

2

Nabarro are taking on first yr students, so guess for some firms you can apply quite early.

Reply 5

Lewisy-boy

11

Wow, well I guess it'll turn that way as firms seek to 'indoctrinate' the best people early on even if they can't make them a TC offer!

Reply 6

ciara

OP

13

silence

although i'm not a penultimate law student, i'm a penultimate english student and wish to go into law. i only applied to one vac scheme (magic circle firm and got rejected after interview) so i too know that feeling of not laying my eggs in as many baskets.

Most firms say they accept penultimate year law students and final year non-law students for vac schemes. There seem to be few exceptions to this, so you still have a year! But I assumed the reason for this was because if you're a law student, you basically have 2 more years until you want to start a training contract. If you're non-law you have the extra year for doing the conversion course, so apply a year later. Plus if you applied any later you'd be doing the vac schemes after you'd already applied for TCs. Which is why, as I'm doing a gap year, I don't see why I shouldn't do some vac schemes next year.

Like LucyMP, I thought it meant "you have to be in your penultimate year" meaning at least in your penultimate year, but looking again it seems a lot of them mean you have to be IN your penultimate year. Herbert Smith is confusing, as it says:
"If you are a law student, you should apply in your penultimate year by 31 January 2007 in order to be considered for the Spring or Summer schemes. If you are a non-law student, you should apply in your final year, either by 15 November 2006 for the Winter scheme, or by 31 January 2007 for the Spring and Summer schemes.

If you are a degree holder please apply anytime before the deadlines stated above."

Is it me or does that basically imply you can apply any time OTHER than your final year?!

Reply 7

Lush Law

15

Just apply for training contracts? I applied for a few vac schemes but didn't get any [just work experience - eww]. I'm applying for training contracts at the moment for 2009. You could just apply next year for 2010 training contracts.

I'm finding it hard to apply for TC's as I'm fairly sure I want to do the BVC but just in case I change my mind I'm doing the TC thing too.

Reply 8

kathycakes

Hello,

I am starting the senior status (2 year) LLB in fall 07 and wonder if I too should be in the midst of applying for vacation schemes?

As the degree is only two years long, I suppose that I can consider my first year as my penultimate year, thus I would be doing vac schemes in summer 2008?

I just wonder if there is a different set of circumstances for those in the senior LLB program, or if we are in the same category. I already hold a BA, so does that mean I can apply anytime, like someone said in an earlier post on this thread?

Thanks in advance if anyone can answer these questions!

Reply 9

Europalass

RIGHT!

I'm hijacking this thread in the interests of all those users who are in the same position - i.e. not penultimate year lawyers!!!!

Can anybody actually give us a list of good commercial/international law firms who accept and consider (and indeed admit) people at more 'mature' university stages for vacation schemes?

I've been doing some research the past few days and I've found two!!

1. Denton Wilde & Sapte
2. Ashurst

Heeeelp the late realisers!!

xx

Reply 10

naelse

15

I'm pretty sure that, even if they don't explicitly say it, most firms will accept applications from those in their finanl year or graduates. It's just that they recruit two years in advance so if you're applying late you should be prepared to take a gap year.

Reply 11

Europalass

Thanks for this. I've since received a response from Linklaters saying it's a no-go but apart from this, no other direct refusals. Good luck to all of ye.

x

Vac schemes - penultimate year lawyers only?

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