No training contract going into third year! What to do?

This is a tricky one.

Paralegal work can often have a preference for those who have completed the LPC. I'd be speaking to some legal recruitment agencies to see if they can give you an indication of your profile/CV given your local market or the type of firms you want to work for. It might be the case that you can compete in the paralegal market, or not. There are some common mistakes people make when applying for paralegal work though - mainly thinking all paralegal jobs are equal and therefore you can apply to them all, and applying to permanent jobs when your profile suggests you are someone who is probably aiming for a TC so ultimately only aiming for something short term.

But at the same time, I wouldn't be rushing into the LPC even if you can find it with a PG loan. You've got to get to the heart of what's letting your applications down, and/or review your expectations of the type of firm you are applying to, and then work out if this will change while you are studying a course which doesn't really allow you to build up your CV in the same way an undergrad degree would.

There are alternatives outside of these two options though. Business services roles within law firms can be a good call if they are very junior (Business Development/Admin roles). Also look at non legal jobs with the type of clients firms you are aiming for work with. In house legal teams/compliance roles also tend to be a good call.

Also use your university careers service to get some advice/feedback on your current profile, or if you don't trust the quality of their advice, maybe even seek out some alumni currently working in the legal sector for their views (or both).


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