Former Northumbria law student Daniel Bell gives his advice about entering the profession
There are a number of potential ways to become a solicitor, the most common of which is to first complete a law degree, followed by the legal practice course (‘LPC’), and finally secure a training contract with a law firm. This is the route I took (having completed the LPC alongside my academic studies via the M Law (exempting) degree) and I am currently waiting to start my training contract in 2015.
Desire to become a Solicitor & Studying Law at University
Whilst studying law at A Level I discovered that I both enjoyed the subject and wanted to work in the legal profession. Whereas the natural next step for me was to study law at degree level I would recommend that anyone interested in entering the legal profession thoroughly research what studying law entails. A law degree can be challenging and is not the only way to enter the profession.
That said, I highly enjoyed my degree and found it interesting as well as intellectually stimulating, particularly towards the latter half where it became possible to elect the modules I wished to study. Furthermore, I believe my personal development of those skills necessary to work within the legal profession benefitted significantly from undertaking the degree.
The Legal Practice Course
The LPC is the course and subsequent qualification that must be undertaken, post undergraduate degree, in order to become a solicitor. It comprises a wide range of disciplines and an individual must be deemed ‘competent’ in each of these disciplines in order to pass the course. Whereas a law degree tends to focus on the more academic elements of the law, the LPC is instead focused upon its practical application. Included amongst the LPC topics are Litigation (taking a case to court), Evidence, Legal Writing, Interviewing and Advocacy. The LPC can be very demanding and I personally found that the skills necessary for a competence in Legal Writing difficult to grasp. However with ample practice and study my skill set gradually developed and my writing style improved greatly. On this point in particular I discovered study for the LPC to be very different from an academic law degree: whereas success in the latter depends upon knowledge of the subject area under examination, success throughout the LPC depends instead on regular practice and review of the skills necessary to gain a particular competency. The LPC is therefore demanding in a very different way from a law degree and, indeed, this is necessary to prepare individuals for the challenges they will face throughout a training contract and subsequent legal career.
What is a Training Contract
A training contract is a two-year period during which a graduate is employed as a trainee solicitor within a law firm or other organisation which provides legal training. Throughout those two years the trainee will traditionally undertake four six-month seats (although some law firms alternately offer six four-month seats) and at least one of those seats must be contentious (i.e. involve disputes). A ‘seat’ is simply the term used for working within a department of the firm, so for example a trainee could undertake seats in the Corporate, Property, Dispute Resolution and Employment departments of a law firm. Throughout the training contract a trainee will undertake work for the firm whilst under supervision from a more senior solicitor.
How to get a Training Contract
There is neither a simple, nor definitive, answer to the above question and completion for training contracts is high. I can however provide a number of hints and tips that will certainly improve your chances of getting a training contract:
- A strong degree – There are many law students and graduates who aspire to be solicitors, many of whom have strong academics. The first thing a law firm will look for in an applicant is good grades and indeed most law firms automatically sift out applicants whose grades are below a 2:1. A high 2:1 or a 1st would certainly make your application stand out.
- Awards – Similarly, any academic awards achieved throughout university will greatly strengthen an application and serve to separate you from the masses. Any such awards should be made clear on your application, even if there isn’t a specific field for such awards be sure to enter the details under an ‘additional information’ section.
- Extracurricular academic activities – Extracurricular activities either related to law or academia in general are always looked upon favourably. While activities such as mooting and debating are very useful, you should also consider those less common extracurricular activities: essay writing competitions, mediation lessons and student-led think tanks are just a few examples – universities are rife with student societies and so there should be plenty to choose from! Not only do such activities serve as talking points in applications and interviews but can also be used as a basis to demonstrate development of crucial skills.
- Work experience – There is a wide variety of both legal and non-legal work experience that can be undertaken in order to improve your chances of getting a training contract. Just participating in such work experience isn’t enough however; you should be clear about how a specific work experience aided development of your skill set.
- Legal work experience – Ideally you should undertake a variety of legal work experience and use this to explain why you want to work in the area of law and specific firm you are presently applying for. Similarly you should aim to gain work experience within barristers’ chambers in order to contrast the professions and state why being a solicitor is preferable to you.
- Individuality – Law firms look favourably upon that little something different about an individual. This could be a non-academic extracurricular activity such as participating in a sports team or simply a personal hobby that you’re passionate about. Be careful however; don’t write something about yourself that simply isn’t true as you could be questioned about it in interview!
- Show don’t tell – When writing an application always stick to the rule of demonstrating your specific skill rather than merely stating it. For example rather than simply declaring ‘I’m a strong team player’, demonstrate this fact with examples from your experiences.
- Research – Thoroughly research the firm you are applying for, this doesn’t mean simply reading what is available on the firm’s website. Rather, you should go the extra mile and search for news articles on the firm in newspapers, the law society gazette and online publications.
- Presentations – Similarly, many law firms will give presentations for prospective applicants both on and off campus. Attendance at such presentations can provide a valuable insight into exactly what that firm is looking for in its future trainees.
- Tailoring – Having completed the previous steps, thoroughly tailor your application to the specific firm: comment upon your research findings in both application and interview to demonstrate just how deeply you’ve investigated the firm. Furthermore, display how you possess the particular skills the firm looks for in their future trainees. It is always preferable to write specific applications to a few law firms rather than writing general applications to many (firms are particularly adept at spotting such ‘scattershot’ applications!)
- Commercial awareness – Being commercially aware is now an absolute requisite for any aspiring solicitor. You can become more commercially aware by keeping up-to-date with current issues in the business press and further research into certain topics is also recommended. While it is by no means simple to state what being commercially aware entails, I would recommend thorough research on the following four topics:
- Issues affecting the legal environment/profession;
- National and international commercial issues;
- Commercial issues in the region where your chosen firm operates;
- Commercial issues affecting the sectors in which the firm’s clients operate.
- Persistence – Unfortunately rejection is something almost every aspiring legal professional will experience at some point and it is crucial not to lose motivation because of this. Instead, aim to seek advice from the firm on what the weak points of your application were, or alternatively, critically review your application and aim to strengthen those areas next time.
