TC Deadlines Looming

If any of you lovely lot are subscribed to the All About Law mailing list you will have received an email about Training Contract deadlines this morning. In it, AAL claim that out of 200 law students only 36 will secure a TC this year. That's a mere 18% (that's as advanced as my maths gets...). So what are you doing to make yourself one of the 'chosen ones' this year? Here is my strategy...

Whittle it down to 30 firms

I genuinely cannot endorse Lawcareers.net enough for this little tip. Their Training Contract search tool is amazing for whittling down those firms that match your criteria. Whether its location, pay or start date you can find the firms that meet your needs. Don't forget, applying for a TC is as much about what you want as it is about what the firms want. 

I have found that using these broad search techniques in just the right way, you can get a list of around 40 firms that would be suitable. Now have a little browse through and get rid of about 10-20 firms that are slightly less desirable to you, leaving you with a nice 20-30 firms left.

Research and Cull!

Now to research! This will involve getting the firm's website up (assuming they have one) and having a good old nosey around. Always have in your head what YOU are looking for. Be ruthless now, you really should be looking to have around 10 final choices. I have heard untold amounts of horror stories during university of students applying to upwards of 50 firms (even in the hundreds) and not getting a single interview. Stop wasting your time, success is not found in sheer quantity. 

I find the key areas to at look are:

• Areas of work: if you are keen to get into an area of law make sure the firm you are applying to actually covers this area. This is particularly important if you interesting in a niche area of law. Simple enough.
• The firm's ethos: I recently had a discussion with a fellow student about our dream careers. She was adamant that she will work 16 hour days and forgo a relationship and family in order to reach 'the top'. On the other hand, I want a job that allows me to have a social life. I don't want to be leaving the office at 5, but I certainly won't be a regular in the 'burning-the-midnight-oil' club. Do some research about what each firm expects from it's trainees. 
• Trainee benefits: I would be lying if I said the salary and benefits do not matter. Of course they do! However, these are of varying importance to the individual. There are two things to bear in mind here. First, be realistic. The SRA has removed the minimum trainee salary and it's a very real possibility that you could be earning less than £20k in your first year. Look objectively at your qualifications and experience and choose firms you genuinely think you have a shot at. Obviously, it is also wise to have a couple of 'dream' firms in your 10 but don't let a first year salary of £35,000 completely dictate where you apply to. Second, set a minimum amount in your head that you would accept. I have done a full spreadsheet of outgoings and calculated how much would be the absolute minimum I could live off (in case you're interested it is £16k) bearing in mind having some money to have fun with! Any firms below this threshold you should seriously consider disregarding. Other trainee benefits, such as pension, access to a gym/creche, discounted legal rates are worth considering too. 

Make detailed notes during this process. Once you have researched all the firms try and put them in some sort of order of preference. The first 10 are your chosen firms - congratulations!

Law Fairs

Now you can begin the further research. Find out when these firms are attending career fairs and go along. Get chatting, ask questions, make contacts. Keep your ears open for news about your chosen firms. Jiggle your preference list around accordingly and keep making notes!

Applications

I have been doing the above process for the last 6 months so I am now fully prepared to begin my applications. There are 14 weeks until the general TC deadline. This means, 1 application per week and 4 free weeks for revision/exams. Perfect! 

My first application will be to my least favourite firm (sorry!) This method will ensure that you have gotten enough practice by the final application that your best effort will go to your most desired firm. This is the time to utilise your university careers service. Complete an application, make an appointment and take it along. Their feedback will be invaluable and could be the key to getting that interview.

Let me know how you all get on. I will be posting about my experience of aptitude tests soon. Good luck!

Career Decisions

Whether you are an LLB fresher on the starting line of the legal career race, or a hardened Trainee who has finally secured that coveted Training Contract, you will undoubtedly be aware of the seemingly endless career decisions and worries involved in a legal career. I thought I would use this blog to reflect back on some of the best and worst decisions that I have made over the past 5 years and wonder at all the infinite "shoulda, woulda, coulda"s.

The Decision To Do All My Lectures At Home

At my University all lectures were available online, both audio recordings and slides, and I took the decision in my first year that attending University for the purpose of lectures was simply not an efficient or effective use of my time. Of course, neither was Jeremy Kyle, beer gardens and an extra couple of hours sleep in the morning but apparently these were overlooked in the "time-wasting-activities" cull. The result? Minimum lectures completed and a serious gap in the majority of my legal knowledge. 

BAD DECISION

(n.b. I also employed this tactic in my second and third years at uni but, appealing to my love of organisation, created a colour coded chart and ticked them off as I went- GOOD DECISION)

The Decision To Apply For Every Legal Work Placement/Experience Going

I feel very privileged to be able to say that I have had no less than 6 opportunities to gain experience in the legal sector. From 6 weeks full time and unpaid court clerking to 6 months as a paid legal assistant I have definitely grabbed every opportunity that has come my way. My advice: apply for anything and everything. How will you know what you like until you've had a little taster. Couldn't think of anything worse than a corporate firm in the big smoke? Try it! Convinced you want to work in legal aid? Intern at a high street firm. Obviously, once you have really decided, it would be wise to get experience in that area, but until then, have a little dabble. You might surprise yourself.

GOOD DECISION

The Decision To Not Apply For Training Contracts Until My First Year of LPC

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I think my trail of thought here was that I would be far more experienced by the time I had started the LPC and would therefore be more desirable to firms. However, this has actually equated to financial difficulty and yet another year before I can actually start my dream job! Had I secured a TC before the LPC it may have been funded by my firm and possibly even a maintenance grant too. My electives could have been directed by the firm in line with their needs rather than me second guessing what this imaginary employer might want. On the other hand, I am now much more certain about the areas of law I am interested in and so this will mean I am a stronger and more passionate interviewee. I have also been able to work through my LPC so have that great work experience that is oh-so-valuable to firms. Peaks and troughs. 

GOOD AND BAD DECISION

The Decison To Study At The University of Law (Formerly College of Law)

I would never in a million years change this decision. I cannot fault my LPC provider and absolutely love the course, the tutors and the campus. Biased you say? Me? Never!

GOOD DECISION

And since a lot of my decisions seem to have come out as good, I thought I would share a few generally bad decisions:

• Revising Equity and Trusts 24 hours before the exam
• Nattering in class so that when you are asked a question and your friend whispers in your aid "Pompeii", you confidently shout "Bombay"
• Walking out of the Public Law exam an hour before the end 
• Failing to employ the handbrake after parking in the student car park and returning to find your car had rolled into another parked car
• Pairing up with a student known for truanting, leaving you to plan, prepare and perform your entire EU Law presentation alone
• Missing every single Lexis and Westlaw sessions in your first year so that your idea of research involves Google, Wikipedia and the Core Text Book (if they're lucky)
• Vending machine soup. Always, always a terrible decision.

Results: PLR and Wills

I haven't written for a while. I think, after the catastrophe of the BLP exams I have been in a bit of a perpetual bad mood when it comes to the LPC. I met with friends on the first day back after exams and we had a big coffee catch up, dissecting every bit of those awful exams. We all came to the conclusion that, although we felt we were not fairly informed about the exams, what's done is done and it is time to move on. 

I have now completed 3 of my Employment elective workshops and all of the Solicitors Accounts workshops. I must say, they have been a joy! The sun has begun to shine, spring had sprung and there is definitely an air of new beginnings. 

So lets get down to business. Results. 

They were released on 18 April at 2:00pm. I was eagerly logging in before this but, alas, no luck. I logged in at 2:01 and there sat my transcript PDF to download. After 10 minutes of hovering the mouse over the 'open' button I finally did it. 

Results:

PLR - Competent 

Wills - 100%

Yes, folks, I GOT 100% IN MY WILLS EXAM! Absolutely ecstatic and just the boost I need to reinvigorate me for the final push.

But for now... back to business....