It's that time of year again when the training contract
application process is in full swing. There's no doubt that legal
training contracts are becoming more competitive every year.
Despite this, law remains one of the most highly sought after
professions with its promise of a rewarding and lucrative
career. So how can you rise to the challenge? Our top tips for
securing a training contract are detailed below.
Our top 10 tips for securing a training contract
- Find the right opportunity for you - Decide
which type of firm you want to work for and which best suits your
skills, rather than applying to lots of different firms.
Think about the size and culture of the firm as this will affect
the type of work you do and the peers you will be working with.
Consider practice areas, do you enjoy or have a flair in a certain
area? Look at the minimum entry requirements of firms, if you don't
meet them, then don't apply unless you have exceptional
skills/experience to make up for this.
- Make use of your careers service -
Often institutions will offer a range of services to help with
the application process, from events such as CV clinics to
providing hardcopy/online material.
- When applying for a training contract, try and
demonstrate the following attributes: A real interest in
law, accuracy/eye for detail, communication skills and team work,
trust and integrity, real world and commercial knowledge,
personality/uniqueness, confidence and enthusiasm.
- Attend firm presentations/events - Look out
for firms that you are interested in that hold presentations at
your university or in your area. Attending the
presentations will give you an opportunity to find our about their
individual application process and a flavour of what it's like to
work for that firm.
- Work hard at achieving your grades - Firms
look at both your first and second year grades as well as your
overall degree grade. Many firms have a 2:1 minimum
requirement.
- Be organised in your approach - Create a
timetable to prioritise your applications and write yourself an
action list of what is required for each one. Don't rely on
closing dates. Aim to submit your applications as soon as
possible. Find out submission dates from sites such as
http://www.lawcareers.net/Solicitors/TrainingContractDeadlines.asp.
- Write a good covering letter - If your
application requires you to submit a CV, this will need to be
accompanied by a covering letter. If you produce a poor covering
letter, the recruiter may not even read the attached CV. Aim
to write a letter which is one side of A4 and address the letter to
the correct named person. Try and target the letter to the
firm as much as possible and explain why you have applied and how
you think you can make a contribution towards the business.
- Accuracy of your application - Read, re-read
and get someone else to read your application. There is
absolutely no excuse for spelling/grammar mistakes. This is a
reason to be immediately eliminated from the application
process.
- Be fully prepared for your interview -
Interviews range from a day long assessment to short one-to-one
meetings. Make sure you thoroughly research the firm by not
only looking through their website/promotional material but by also
finding out what recent deals the firm has advised on. Such
information can often be seen in the legal press. Also
prepare model answers to common interview questions which you can
find on various recruitment/careers websites.
- What happens if you don't find a training
contract? It's not the end of the world if you don't
secure a training contract when you start your LPC. Plenty of
students are in this position. Continue to apply for training
contracts throughout your LPC and look to gain as much work
experience (ideally legal) as possible whilst studying. If
you are self-funding your LPC, look for a provider that offers
excellent pastoral support and reasonable fees.
Find out more about a career in law by visiting our careers
zone.
Do you have any law career tips to share? Let us know by
commenting below.