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• Tread Safely on the Path to Getting a Training Contract and Becoming a Solicitor

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Tread Safely on the Path to Getting a Training Contract and Becoming a Solicitor

Getting into law is no easy task. It is a long journey that is embarked upon by would-be solicitors, and not without difficulties. You can make it though, with our guide to the road ahead. With our help, you'll avoid the potholes and sail smoothly to your destination.

You key selling points are the qualifications you hold. Do not lose sight of this. Whilst there may be much noise made about the multitude of aspects which make up a CV, your top priority before entering law must be to study. Fortunately, with good academic results the path to that coveted job as a solicitor is relatively straightforward.

After graduating (if your degree is not in law then graduate diplomas are offered at numerous institutions), you will need to sign up for a legal practice course (LPC), which will teach you how to apply your academic training to real-world issues. Following this will be a training contract at a solicitor's firm, at the end of which you shall finally be qualified as a solicitor.

This is your main route to becoming a solicitor, but there are other things to bear in mind.

It will help you on your way if you begin to think about a specialism as soon as possible. While you are still studying, research the options available to solicitors, and consider which one would be the best fit for you. By the very nature of their work, solicitors work in a wide variety of settings, and it will help your focus to have a more specific ambition. Typical fields of law you may consider specializing in, aside from criminal and family law, include banking and finance law, human rights law, intellectual property law and media law.

Gaining work experience is crucial to your future career. Internships and placements at law firms are a key part of any solicitor's CV. Work experience demonstrates enthusiasm and commitment. If an employer scans your CV, and it is bereft of anything but academics, they are going to wonder if the candidate has a real commitment to the law. Go out of your way to show them that you have done the time and put the work in. More unorthodox activities, such as blogging about law will show that you have a personal stake in the profession. Bloggers like BabyBarista (regularly featured in the Times) and Legally Blonde in London have proved an asset to their creators long after they landed their solicitor training contract.

Don't get derailed before the last stop. Give genuine thought to filling in training contract application forms. Law firms are fond of these due to the lack of confusion compared to CVs of wildly varying lengths. These forms ask more probing and effective questions of the candidate, so really think about your answers. They don't have to be show-stopping, but they do have to be well written.

It pays to do your research before any trip. Have all of the information you need in front of you when applying. Know all of the application deadlines. Do thorough research into what each firm in particular is looking for - don't just send out a standard CV ten times. The websites of the firms themselves are often useful in this regard. Another tip is to use staff at recruitment fairs. It can be intimidating to try and collar one, but employers usually send staff who have themselves been recently recruited, so they are fonts of information.

Have local knowledge. Know-how about the specific area of law you are interested in can be invaluable. For example, there is a current glut of jobs for solicitors in the area of intellectual property law, as companies seek to protect their patents and copyright both overseas and against Internet pirates. Knowing where the opportunities are could make all the difference.

Know the language. The amount of jargon in law is formidable. If you want to really impress at your training contract interview, and at placements during your degree, you need to be brought up to speed. Knowing your ECHR from your IPO or GDL will take some work, so make sure you really understand the terms in question to avoid any potential embarrassment.

Take our advice. Have faith in your own ability and work hard. If you follow these steps and work to the utmost of your ability, your career as a solicitor will soon become a reality.

Written by Nicholas White