Legal Work Experience
The importance of it, and how you can get it. What is legal work experience?
The field of law is traditionally viewed as being very competitive, and competition for training contracts is at an all-time high. As an aspiring solicitor or barrister, it is crucial to get some hands-on legal experience to make you stand out, yet many need help finding work to gain this necessary experience. Here are some of the benefits of legal work experience and the different types of work you can undertake, some of which you can start immediately.
Why is legal work experience important?
There are several reasons that gaining legal experience is important, but the most crucial is the ability to really decide whether it is the right career for you. While you can undertake a law degree or complete the GDL and decide that you want to work in the legal sector, the work that you may be undertaking on a daily basis is often very different to the studies that you have completed. It is essential to gain some hands-on experience to decide whether law is the right career for you and, if so, what type of law would suit you best and what type of role you are most interested in.
Gaining work experience in the legal sector also shows potential future employers that you are serious about this career path. It shows evidence of commitment to a career in law and an understanding of the profession or a particular type of organisation. It will also show a potential employer that you possess some of the necessary transferable skills that are required for the role that you are applying for.
Another reason that legal work experience is so important is due to the ‘Qualifying Work Experience’ (QWE) element of the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exams (SQE). If you plan to qualify as a solicitor in the UK and are not planning to secure your QWE through a training contract, you must ensure that you complete two years of work experience in order to qualify.
Examples of qualifying work experience are:
- Paralegal work
- Placements while undertaking a law degree
- Working at a charitable organisation or a law clinic
- Training contracts
QWE can be obtained in up to four different organisations and can be gained in England or overseas, offering flexibility on the type of work undertaken. It is also possible to count both paid and voluntary work as QWE, so volunteering for a legal charity counts. Not only will work experience increase your career prospects, but it is required for you to be able to qualify as a solicitor if this is the career path you wish to follow, so it is essential to start thinking early on about the type of work you want to undertake.
How to find legal work experience
While gaining legal experience is traditionally viewed as very challenging, several options are available to students now that allow them to start boosting their work experience immediately. Securing paralegal work can indeed be incredibly competitive, but often, there are a variety of other projects you can be working on in the meantime to boost your chances of finding employment.
- Working in a law firm in non-legal roles
One great way to gain experience is to apply for non-legal roles within a law firm. This may be a more straightforward application process if you have relevant experience that qualifies you for a role and allows you to gain hands-on experience working in a firm. It also means that you can demonstrate to your employer what you are capable of. If you are an asset to the firm, you may then have the ability to apply internally for legal services roles later down the line when a relevant opportunity presents itself. Non-legal roles include secretarial/administrative roles, marketing or social media assistant roles, and new business/business development roles. - Mini-pupillages
If you are considering becoming a barrister, completing a mini-pupillage is a great way to gain hands-on experience. Mini-pupillages ordinarily last for between one day and two weeks, and allow you to shadow a barrister, which gives you an idea of the type of work undertaken on a daily basis and what a typical day may look like. Typical tasks you may carry out while on mini-pupillage are drafting documents, conducting legal research, and carrying out administrative tasks. These experiences are usually available for penultimate and final year law students - they are often competitive, so it is vital to ensure you apply in plenty of time. This role will also allow you to make a positive impression on both the barrister you are shadowing and the chambers, which puts you in a good position when applying for a pupillage. - Insight Days at Law Firms
Attending an Insight Day at a law firm that you are considering applying to is crucial: it not only shows the firm that you are serious about working for them, but it also gives you the chance to work out whether the firm is right for you. The day will usually include an overview of the firm and the practice areas they cover, as well as sometimes offering panel talks from current trainees or lawyers at the firm and a talk from graduate recruitment that may include tips on how to succeed in your application. Spending a day at a law firm is a great way to gain experience of what it is like to work in the profession and allows you to determine whether or not it is the place for you. - Shadow a solicitor
While it may only sometimes be possible to gain a full-time work experience placement, some students choose to gain their experience through shadowing. This can be a great option if you have family or friends who work in the profession and are happy for you to spend a day with them, but this type of work experience can often be gained through writing to smaller local firms and requesting to spend a day shadowing. This experience will usually be unpaid and allows you to spend a day with a solicitor to see what a typical day may include. It can consist of tasks such as proofreading documents, responding to emails, or carrying out administrative tasks. Shadowing a solicitor is a great experience, and you can put it on your CV to demonstrate a strong desire to work in the sector. - Law Societies
Most universities will have a law society you can join, often offering the opportunity to practise your debating skills and enhance your legal knowledge. Some will offer mock trials, which allow students to apply their knowledge from their studies to practical situations and allow them to learn skills that are necessary in the world of work. There will also often be events held with external speakers that allow you to network with legal professionals and gain a deeper understanding of the different roles within the sector. Legal Societies are student-elected organisations run by students, so why not consider applying to work for the Legal Society at your university? There is usually a variety of roles on offer, which give great experience in the required behind-the-scenes work and are a great addition to your CV. - Part-time jobs in other sectors
While a big focus is on students applying for legal roles, undertaking part-time work in other sectors can also be a great option. Whether the experience gained is from working in an administrative role or waitressing in a cafe, any work experience you undertake will have transferable skills that you can include in training contracts or pupillage applications. For example, working in hospitality may have given you customer service experience and may also have allowed you to overcome challenging situations such as dealing with a difficult client or handling a complaint: these are all situations that you may face in your legal career and so it is great to be able to demonstrate this experience when applying to firms. - Working as a Campus Ambassador
Some law firms offer students the opportunity to apply to become a Campus Ambassador for the firm. This is usually a paid role that students can undertake in their penultimate or final year of university and may only require a couple of hours of work each week or month. The role requirements will differ from firm to firm, but generally, the student will be expected to represent the law firm at their university. This can be through arranging events for students to learn more about the firm or creating engaging and educational social media posts about the firm for fellow students. This type of experience can be a great tool, as it allows you to build a relationship with the law firm (often with the graduate recruitment team). It will also ensure that you have an excellent knowledge of the firm when it comes to applying for a training contract later down the line. - Virtual work experience schemes
Some of the leading law firms in the UK have created virtual work experience programs that students can sign up for and participate in in their own time. These programs are free of charge and are accessible to everyone. The courses will vary in length, but usually, the duration is between four and six hours. These courses will allow you to gain insight into the types of projects that trainees work on by undertaking simulated tasks similar to those that you would be expected to work on while at the firm. These will often be in a variety of different seats and can include research-based tasks, proofreading exercises and drafting tasks. Many of these work experience programs are offered through The Forage; however, some are offered directly by firms. Examples of the firms that offer virtual work experience programs are Latham & Waktins, Clifford Chance, White & Case, Kennedys, Slaughter & May and many more. - Paralegal work
Paralegal work is one of the most undertaken types of work experience. It often involves tasks such as interviewing clients, preparing court documents, responding to emails from other solicitors, proofreading, and providing quotes to clients. Paralegal work can be undertaken in various practice areas, allowing you to gain experience in work that is directly relevant to the type of legal career you want. While competition for paralegal roles can be high, your chances of securing this type of work will be considerably higher if you can prove that you have a lot of the experience and transferable skills outlined above. Similarly, many charitable organisations look for volunteer paralegals. While these roles are unpaid, they are incredibly rewarding and allow you to gain hands-on paralegal experience, which will make it easier to apply for paid paralegal roles in the future, so it may be worth considering this type of role first. - Vacation Schemes
Vacation schemes are a fantastic way to gain experience of what it’s like to work in a law firm. They are generally available to graduates and penultimate and final year law students and are usually offered during either the winter or summer holidays so that students can participate. Competition for vacation schemes can be very high, so it’s essential to have gained as much of the above experience as possible prior to applying, so that you are able to demonstrate your transferable skills and experience.
During a vacation scheme you will usually be in a specific seat, so you may be working in the corporate department, or real estate, or entertainment and media for example. This gives you an insight into a specific practice area, and the type of work that you are given will depend on what seat you are in and who your supervisor is. Typical tasks can vary from assisting with drafting documents to sitting in on meetings and taking minutes. Vacation schemes are paid work and will usually last for one or two weeks. These schemes are the best way to determine whether a firm is right for you, as you are working on typical trainee tasks and can gain a true insight as to what life at the firm is like. Most firms will offer an interview at the end of the vacation scheme, so students wishing to secure a training contract will likely need to complete the vacation scheme as part of the application process.
While the world of legal work is competitive and securing paralegal work, vacation schemes, pupillages, and training contracts is no easy feat, it is clear that there are many ways that you can boost your legal experience before applying for these types of roles, which will ensure that you are putting yourself in the best position possible to stand out and show your transferable skills that make you the perfect candidate for the role.