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This I would say is reflective and mostly cathartic blog post. Writing this post with the beauty of hindsight, I hope will be beneficial to first year law students who may be worrying about what they don’t know yet.

Check out the LawCareers.Net dedicated hub for first-year law students.

I have now worked in the legal profession for three (nearly four) years, although that doesn’t seem like a long time, but my experiences have taught me a great deal. Therefore, this is advice I just wish I could go back and tell myself.

My experience as a law student

When I started law, I felt like a duck out of water. I came from a performing arts background, and I very nearly chose drama school instead of Law. I am also the first in my family to go to university and didn’t have any connections with lawyers.

At the beginning of my degree, I felt uncomfortable not knowing all the legal terms and in all honesty, I didn’t find out what a training contract was until the beginning of second year.

It was uncomfortable not knowing the difference between a barrister and a solicitor and the different routes to qualification. I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t easily answer these questions and therefore, how could I choose my career path?

Nuggets of wisdom

My advice to this may sound very cliché but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You are learning and this doesn’t mean you are incapable or not good enough for a legal career. Not knowing what a training contract was until second year is okay.

Just remember there are plenty of resources out there to help answer these questions: such as LawCareers.Net! So carve out one or two hours a week to spend time researching these questions.

Academics

Furthermore, it may take you time to get the grades you desire and again this is ok. In the beginning, my mock grades were low and I kept thinking that a 2:1 or even a first was too hard to obtain. It was only until second year of my degree I started to achieve 2:1 and first-class grades.

My advice is to stick with it and overtime you will realise that subconsciously you are learning and improving. Still to this day, I have failed my mock grades in my Legal Practice Course but by removing the pressure and thoughts that I am not good enough enables me to purely focus on how to get better next time.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Lastly, law can feel quite competitive, and you may feel like you have entered a sport with your fellow classmates. However, helping each other along the way is vital to both your successes.

If I didn’t have my friends to consult with or ask difficult questions and likewise for them, I don’t think we would be where we are today. Remember that you will be working in a team when you are a trainee and once qualified working with them even when they represent the other party!

My conclusion would be that it’s ok to have doubts or worries along the way as these keep you in check with your progress. However, don’t let them overbear you and always trust in your capabilities.

You’ve got this!