A first-year student’s guide to opportunities in law

Read this essential advice for first-year students covering legal work experience, extracurricular activities, law fairs and more. For lots more information and advice, see our dedicated first-year student hub.

Reading time: 11 minutes

“Start early” – the key advice for a student interested in a career in the legal profession. This is especially true of commercial law, where many firms recruit their trainee solicitors two years in advance, meaning that law students who want to go straight from their degree to the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and then into a training contract must be ready to apply at the end of their second year of study.

That said, a training contract is now not the only way for aspiring solicitors to build up the two-year qualifying work experience (QWE) element – there’s more on this below. 

For some students, it’s even earlier given that there are vacation schemes targeted directly at first-year students.

As a first year, you don’t need to decide the exact direction you want for your career just yet. But if you’re interested in a career in law, you should:

• make the most of the opportunities to learn about the legal profession;
• start building your CV; and
• gain some experiences that’ll be essential when you come to apply.

All of the above will be useful when you’re trying to decide the direction you want your career to take.

There are a whole range of activities and experiences you can undertake in your first year. The rest of this article will set out the opportunities available to first-year students.

You don’t need to say “yes” to everything – be sensible, practical and realistic when you’re looking at the different opportunities available.

Law firms’ first-year student schemes

Let’s start with the formal schemes that an increasing number of solicitors’ firms have started to run in recent years. Such schemes are also available at some barristers’ chambers.

Prestigious firms including Clifford Chance, Linklaters LLP, Ashfords LLP, White & Case LLP and Hogan Lovells all offer vacation schemes or insight programmes to first-year students.

These are valuable opportunities to introduce yourself to the firm, see what life at its offices is really like and improve your chances of securing a place on a vacation scheme, which is the most direct path to a training contract. Please note, that with the introduction of the SQE, candidates pursuing a career as a solicitor will need to complete two years’ QWE. While many firms are sticking to the traditional two-year training contract, which will count as QWE, the work experience element of the SQE can also be completed in up to four organisations, including law firms, law centres and university pro bono clinics so it’s important to bear this in mind.

Plus, many firms have started introducing graduate solicitor apprenticeships – an alternative to the two-year training contract, which results in the same outcome: qualification as a solicitor. These other options for building up QWE offer greater flexibility for those entering the profession. As such, you should keep an eye on what your shortlisted firms are doing in this regard.

You can find out more about the graduate apprenticeships on offer in this LCN Says.

Find out more about QWE and its requirements via the SQE hub.

But is engaging with firms really that important for first years?

One firm’s trainee recruitment manager explains that: “We’re always listening to the feedback that we receive from our applicants and the first-year scheme was introduced in response to requests from enthusiastic first-year students who wanted an opportunity to find out more about life in a City law firm. As these students are still very much at the beginning of their legal journey, we’re keen to give them an insight into the commercial world of law so that they can make an informed decision about whether this is the right environment for them. The focus is therefore aimed at finding out their motivations for a career in commercial law in the City, as well as the transferable skills that they’ve gained‎ in other areas of their life that would be an asset as a future trainee lawyer.”

But with places so limited, you shouldn’t be too disheartened if you miss out, as our friendly recruiter observes: “A place on a vacation scheme, which comes later, is still the most important thing in terms of securing a training contract. However, it bears emphasising that taking part in a first-year scheme will certainly increase your chances of securing a place on a full vacation scheme later on.”

Law fairs

University law fairs take place every autumn during October and November. They’re a great way to introduce yourself to firms and chambers. You should always conduct research into the firms and chambers attending before you go. Make a list of the employers you want to talk to and think about the things you want to learn that you’re unable to find out online. This way, you can make the most of your time by having constructive conversations with the organisations that interest you.

Find out more about what graduate recruiters want to see from prospective candidates in LCN’s Meet the Recruiter profiles.

Don’t ask basic questions that you could find answers to on a firm’s website – aim for more interesting conversations. This will be invaluable in determining which firms suit you, your values and career aspirations. It also creates a good impression with recruiters – you can even mention your conversation and who you spoke with in a later application.

Maya Shah, early careers specialist at Ropes & Gray LLP, suggests that “first years […] use law fairs as an opportunity to discover which firms interest them the most, whether they want to be at a UK firm or a US firm, or the type of law they want to practise”.

Read LCN’s guide to networking for advice on how to utilise the opportunities you might be exposed to at a law fair.

Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWO-oZvBa3c

Mini-pupillages

The availability of mini-pupillages for first-year students and the timetable for applications differs among chambers – many are aimed at second years and above. Mini-pupillages are a great way to see barristers in action and to introduce yourself to people who could remember you favourably later. Check chambers’ websites for details of how and when to apply.

Read ‘Mini-pupillages: what is it and what are the benefits?’ for more information. Plus, read our interviews with practising barristers as they provide their advice for the next generation. 

Informal legal work experience

Many of the formal work experience schemes run by larger firms follow a strict timetable and are often open only to second-year students and above (with notable exceptions – see above). However, it’s possible to secure work experience at smaller, high-street firms on a much more ad hoc basis.

You could write to, or call, firms in your area to see whether they have any opportunities. Providing office support for a day or two, or shadowing a solicitor for an afternoon, is all valuable experience that’ll help to improve your CV and knowledge about what to do when you graduate. Finding opportunities like this also demonstrates excellent initiative.

Plus, under the SQE, any legal experience that meets the requirements set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority can count towards your QWE. As a result, you can start building up this experience a lot earlier than if you were to complete a traditional training contract.

Read this Oracle on how you can get work experience as a first-year student and this Oracle on what counts as QWE.

Non-legal work experience

Remember, all work experience is valuable to your applications – whether that’s working at the local corner shop, waitressing in a restaurant or working in retail. It’s not only the transferable skills that you can develop in these roles, for example dealing with tricky customers, that’ll impress graduate recruiters but also your ability to hold down a job while studying.

Read ‘How aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience’ for more on how to evidence your transferable skills in applications.

On top of this, building experience in an area where clients of the firms you’re interested in operate is also fantastic. For example, if you’re interested in private client work, any customer-facing role, such as working in catering, customer services or events, will help to demonstrate that you have the necessary people skills and can apply them in a professional environment. If you apply to a corporate firm, any experience in the financial sector (eg, working for a bank, hedge fund or related business) will be particularly relevant.

Firms want to see evidence of your previous employment on your CV and applications because these opportunities will have taught you valuable transferable skills. Previous jobs – for example, in retail or the hospitality industry – shouldn’t be cut from your CV. Just make sure you use them as evidence of the core skills needed in any professional environment, such as teamwork, customer service, time management and responsibility.

Many firms will appreciate how hard it can be financially to go to university and the need to therefore be employed in more casual jobs while you’re studying, so don’t worry if this makes securing the kind of work experiences set out above more difficult. Earning a living while studying for better qualifications is something to be proud of and, as said previously, many recruiters will be impressed by the commitment you’ve shown.

Skye Fenton-Wells, early talent recruitment manager at Womble Bond Dickinson, says: “There’s more to a person than the legal experience they’ve had and applicants must not underestimate their non-legal work experience. There are a lot of things that can shape and help candidates to develop important transferable skills that could be invaluable to Womble Bond Dickinson, so if you can evidence these then we want to hear about it!”

You should always consider the alternative ways you’ve shown initiative and identify the key transferable skills you might have developed from previous jobs.   

Pro bono

Volunteering for a free legal advice centre, charity, or organisation such as Citizens Advice is another fantastic way to gain legal work experience – you improve your CV while helping others.

It’s possible to juggle these commitments with studying and any part-time job you might have, although it’ll cut down your free time. However, it’s worth it.

Find more information on the benefits of pro bono work via LCN and look through a nationwide list of pro bono initiatives.

Mooting and debating

Joining mooting and debating societies and taking part in competitions is great for building up key skills, including advocacy, teamwork and research.

Mooting is essential for those bound for the Bar, but it’s also a great activity for any aspiring solicitor to get involved in, too.

Listen to ‘Episode 31: a beginner’s guide to mooting’ via The LawCareers.Net Podcast.

Extracurricular activities

There are so many things you can do with your time, besides pursuing legal work experience. Employers like well-rounded candidates and most of the recruiters we speak to want to see evidence of extracurricular interests outside of the law. That means playing for a sports team, playing in a band, singing in a choir or setting up a book club – among countless other things. These are all great activities to pursue that’ll look excellent on your CV.

Join your student law society

If you’re interested in a career as a lawyer, join your university’s student-run law society – whether you’re a non-law or law student. Student law societies usually have good links with the legal profession and can help their members by organising campus visits with law firms and other employers, as well as arranging opportunities for volunteering, mooting and social activities.

On top of the activities they offer, they’re also a great place to start building a network of like-minded people.

Read this article explaining all how your student law society can support you.

And finally…

Make sure to do as well as you can academically in your first year. Even if your first-year results don’t count towards your overall degree classification, recruiters inundated with high-quality applications will look at your module breakdown for evidence of consistent academic ability and the right attitude.

You should also take advantage of some of the opportunities above, not least because many of them will help you to decide whether the career you’re considering is right for you. That said, missing out on an open day or vacation scheme in your first year is no reason to panic, particularly now with the introduction of the SQE. Make sure you enjoy your time at university because it’ll fly by quicker than you can say “Solicitors Qualifying Exam”.

Are you a non-law student? Get started via LawCareers.Net’s Non-law hub.

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is a content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net.