 Before applying for training contracts you should spend as much time as possible researching firms to maximize your chances of a successful application and also to find the best firm for you. Each firm may be looking for different qualities in their trainees but all firms will be looking for applicants who are highly motivated with well-thought and thorough reasons for pursuing a career in law and more particularly with their firm.
Once you have an idea of what your important factors are use websites and directories to further your research in to the firms. You can also do your research at careers fairs, reading firms' brochures and websites, talking to any contacts in the legal profession, attending open days, vacation schemes and so on. Keep up to date with legal news in the press – and look at online archives to search news stories on individual firms.
Of course, there are many things (some interlinked) that may determine your choice of firm but here are just some things to think about:
Size and Practice Areas
What type of firm would you like to join? The type of firm you join has a huge impact on your training contract and your career as a solicitor. The size of the firm will determine the amount of client contact you have, the areas of law you will practice in and opportunities you will have for travel.
It is therefore important to think carefully about where you would like to specialise during your training contract and post qualification. Once you are qualified i.e. after completion of your training contract you are able to move on to another firm, but which firm you train in will have a direct bearing on the type of firms. It is impossible, for example, to move from a High Street firm to a Commercial firm directly after qualifying as you will not have had the required experience, client contact or training.
In private practice there are three broad types of firms:
High street firms - these are usually small firms dealing with individuals with housing, employment and immigration problems. Not may opportunities exist in this area for international students as smaller firms do not usually offer work permits and few of these firms offer training contracts due to financial limitations.
Medium sized firms - these firms may offer specialist advice on a niche area e.g. media, family or IT but others will offer a huge spectrum of services from Corporate Finance to Private Client. Opportunities for international students exist in this area particularly if you have experience of an industry that a niche firm practices in (see right) although overseas offices might be fewer.
Large commercial firms - according to The Lawyer as of 2007 the top ten firms based in the UK were*:
1 |
Clifford Chance |
2 |
Linklaters |
3 |
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer |
4 |
Allen & Overy |
5 |
DLA Piper |
6 |
Lovells |
7 |
Slaughter & May |
8 |
Eversheds LLP |
9 |
Herbert Smith |
10 |
Ashurst |
*Rankings based on turnover,
visit www.thelawyer.com for more information.
These large firms offer the best pay, the biggest clients and the most training contracts. Due to their international presence they are also the highest employer of international students.
Magic Circle is a term which is used to refer to the top five UK law firms: Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters and, sometimes, Slaughter and May. Last year, The Lawyer reported that the magic circle accounted for 32 per cent of billings of the entire The Lawyer 100.
Opportunities also exist outside private practice in the Government and charitable organizations as well as with some large companies. These opportunities are quite rare and it is far more common for these industries to employ qualified lawyers. This may be an area to investigate for your future career progression.
Visit Why UK Firms Need You for more information about international firms
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Clients
This is a factor closely related to size and practice areas. Ask yourself who you imagine your future clients to be. Would you like to work for individuals or large international businesses? For the homeless or for artists? Identifying the sort of clients with whom you would like to work to help you target law firms and practice areas.
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Your Previous Experience
When targeting firms you need to assess the experience that you have gained in the past through legal or non legal experience. In other words you need to assess what you can bring to a firm.
It may be that your previous science study has drawn your interest to Intellectual Property law due to it's technical and intricate nature. You may have undertaken a vacation placement with a 'city' firm and enjoyed the high profile litigation case you worked on. Or it could be that you practiced in a specialist area in your home country and would like to continue this work in the UK. Think about what you can offer the firm, and not just what they can offer you. See also What Firms Want From You for more tips on selling your experience.
Visit Why UK Firms Need You for more information about international firms and what you can offer them
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Working conditions
It is no secret that whilst the larger commercial firms can offer you the highest wages they too can offer you the least work-life balance. Trainees can expect to work long hours. Think about what you want from work, does money matter more than time? Do you want to earn £85,500 upon qualification with Covington & Burling or £33,000 with Pannone & Partners?*
Even in the current economic downturn City firms announced salary rises in June 2008. Firms across the City have recently announced modest salary increases, but several have frozen pay. http://www.lawcareers.net/information/news/Detail.aspx?r=2028
CMS Cameron McKenna has announced its new salary rates for the current year, with newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers at the firm seeing a £2,000 uplift taking their basic pay to £66,000. The City firm's new rates equates to a rise of around 3% on last year's figure of £64,000 and puts the junior lawyers on par with those at firms including Clifford Chance, Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Meanwhile, first-seat trainees see their pay increase from £36,000 to £37,500, with second-year trainees pocketing £41,500 up from £40,000: http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1131325/Camerons+boosts+newly-qualified+pay+to+66k.html
What kind of culture would you like to work in - a 24/7 word hard, play hard atmosphere or a more relaxed, sociable environment? Consider what is important in your life and asses firms by this.
You will be able to find out what firms can offerin terms of salary by looking through the Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook published in November or by using one of the law websites we have listed on our website. You can also find a list of the firms offering the best funding package for the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at RollonFriday.com.
And what about once you start with the firm, will you be kept on after training?
Trainee retention rates have dipped significantly since 2005, despite the massive salary increases seen in the legal profession in recent years. Make sure you find out what the firm can offer newly qualified solicitors as well as trainees.
*information correct as of November 2007
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Location
Location may be affected by many other factors such as specialism and size of firm. Most of the large commercial firms are based in London although firms such as Eversheds do have offices around the country. Where are your friends and family based? Do you see yourself in London for the next three years or are planning on moving to the suburbs?
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Other
Career progression - when will you make partner? Reputation - what does the legal press say about them, what do trainees you meet tell you?
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