EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
part-time work during the holidays in law firms in a paralegal or support role. View this type of work not as a step down the ladder, but as a valuable opportunity to demonstrate to future employers that you’re serious about a legal career. Administrative jobs in a legal setting will allow you to hone vital transferable skills and provide you with valuable contacts. Thinking laterally again, paid admin work in the court sector will also be beneficial and will prove to employers that you are prepared to learn about the justice system from a different perspective, other than simply by attending court. Find a mentor Some course providers run mentoring schemes and if yours does, be sure Case studies Here are some real-life examples of people who’ve actually gone out there and done it. Free Representation Unit Allison Crabtree is one of the Free Representation Unit’s (FRU’s) most experienced volunteers and was on the management committee from 2014 to 2016.. She started volunteering with FRU when she was studying for the GDL, continuing through her LPC year. She says: “FRU work helps you to develop a real feeling for the strengths and weaknesses of a case, and then see it play out with all the unpredictable things that spring up along the way. Clients and cases are very diverse – for example, you might have a seriously mentally ill client in a social security case, who would struggle to attend their tribunal without your help, and then an employment client with a professional background who is legally knowledgeable and well prepared. Sometimes the work
meet students who worry that jobs such as bar work should be omitted from their CV. My response is always to ask: “You worked long hours in stressful situations, dealing with difficult people? Took decisions and used your own initiative when the boss was away or just couldn’t be found? Congratulations – you’ll find yourself doing all those things as a lawyer!” Make the most of the experience you have gained, whether paid or unpaid. You will recognise the value of time spent outside purely law-related activities and your future employers will too. lawyers involved, we’ve also found ourselves driven by something else – a motivation to invoke the rule of law in the hope that at least some of the thousands of people on death row never experience the ultimate punishment.“ Amicus and Reprieve Naomi Miles, an associate at Jones Day, took the initiative (while still a trainee) to get her firm involved in work for the pro bono organisations Amicus and Reprieve, both of which help to defend prisoners on death row. She says: “Soon after I joined Jones Day, I approached the partners in charge of pro bono work and asked for permission to get the office involved with Amicus and Reprieve. The London office has now been working closely with both charities for several years, preparing research and arguments on international law for use in death penalty cases. Working for Reprieve and Amicus has given us the opportunity to be involved in some complex, headline matters revolving around fascinating and unfamiliar foreign law. For the
to take full advantage. Many lawyers are aware of the difficulties faced by aspiring solicitors and barristers and are happy to help provide a rung on the ladder by acting as mentors. There are a number of advantages, including the opportunity to discuss your career ambitions with a practising lawyer and constructive help with your CV and interview technique. Although work experience with a mentor’s firm can’t be guaranteed, it often occurs and it is not unheard of for the mentoring relationship to result in a training contract. Show off your assets Finally, don’t discount ‘other’ work experience. As a careers adviser at the University of Law, I frequently experience in particular helped me to answer those standard interview questions such as, ‘What makes a good barrister?’ I would recommend it as a good introduction into seeing how trials are run and putting into perspective the roles of the advocates and the ultimate aim – that of persuading the judge.” is about helping a client present the facts in the clearest way and sometimes there are points of law or complicated evidential issues – I have cross-examined an HR director over the calendar settings on his IT network!” Marshalling Fatim Kurji, a barrister at Birmingham superset No5 Chambers, explains what marshalling involves: “The point of marshalling is to spend some time with a judge to see the litigation process from a judicial perspective. I spent my time reading the skeleton arguments and papers before the court, and then watching the trial unfold. The process is immensely insightful: you quickly learn which advocacy styles are effective and which to avoid. When it came to applying for pupillages, my marshalling
Angela Smith is the careers team manager at The University of Law Leeds
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