Legal Careers Advice

In spring 2007, Steve Bone, Careers Advisor from the College of Law in York visited us to offer our students some expert guidance.Steve discussed the careers progression routes for students such as the LPC (Legal Practice Course), but was much more interested in assisting students with developing their ability to make excellent impressions in the way that they complete application forms and CV`s.

He presented a very focused do`s and Don'ts session in relation to CV building and emphasised that the academic stage of training, the degree study, was not simply about obtaining a degree but about acquiring the skills necessary for career success and that involved taking the opportunity of mooting, fieldtrips and being prepared to arrange work experience such as mini-pupilages, marshalling and working in solicitors firms.

Steve then gave tips on how to prepare and present an interview and what to expect in an interview. He emphasised the importance of the formal meeting but explained the informal assessment agenda which often accompanies the office tour, a chat over tea and coffee, and even lunch invitations. In short, you are being assessed all the time that you are in the firm's presence and not just when you are in the Boardroom.

He also discussed local and national recruitment trends in law and how our students may consider such trend in order to focus their applications. The most important being that as a general rule, the larger the firm, the earlier the application. The largest firms being able to advertise and appoint to training contracts two years prior to the start date. However, there was encouragement for those who had not received an offer of a training contract prior to starting their LPC course. The reality is, don't loose heart and keep applying because there are lots of small to medium sized firms who do not make decisions on such until perhaps a few months prior to the start date.