Do Law Firms offer work experience?

Aug 18, 2022

Written By Zara Arif

In an increasingly competitive graduate recruitment sphere, having relevant work experience can help you secure a training contract. Thanks to the internet and social media, there are more and more ways to gain skills and experience in the legal field, and it is a lot easier than you may think.

Why is work experience important?

Before going into further detail about the different types of work experience which law firms offer, it’s important to understand why gaining experience in the legal field is important and what you can gain from it.

Firstly, hands-on practical experience is an excellent way to figure out whether a legal career is really for you. By having a go at drafting contracts, managing deadlines, and perfecting your written communication skills, you can determine whether law is the right path to follow.

Furthermore, work experience can also help you gain invaluable insight into the cultures of different firms and whether you are the right fit for them. Work experience allows you to spend some time in the office and network with partners or trainees. This allows you to gain insider knowledge and expertise from people who are in the position that you hope to be in.

Virtual experiences

One welcome change that has come from the pandemic is that many law firms, including Magic Circle firms such as Clifford Chance, Slaughter & May, and Linklaters, are now offering virtual work experience on online platforms. These can be accessed via each firm’s website, and they are perhaps the simplest way to gain an insight into how each firm works.

These online experiences allow you to trial the work that lawyers at these firms do every day, from the comfort of your home. Most of the experiences can be completed in a day and you will be guided through a range of key legal issues and trainee-level tasks.

The biggest advantages of virtual work experience are that you don’t need to apply to them, anyone can access them and complete them at their own pace. Once completed, they make a great addition to your CV and show a genuine interest and commitment to wanting to get to know a firm and their work in more detail.

First year and Vacation schemes

The most commonly known and the most competitive work experiences which law firms provide, are first year insight programmes and vacation schemes. As the name suggests, you apply to first year programmes in the first year of your undergraduate degree, whereas vacation scheme applications are open to a variety of year groups (depending on the firm), but are normally for those in their penultimate year.

Each of these schemes allows you to work in the offices of a law firm over a couple of days or even weeks. This is an extremely valuable opportunity as it allows you to understand a specific firm in more detail and the firm to see if you would be a good fit for them.

You would be tasked with carrying out typical administrative and legal tasks that are given to trainees such as proofreading and drafting or amending documents.

Being in the office on a daily basis also allows for important networking opportunities and many firms even put on workshops to provide applicants with interview tips and other soft skills.

Applicants who particularly impress can also be fast-tracked to interview for training contracts or offered a contract straight away.

In this way, first year and vacation schemes are valuable work experiences which allow for huge amounts of personal and professional development.

Beyond traditional work experience

Although first year and vacation schemes have many benefits, it is definitely not the end of your legal career if you don’t manage to gain a place on one.

There are many other ways to get relevant and important experience within and insight into a law firm. A simple email or LinkedIn message to a trainee or partner asking if they would be able to answer some of your questions or speak to you about their work can also be a meaningful way to gain experience. You could also reach out to your local high street firm, and ask them if they’ll be willing to let you shadow a lawyer.

Ultimately, law firms do not require training contract candidates to be people who have already have lots of legal experience. You just have to demonstrate a willingness and commitment to learn and show how your existing skills, which you could have gained from a retail job or a role in a student society, would make you a great trainee solicitor.

Legal Work Experience