How do I ask for Legal Experience?

Nov 11, 2022

Written By Annika De Lathauwer

The market is competitive, so this work experience will set you apart from other applicants and show your commitment to studying and practising law. There are a number of routes you can take to gain experience, and a few steps you should follow to ensure that you are successful in your applications.

Why Gain Work Experience

By doing work experience you can decide whether you truly want a career in law. Not only can you broaden your knowledge of law, but you can also gain a better perception of the legal field and specific law firms. It allows you to develop key skills required in the legal field. Lastly, it shows law firms that you are committed to studying and practising law.

Types of Work Experience

There are multiple jobs and roles that can be undertaken to gain legal work experience. It is important to do your research and decide which is the best fit for you and the path that you would like to take. Below are listed a few options you may want to consider.

Contract Work/Caseworker

In contract work, as the name suggests you are hired based on a contract, so you do not actually work for the company that hires you. In this role you would be responsible for doing things, such as reviewing litigation documents. You would work for less pay than a regular employee, which is why contract workers are attractive to firms and why they are in such high demand and are often used. The Crown Prosecution Service and other legal services are always on the lookout for legal caseworkers.

Paralegal

You can apply through an agency or directly to a firm to become a paralegal and gain lots of experience in the legal field. To become a paralegal you must have a grasp of legal concepts but need not be a fully qualified lawyer.

Temping

By becoming a temporary worker you are allowing a legal staffing agency to take a cut of your hourly rate. You also will not receive benefits like a regular employee. However, you can still learn valuable skills in this type of role and get lots of work experience under your belt. Additionally, after completing your temporary work you may be offered a permanent job at the firm.

Legal Secretary

This role requires administrative skills and experience. Secretaries can work alongside attorneys and gain valuable legal experience. It is also possible to do this work alongside part-time studies.

Part-time Legal Jobs

Part-time legal jobs can include being a messenger or file clerk, alongside many other similar roles. These jobs are very good for gaining experience, even if the salary isn’t as higher as other legal jobs.

Internship/Vacation Scheme/Mini Pupillage

A vacation scheme is usually a few weeks of paid work experience, which can often end in a training contract. If you are looking into completing a training contract, a vacation scheme is extremely helpful in gaining experience, while mini-pupillages are an excellent choice for aspiring barristers. If you’re in education, your school will have a careers board, otherwise opportunities can be found via an internet search or on specific firm’s websites.

Volunteering/Shadowing

This is an unpaid position but again allows you to gain legal experience. It can also help you figure out if law is the right career path for you.

Pro Bono Work

There are many pro bono opportunities available that need people with legal experience to cover them. This could range from employment law to welfare, so there will surely be something that you are interested in.

Extracurriculars

Get involved in clubs and societies to gain legal experience. This will allow you to use these opportunities as evidence to present to legal firms that you are actually interested in the profession when it comes time to apply for a job. Moot court competitions are useful to develop your oral, argument-making and developing skills. Writing competitions are also useful to develop writing skills, which are used in most legal jobs.

Court Visits and Open Days

Visiting the public gallery and watching proceedings can be a good way to initially get involved in the legal world. Open days allow you to connect with firms, and not only permit you to figure out whether that firm is right for you, but also enables you to look out for more work experience opportunities.

How to ask for Legal Experience

The first thing that you can do is reach out to people in the legal world. If there’s a lawyer whose work you admire, why not reach out to them via email? You’ll get to learn more about the legal profession and how best to go about making connections and writing applications.

It is vital to write a professional CV and cover letter that you can send out to appropriate firms. You can either email these out, place a phone call, write a letter, or visit in person. Make sure to send this to the appropriate location, such as the graduate recruitment email.

After around two weeks it is important to follow up with a phone call or email to ensure that they have received your application and are considering it. There is no point waiting for a response when there is a chance that they have not even received your enquiry.

Be sure to get in contact with whoever is in charge of recruitment and allocating work experience. It will be useful to have this person in your network, as they will be most knowledgeable on this topic and able to answer any questions you may have.

It is also possible to receive experience through an online application. Make sure to spend your time on these and really apply yourself while writing these, as these positions will be competitive. These will often be followed up with an assessment centre and interviews. Do your research and tailor your answers to the specific firm, and be sure to talk about what makes you stand out.

Legal Work Experience