#training contracts

Thank you so much! I used to do the browsing thing too back when I was an offer holder, so I totally relate haha.

I just finished second year. I only really started thinking about commercial law at the end of my first year, so you’ve already got a bit of a head start in terms of planning. 

Extra-curriculars: there are a bunch of things you could do -- they don’t have to be related to law, but getting involved with the law society/mooting will definitely help to tick the demonstrated interest in law box that’ll be key for you as a non-law student. I didn’t really get involved with the law soc at all, but it’s good to get involved with something -- at vac scheme/TC interviews, they’ll tend to ask you what you do in your free time, so it’s good to be able to talk about some of the clubs that you’re in or activities that you do. Also, positions of responsibility really add to your application -- they make great talking points both in your application (where you can use them to show how great your organisation/attention to detail etc is) and in your interview (where they provide great fodder for answers to competency questions). I had a lot of positions of responsibility from my last year of school, and not very many from my first year at uni, but yeah, it’s great to get involved where you can! All this being said, though, your grades are definitely still key, so make sure that you’re balancing your time well.

Oh, also, this totally isn’t necessary, but if you can get involved in something with a bit of an international element to it, like Model UN, or a language club or something, fab. Most of the work done by the big firms is cross-border, so they’re looking for people with an international mindset.

Work experience: again, lots of things. Definitely take a look around firm websites now-ish/early in Michaelmas to see if you can apply for any freshers events. Many of these will be for law students, but they may have some for non-lawyers as well. These are pretty great for getting to know different firms (and will therefore help you a lot when it comes to vac scheme applications) and also for demonstrating an interest in law.

You’ll definitely need something on your CV for the long summer vacation between first and second year. I wouldn’t worry too much if you can’t get anything law-related -- something generic and business-y is fine, because you can twist the skills you used/learned in lots of ways. Stuff that involves research for a company is always great and very easy to adapt to fit a law application. If you can get something law-related, that’s great, and will definitely help give you an insight into the business. I did three internships last summer: one at a fashion corporation, two at a law firm (one large, international firm that I’m now on a vac scheme for, and one small local firm in the city I live in) -- you don’t need to do that many, but it’s definitely good to be busy.

Getting stuff for the summer after first year can be a bit tough because most places don’t really take you until you’re a penultimate year student, so try putting out feelers among family and friends. You may be able to shadow them, or they may be able to hep you find something! 

Applying for vac schemes: do it in second year, and try to get them in as early as possible. Some firms recruit on a rolling basis, while others do block recruitment (so they wait for all the applications to come in, and then start interviewing/giving out places), but regardless, it’s good to get them over and done with. I did mine in stages -- so I started with the seven that I was most keen on and got those in by late October, and then did the remaining four that I wasn’t massively keen on in late November/early December. Funnily enough, I didn’t make it to interview for any of the last four firms, whereas I got at least to the first stage of interviews for five out of the first seven. 

Also, quick note: the careers service puts on some fab events -- you can find their schedule on their website. I’d definitely recommend going to the ones that interest you. Go to the big solicitor’s fair that they put on in October -- it’s amaaaazing, and you can really have a good chat with the reps for different firms (particularly if you go before the crowds arrive). The careers advisors are also amazing and provide great CV advice -- I went to see one at the beginning of second year, and he provided a lot of guidance on vac scheme applications!

freaked out – the not having a job thing is compounded by being international, so I wouldn’t have been able to stay in the UK unless I had a job lined up. I probably would have applied like mad to any job still open so that I could stay in the UK.

I have been financially independent from my parents from 17. To survive during the GDL, I worked a full time job the summer before my GDL to save money. I then chose the 2-day a week option during the GDL and worked the other three days a week (nannying). I also lived with my boyfriend so we split the cost of our room (and also had a roommate, 1 beds are really expensive compared to 2 beds). I also lived on a really intense budget – but I managed to live in zone 1 and take a trip to Italy. So it’s definitely possible, but you have to be really strict with yourself. 

So the keys really are 1. Choose the fewest number of days available 2. Get a job (nannying is really good, well paid and usually flexible on days, tutoring is anther good choice if you can get enough customers), and 3. Have a very intense budget and stick to it. 

Right so this complicated so under the cut:

Day 8 - Felt much better after Saturday’s migraine episode. Managed to get the house cleaned from top to bottom (with the exception of my spare room), did a grocery shop and prepped butternut squash, beetroot and goats cheese salads for lunch every day this week.

Day 9 - Monday and back to work. Things in the office are still quite slow as my main clients are still taking summer break. I’m expecting things to pick up from next week onwards, so I spent today trying to get organised so that i’m ready. Inbox is cleared, all the matter trackers are up to date and all my billing is finally updated. 

Oh yeah, massively, completely. 

So right now I never make week day plans unless it’s something really important, and if it is, I make sure and tell my supervisor, and the people I’m working for, at least three days in advance that I have something on X day, and I’m trying to get out for it. Of course, you have to frame it like ‘so if there’s anything I can do ahead to make that happen, just let me know’ (because you don’t get let out just for having for social obligations, and it doesn’t always work). Even on weekends I’m careful of making plans to be honest. 

BUT there’s important caveats here – I’m a commercial lawyer (other types of law tend to be chiller), my firm has a more intense vibe (going silver circle / not top top american will help with this), and I’m in a busy, intense, unpredictable dept (anything advisory will tend to be, if not chiller, than at least predictable. My pals in, say, competition work every weekday until like 9 or so but rarely have to stay later or get out earlier. I completely bounce between a few days of 2am and a few days of like 6:30 (okay this seat has been pretty bad, more like 8:30) but the issue is I have no control / can’t predict when it’ll be a good day or a bad day). 

As for non-lawyer friends, I mean depends on what they do but yeah. Other than like, consultants or IB, most jobs have more predictable hours. And even consultants have more control over their lives. So the biggest struggle has definitely been with not being able to commit to week day plans with friends in other industries, yeah. I try to balance that by making sure to see them at weekends or saying ‘yes, let’s try to meet up this week’ and then texting them if, at around noon, it looks like it might be a chiller one. 

Long story short: I would assume your weekday life is effectively over, yeah. Then if you get a good department or principal and it turns out you can have a weekday life, what a lovely surprise. But I’d assume no, then you can’t be disappointed. 

Of the… 30 or so trainees of my intake who I’m close enough with to know how they’re actually finding it, 2 like it. My friend who’s a 4th seater says about half is intake was on reduced hours due to mental/physical health problems caused by the atmosphere. My best friend at a different firm goes home to her white remote family house nearly every weekend because it doesn’t have cell service and it’s the only way she can get any time off (and she doesn’t even get on with her family).

None of that’s to say that there’s going to be a massive exit from the law of any of the intakes of my firm or my friend’s – law naturally tends to attract risk averse people and it’s always less risky to stay in the hell you know than find something else. I’m sure my intake’s retention rate will be just as good as ever – but fair warning, firms cook those numbers, they’re never accurate (between not counting people who get told early they don’t have a qualification option and therefore don’t ‘apply’, to counting everyone they give offers to as opposed to everyone who actually stays, all retention rates need to be taken with a serious pinch of salt).

So no, I don’t think it’s actually uncommon to hate being a trainee in a serious way – but it is common to not want to talk about it, to keep feeding the lies that you were told in recruitment and just put up with the culture because (a) the pay is really good in low levels and it seems unfair to complain (b) it’s not polite/cool to admit you have an awful job © the work does get less shit as you move up the food chain (d) you start getting to delegate to trainees and can make them do all your crappy work (e) the culture fundamentally fucks up your idea of what normal is if you spend too much time there (the amount of cheery 'you’ll get used to it’s you get when you’ve been in passed 3am is disgusting).

I’m probably not the best placed to answer this – turns out, I sorta hate law. So take everything I say with that in mind; I am likely going to veer to the side of unfairly negative. 

Day to day schedule is super variable by firm, group, matter, and even principal within group. I think the key phrase is something my previous principal said to me: at an MC, a large part of what our clients pay for is for us to be available at all times, whenever they like us (whether that’s midnight, saturday at noon, or while you’re on holiday). 

Tasks: often boring and repetitive but then, most of practical corporate law is expect for research. It’s expected that being a junior in most jobs involves a fair amount of basic, boring things (so for us that's organizing signings, dealing with originals, drafting based on precedents, etc) – the more depressing thing is how boring what the associates and MA’s are doing (drafting is just not interesting. It’s just not. I’d rather watch paint dry – and partners’ work is only cool when it involves fancy lunches). 

The atmosphere is a bit… it’s super variable group to group, largely based on what the ratio of partners to juniors in the group is like – if there’s less places for partners and more people gunning for it, yes you tend to get a more competitive vibe. I would say that a ‘we’re all in this together, go team’ feeling is fairly rare.