No Training Contract. What Should I Do?

So, you are about to finish the LPC and don't have a training contract... What should you do?

First, persevere.

Second, if you are interested in working for a smaller law firm or working outside of London, read the small adverts at the back of the Law Society Gazette. This should be available in your law library, or otherwise visit the Law Society's building on Chancery Lane for a copy.

Third, if you have identified the firms you are interested in (and have been realistic in your aims - if you have a 2:2 from Scuzbrick Polyversity you are not going to get into a Magic Circle firm - period - let alone on short notice), telephone the firms. Before you do that, do your homework: read each firm's website, find its recruitment policy and the name of the graduate recruitment officer (if available) and so on.

Example: [telephone] *ring ring*, "Partner and Partner Solicitors, how may I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Anne Applicant, may I please speak to Eville Dour in your HR department."

"Hold the line, crawler."

"Hello, this is Eville Dour."

"Hello Ms. Dour. My name is Anne Applicant. I am just about to finish the LPC. I have seen your trainee recruitment policy on your website; however, I was wondering if Partner & Partner have any vacancies for training contracts for this September?"

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I am Eville Dour. Go away!"

Be ready for a whole lot of rejection; but, if you don't ask, you don't get.

Fourth, your most likely option to find a job at a law firm is to become a paralegal. Most large City firms employ a lot of paralegals on an ad hoc basis.

Beware: this is a lowly position. Basically, both large scale litigation and large corporate/finance transactions create a *lot* of mundane work. On the litigation side, this is usually at the discovery stage of proceedings: e.g., putting together court bundles, or sometimes reviewing mountains of documents for 'incriminating' evidence. On the transactional side, let's call the work photocopying, filing, administration and being a general dogsbody, and you will get the jist.
The larger City firms also employ, "know-how paralegals". Basically, this is a sop to Professional Support Laywers ("PSLs"). PSLs are qualified lawyers who do a non-fee earning role. They create and maintain precedent/standard form documents, do legal research and stay on top of developments in the law, etc.

Most PSLs become PSLs for lifestyle reasons: unshackled from client demands, PSLs should have sane and fairly regular hours. The job also lends itself to part-time work, and a fair number of PSLs have young children. They generally take a pay cut for this, and generally get a 'perk' of having a paralegal to do their donkey work. It could be you...

Look on the large firms' websites directly and/or call the HR department directly to apply for paralegal positions. Otherwise, register with one of the major legal recruitment agencies.

English law firms tend to treat the paralegal position as a temporary one. It is unusual - and often a bit sad, really - if you are a paralegal for more than say, 18 months. Most paralegals do the job for 6-12 months only.

In America, 'career' paralegals are much more prevalent - the position is viewed as a career and not a temporary stop-gap. Accordingly, the London offices of US law firms will tend to pay better, but, then, you will probably work harder and more hours than in an English firm.

In the meantime, revert to Plan A re getting a training contract.