How to get a foot in the door at a law firm
We
interviewed five key decision-makers at legal firms to find out exactly what it
takes to get your foot in the door at a law firm in 2014. Shirking the generic
and tired advice that you can read on 101 other websites, our expert panel
dissected exactly what a law student entering the job market in the next few
years will need if they’re going to make it in an extremely competitive
marketplace where thousands of graduates are left jobless every year.
“Ally McBeal and similar are not a true
reflection of life in a law firm,” writes Mark Mullaney, a panel manager for National Accident Helpline, proving that our experts were
pulling no punches in their assessment.
1. You’re reading a law graduate’s CV. What would make you bin it immediately?
First impressions are vital. All five of our solicitors agreed that spelling, punctuation and grammar are key, and the main reason they’d reject a candidate’s CV outright.
FBC Manby
Bowdler Partner Craig Ridge indicated that “getting the firm’s name wrong” is a
cardinal sin, while Mark Mullaney, head of National Accident Helpline’s
northern panel, said he’d bin a CV immediately “if it were written on coloured
paper”.
Emsleys Solicitors’
Corinne Pujara says that “attention to detail is really important,” adding that
a candidate’s CV would be binned immediately if it “was poorly presented and it
had spelling mistakes on it.”
2. What’s the best or most
unusual thing you’ve read on a law graduate’s CV?
“I read
someone’s CV whose hobby was underwater cave diving. People who are able to
demonstrate something out of the ordinary are more interesting to read about,” Mullaney
informs us.
Pujara
says: “We had one person who had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro! That was really
impressive. She’d done it for charity and it was a bit of a “wow” story.”
So you
might not have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro like one clearly impressive candidate
had, but try to pull out the most interesting and individual facet of your
personal or extra-curricular life and
take some time to explain it. It’s not all about quirky hobbies or amazing
achievements, however, as Crispin Edmonds of Burroughs Day explains: “A recent
candidate had done unpaid work at a law centre throughout her LPC, which was
impressive.”
3. Is there any work experience
you’d say is essential?
While all
five of our legal experts agreed that no one piece of work experience was
“essential”, they all agreed that having work experience could make a real difference.
“It’s
essential that you’ve actually gone into a law practice and shadowed the
solicitor,” Pujara reveals, before adding a stark warning: “I think, without
that, your CV is not going to even be looked at.”
Ridge
explains that, while you should have some legal work experience, showing other
areas of expertise might also stand you in good stead. He said: “A variety of
work experience is important to me. A breadth of experience in different areas
tends to breed a more rounded candidate.”
4. If you could give a law
student one piece of advice before their first interview, what would it be?
“Prepare!”
exclaims Ridge. “There’s nothing more discourteous than interviewing a
candidate who knows little or nothing about the firm they are applying for a
job at.
“Understand
who the partners are, what areas of work the firm covers, how the training
process operates, who the significant clients are, whether the firm has been
involved in anything high profile recently,” he advises.
“Give
practical examples of the skills you wish to be judged on,” Edmonds mentions,
while Mullaney simply adds: “Relax and be yourself”.
If you’re
worried about remembering a big stack of information before an interview,
Corinne Pujara says she’s “often impressed” when people bring notes with them.
“It shows they put the effort in and that they care.”
Fail to
prepare, prepare to fail was the prevailing view from our solicitor panel. More
specifically, research the key decision makers, know as much as you can about
the firm you’re applying for and consider writing a list of questions which are
specifically related to their firm that you can ask.
5. What’s the worst piece of
advice you’ve heard being given to law students looking to find work?
“That
they should apply to as many places as possible,” Ridge tells us. “A candidate
who is more focused and targeted in their approach is much more appealing. They
will have usually given proper thought to why they want to work at the firm.”
Edmonds
contradicts this view however, stating that candidates should avoid “focusing
on one area of law, or a few law firms,” he says. “Generally you need to have a
broad view of potential career paths within the law.”
6. Are there any misconceptions
when it comes to working for a law firm that students should be aware of?
A lot of
students watch TV programmes and assume, or perhaps at least hope, their
lifestyles will parallel those played out on screen.
“Ally
McBeal and similar are not a true reflection of life in a law firm,” Mullaney
says without a trace of a smile.
“I think
people think it’s more glamorous than it actually is!” Pujara says, adding
weight to Mullaney’s comments. “It’s a tough job, but a very worthwhile job.”
Ridge
echoes Mullaney and Pujara, and explains to us how students underestimate how
much “commerciality” is involved when working in private practice. “By this I
mean the importance of time recording, file management and a diligent approach
to payment – risk assessing every client and case in terms of merit and,
ultimately, how much the firm is to be paid.
“Candidates
who can tune into these types of issue in their interviews or applications give
themselves a good chance of being recognised.”
7. Should I do the LPC if I don’t
have a training contract yet?
“Yes, if
your CV is excellent,” says Edmonds, a view which Angelina Rigby of Geldards
LLP seconds.
Ridge
goes into more detail, warning candidates: “My advice would be that the candidate
gives proper thought before starting the LPC as to their strategy and prospects
of getting a job so they can properly weigh up the decision.
“This is
a decision for each particular candidate, especially given the financial
commitment they are undertaking and the risk of not getting a job.”
It’s a
difficult job market out there for aspiring lawyers, with fewer vacancies and
opportunities than there were before. While an LPC undoubtedly adds some clout
to your CV, it does require a heavy and somewhat risky financial investment.
8. Any final advice?
“Be wary
of preparing to the point that answers or content become standard or clichéd,” Ridge
advises, adding that “the candidate who answers the questions honestly and
naturally rather than in a contrived, textbook way is the more visible and, in
my view, the more appealing.” Food for thought for anyone reaching interview
stage.
Pujara
says: “Know that if you work really hard and you get the experience, you will
be successful. During the seven years I’ve been at a law firm, it’s become much
more competitive.”
The panel
Mark Mullaney (Panel Manager North)
Craig Ridge, Partner at FBC Manby Bowdler
Crispin Edmonds, Burroughs Day
Angelina Rigby, Geldards
Corinne Pujara, Emsleys
