Penultimate Year Law Career Planning

1
Penultimate Year LawCareer Planning

• Darren Johnson
• Careers Adviser

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Why Now?

• Crucial Year
• If considering Barrister/Solicitor career path
• Alternative careers Internships/STEP/other work
  experience
• Career Planning is a process requires time
• Reminder of Resources and Help from the Careers
  Advisory Service

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Considering A Career As a Solicitor /Barrister

• Exploration
• Occupational Role skills and qualities use
  reports and contacts of Durham alumni from CAS
• Organisation size/specialisms/location/clients
• Self
• Make comparisons - be realistic
• Weigh up the Risk competition and potential
  cost of postgraduate training (BVC/LPC)

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Competition

• Solicitor
• 2007 6,012 training contracts
• 5,921 LPC passes
• Note Up to a ¼ of T.Cs go to conversion (mainly
  Bar) and still previous LPC candidates applying
• Barrister 34 of successful BVC candidates
  obtained pupillage
• Hence the importance of vacation scheme/mini
  pupillage/other
• legal related experience

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Timetable - Solicitor

• Penultimate Year
• Before Xmas and into New Year (many deadlines by
  31st January, some earlier) apply for vacation
  schemes don't forget Open Days too!
• Between end of Easter and July 31st (majority of
  law firm deadlines) research and apply for
  training contracts

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Timetable Solicitor

• Final Year
• October - Dec 1st apply for LPC (lawcabs.ac.uk)
• Spring apply for membership of Law Society

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Timetable Barrister

• Penultimate Year
• Michaelmas /Epiphany Term apply for
  mini-pupillages (lawcareers.net)
• Epiphany Term apply to chambers who recruit 2
  years in advance (www.pupillages.com)

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Barrister Timetable

• Final Year
• Michaelmas Apply for BVC (bvconline.co.uk)
• Apply for Inns of Court Scholarships by 1st week
  of November
• Epiphany Apply for pupillages
  (www.pupillages.com) OLPAS / Non OLPAS
• Attend pupillage fairs apply to chambers
  recruiting 1 year in advance

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Prepare For The Fair

• Research the firms attending
• Make a list of who you want to target
• Plan RELEVANT questions to ask
• - creates a professional and lasting impression
• - builds rapport
• You gain maximum benefit from your interactions
• Practise asking questions
• Demonstrate a positive attitude

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Questions some tips

• Training and development - early years and beyond
  qualification.
• What makes a strong application?
• How can you best impress at the interview?

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Training Contracts/Pupillages What do employers
want?

• Strong academics
• Achievement drive and determination
• Soft Skills- persuasion/negotiation/customer
• focused/attention to detail/problem
  solving/teamwork
• Commercial Awareness

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Useful Events http//www.dur.ac.uk/careers-advi
ce/forthcomingcareerevents/

• Employer Presentations Taylor Wessing LLP , How
  NOT To Get a Training Contract, 11th Nov (Today-
  Collingwood 6.30)
• Law Firm Applications-Basic Blunders How To
  Avoid (18th Nov ER142, 12-2pm )
• Law Fair 24th and 25th November 12pm-3.30pm,
  D.S.U
• Commercial Awareness Workshop , Nabarro (4th
  Dec),
• BPP Law School (9th Dec)- Interview Skills
  Workshop

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Useful Sources for Training Contract/Pupillage

• Limited Copies At Law Fair
• Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook
• Target Law
• Legal 500/Chambers and Partners
• www.lawcareers.net
• www.solicitors-online.com
• www.chambersandpartners.com
• www.pupillages.com

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Transferable Skills Gained From Law Degree

• Communication confident , concise and precise
  (written/verbal)
• Ability to pay close attention to detail
• Research, analyse and extract information
  logically.
• Problem solving
• Knowledge of law/legal systems
• www.prospects.ac.uk gt Prospects Planner /
  MyPotential

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Alternative Careers To Solicitor/Barrister
Durham Law Graduate Destinations 2006

• Law Commission
• Research Assistant
• Constituency Assistant for MP
• Police
• Trainee Chartered Accountant
• Law Librarian

• Executive Officer , Home Office
• European Commission
• Teach First
• Marketing
• P.R
• Recruitment Consultant (Banking and Finance
• Commercial Lender Alliance and Leicester

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Other Popular Career Areas For Law Graduates U.K
wide

• Property
• Consulting
• Legal Publishing
• Investment Banking
• Civil Service Fast Stream
• Human Resources

• Lecturing
• Company Secretary
• HM Customs and Excise
• Compliance

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Internships

• Structured employer based schemes
• Work similar to that of a graduate trainee
• Last up to 10 weeks
• Offered mainly by large national/multinational
• employers
• Can lead to the offer of a graduate scheme

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Internships Deadlines!

• Most sectors deadlines by end of January mid
  February
• Some sectors such as finance/consulting deadlines
  mid-late November
• www.prospects.ac.uk gt Communitiesgt Work
  Experience
• www.durham.ac.uk/careers-advice/vacancies
• http//www.eurobrussels.com/internships.php -
  NGO/Think Tanks/EU Institutions etc
• Target and Prospects Publications free from CAS
• STEP smaller employers www.step.org.uk

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Early Graduate Deadlines

• Many in Michalemas term of final year
• Remember to check our website for vacancies early
  on in Michalemas
• term 2009
• Also www.milkround.com / www.eurograduate.com
• European Legal Related Internships The Hague
• http//www.icc-cpi.int/recruitment/cc1g/Rec_admi_S
  tage.html
• European Commision
• http//ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm
• Council of Europe - http//www.coe.int/t/e/human_r
  esources/jobs/11_Traineeship_opportunities/
• (current deadline 15th Dec to start following
  June)

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Cover Letter

• Demonstrate enthusiasm for the particular
  set/firm
• Length 1 page A4 , typed unless stated to be
  handwritten
• Structure
• Introduce yourself stage of study, why you are
  applying, if advertised vacancy , where you
  observed this.
• Why them
• Why You
• Ending Paragraph when you are available for
  interview
• Remember basics, no room for spelling errors !
• Read it back to yourself as if you were the
  recruiter, does it impress?

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CV a self marketing tool

• No more than 2 pages A4
• Keep content relevant
• Include personal details and relevant
  skills/achievements (academic and extra
  curricular), work experience, positions of
  responsibility, interests
• State your contributions where relevant
• Font no less than 10, consistent headings
• Easy to read, concise, effective use of space
• Spell Check!
• Get it checked CAS Applications Advice/Quick
  Queries

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On-line Applications

• Career focused questions do your research- show
  genuine enthusiasm /commitment and understanding
• Answer the questions fully DONT WAFFLE -
  S.T.A.R quality
• Never go over a word limit if stated
• Provide strongest examples from your life
  experience if possible give different examples
  from life experience for competency based
  questions
• www.selectsimulator.com

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Help from CAS

• Applications Advice
• Quick Queries
• Guidance Consultation
• Events
• Lunchtime Talks CV/Applications/Interviews
• Information

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Careers Advisory Service

• 49 New Elvet (next to D.S.U)
• Term Time 10am 5pm
• Vacation 10am 1pm 2.15pm 5pm
• Tel [phone]
• careers- advice_at_durham.ac.uk
• www.durham.ac.uk/careers-advice