Articles From the Team

Every dog has its day

Going to university for some is to embrace higher education and extend their knowledge in their chosen degree subject. For others, the actual education bit is a necessary evil and is very much secondary to having fun, dossing about and drinking to excess whilst trying not to get thrown off their course for failure to attend, failure to submit coursework or dismally failing exams. There are those vomit inducing people that could party hard and still achieve first class degrees and then there are those who partied hard and scraped through with a 2.2.

I believe there is room in the legal profession for all varieties of former students. There is no doubt that some departments in some law firms require Oxbridge boffins or would be University Challenge contenders to work on complex, multi faceted, cross jurisdictional matters involving billions of pounds. There are also many law firms that need clever, switched on people but not necessarily a mastermind. And let’s face it, no one who completes a degree, (CPE/GDL in some cases) and the LPC is a dimwit. In many cases, those who don’t have such glittering academics to show off about are often extremely bright, it’s just that they didn’t necessarily apply themselves to their academic studies in the way that they should have!

Whilst in the bleak recession, law firms were not in the habit of recruiting much and when they were, the bar was very high in terms of academics and pedigree. Firms were looking for red brick university attendees, at least a 2.1 and ideally a city firm background. Now we are in economic recovery however and firms are in recruitment overdrive, I am pleased to announce that many firms are willing to look at lesser mortals with less than glittering academics.

The recession has left us with too few lawyers with expertise in certain key areas such as commercial property, corporate, construction and planning and law firms are competing for candidates that have experience in these areas. With masses of work coming in and not enough lawyers to do the work, firms are now looking to recruit either NQs or those who’s CVs are a little more ‘ordinary.’ National law firms are looking to poach good NQs and qualified solicitors from small and medium sized regional firms. Candidates with 2.2s from former polytechnics who trained with small firms are getting interviews and job offers from bigger national firms.

So, if you are an ambitious solicitor or trainee who is coming up to qualification with or without a glittering background looking to step up to a larger firm with a better salary, better training and better career prospects, now is the time to look. Strike whilst the iron is hot!

For more information about legal opportunities in Bristol please contact Georgina Inson on 07469 146754 or visit our website BCL Legal.