Articles From the Team

Taking Your First Step on the Legal Career Ladder

Taking Your First Step on the Legal Career Ladder

Many graduates are leaving excellent universities only to find themselves in a catch 22 situation. They can’t find a legal role because they don’t have experience and they don’t have experience because they can’t find a role.

Despite the amount of time and effort that goes into obtaining a degree, the only thing recorded on your CV is a qualification. Whilst this tells employers that you have taken the time and dedication to complete your academic career it does not tell them that you will be any good at a practical job.

With competition for graduate jobs at its highest, you will not only find yourself competing with your peers but also with graduates from previous years. It is vital that you differentiate yourself from others and a good way to do this is by completing a legal work placement.

Not only will you gain important business skills and behaviours, most candidates that complete legal work placements within law firms can also go on to become permanent employees after graduation.

For some students the prospect of working voluntarily at a law firm when you could be earning extra money carrying out non legal work to fund your studies does not seem appealing, however investing this time into developing your skills at this early stage in your career indicates to potential employers that you are dedicated to a future career in law and will give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate roles.

Work placements might not be for everyone. However, if you have the ambition and dedication then this can give you a step up on the ladder of a rewarding legal career.