Tara Jones, Trainee Solicitor at Frettens, provides her top tips for students looking to apply for legal placements and describes her own experience as a law student at Bournemouth University.
The path to become a solicitor
There is no denying that the path to becoming a solicitor is not straight forward.
However, routes to qualification are becoming more flexible and widely available thanks to the SQE and Legal Apprentice opportunities.
With that being said, the traditional method of studying the LPC and undertaking a training contract is set to remain for the coming years and is a popular route to qualification for many law graduates.
How to stand out from the crowd
Therefore, it is more important than ever to make yourself stand out so HR recruiters can pick your application out of a pile (of what sometimes can be hundreds of applications) and remember you.
Undertaking a legal placement is one way you can do this, and we are now delighted to offer the opportunity to aspiring legal students to undertake a placement at Frettens.
Why undertake a legal placement?
- It will teach you the skills you will need to become a paralegal or trainee solicitor;
- It will enable you to get to grips with office etiquette;
- It can help you decide whether the legal career is right for you;
- You will have lots to talk about in future interviews from experiences you have had whilst undertaking your placement;
- As is the case at Frettens, undertaking a placement could lead you to securing a training contract at the firm in the future if you make a good impression!
How do I apply for a legal placement?
The first port of call in the application process is to submit a covering letter and CV.
I think this is the toughest part of the application process as you need to put your experience and personality down on paper.
If you are shortlisted, you will then attend an interview before a final decision is made.
To read Tara’s tips to writing your covering letter, CV and smashing your interview – click here.