I am a final-year law student and, despite a few ACs, I haven't been able to secure any training contracts. I am a little worried about the way forward and what to do when I graduate. I have the opportunity to paralegal at a small regional personal injury firm. However, I wanted to know how this type of work experience is received by big firms. Would it be a boon or a burden to my applications in the next cycle? I also have another tutoring role that I would be able to do full-time, giving me more time for applications. Which would be a better option if I want to work in commercial law in the city? (Personal injury paralegaling or tutoring and applying myself more to applications.)
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Personal Injury Paralegal Work?
- Thread starter maddogrobbo
- Start date
Jessica Booker
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- Aug 1, 2019
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It’s not going to be a burden - it’s only going to be a positive. You will need to ensure your motivational answers are very clear on why a different type of law though.
You have to consider what to do based on your circumstances though. If the tutoring work is better for you, then this is still going to be valuable work experience that will develop transferable skills.
Hi Jessica,
I currently work at a National law firm (3 months as of today), very known and has a good reputation. However, the team that I’m currently employed in makes me feel unwelcome. I feel out of place and am regularly excluded from events that they are holding. I also am employed as a paralegal but do 80% admin work and 20% paralegal work. I’ve asked several times for more paralegal work and that I am happy to help more but that has been frowned upon and they have now hired one of the future trainees as a paralegal. I also want to note that the legal/office assistant is also doing the same amount if not more paralegal work than I am. I just think they don’t like me as I’ve always been really good at the job and never been told otherwise.
I have just been offered a role at a smaller regional firm as a personal injury paralegal. The pay is better, the hours are better and the role is fully client based. I’d have my own caseload and be able to actually work as a paralegal rather than a pa/admin assistant but have the paralegal title as I currently do.
I definitely want to take the PI route but I am worried that this will look really detrimental on my cv and also when applying for training contracts. I know firms value that you’ve worked at National/international firms and I’m worried that they’ll blatantly reject me for deciding to move to a regional firm.
I’ve been weighing the pros and cons and I’d definitely be able to gain more transferable skills, knowledge and experience with the PI role. However, I’m scared that that doesn’t matter since I’m just moving from such a well known firm to a smaller firm to then simultaneously try and get a TA with a commercial firm.
I don’t know what to do - all I know is that right now, I’m not happy with being an admin/PA but only having the paralegal title. I feel like I’m wasting my time when I could be doing so much more but I’m terrified that moving down to regional will be something that I regret.
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