What do after uni?

[f.2000]

Hi everyone, I am graduating this July and I think it is most likely that I won't receive any Vac Scheme/Training Contract offers this recruitment cycle unfortunately, so I will probably take a year out from September to build up more experience and strengthen my applications for the following recruitment cycles.

I am wondering what are the best things for me to do starting in September for me to build up my experience? I was considering an LLM, but I'm not sure if I'm really passionate about it and to be honest I would only be pursuing it for career reasons, which I feel is not the best reasoning and I don't think it will add a ton to my future applications.

Would it be better to pursue work as a paralegal? I have noticed these jobs require previous experience or an LPC, which I haven't completed yet ofc.

 

[Dheepa]

Hi there,

I don't think pursuing the LLM will help necessarily make you a stronger candidate and when you factor in the costs, it will not be worth it if you don't have an interest in the subject matter .

While I'm sure a paralegal role would help both in terms of convincing firms you're serious about the career and to increase your own understanding of the work firms do, I think it can be incredibly difficult (although not impossible) to secure a role without the LPC. If I remember correctly, @Flora R has some experience on securing one without the LPC. Something else you might want to consider is that it can be difficult to balance applications with paralegal work, so maybe you can consider pursuing something less demanding like legal admin jobs that involves less law but will still give you exposure to the work that firms do.

In terms of what you can do to build up your experiences, there's some great advice on these threads:

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/what-you-should-be-doing-now.511/
https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/extra-curriculars.645/

Let me know if you need more help.

 

[Bugsy Malone]

Hey - yes I have experience with this!

I've had several paralegal/legal assistant roles since graduating. I think some roles do require you to have completed the LPC, particularly in London, although I know several people there who also did not complete the LPC so it's definitely achievable.

Paralegalling has really helped me to realise the type of firm I want to train at and has provided me with experiences to draw on when writing apps and answering questions in interviews. Although, I use my non legal work experiences just as much.

I think what Dheepa has said is very true, my first two roles were full time and I found it hard to spend as much time as I wanted to on apps and to attend careers events at the last minute due to this. As most paralegal jobs in my area were for full time positions, last year I decided to take on a legal secretary role instead. Although, this was a bit of a step down in terms of responsibility and stimulating tasks, it was a part time role so I was able to spend two extra days on bolstering my extra-curriculars and apply for firms. This worked out well for me as I was able to still be in a legal environment and have more time, so I'd maybe consider more administrative roles if you feel similar.

Hope this helps and I'm happy to answer any additional ques

 

[Jacob Miller]

The requirements to be a paralegal are given below;

• a paralegal practice award, diploma, certificate, or higher diploma.
• an award in legal studies
• a legal secretary certificate or diploma
• an HNC/HND or foundation degree in law, legal studies, or paralegal practice
• a law degree

These qualifications may not always be needed, it only depends on the job you are applying for. Related work experience in a legal setting would also help you when looking for work.

These aren't always requirements to obtain a position as a commercial paralegal, certainly not in the UK.
The requirements vary firm-by-firm: some firms will only take someone on with a training contract offer, some will consider law/ GDL graduates generally, some will only consider a candidate who has also completed the LPC etc. Some firms, on the other hand, will be less strict about specific requirements and will recruit on a more case-by-case basis according to the candidate rather than a specific 'checklist' of potentially arbitrary requirements. Recently, I've even seen paralegal roles specifically recruiting non-law graduates only (albeit I think they also required previous paralegal experience).

@Jessica Booker will be far more of a font of knowledge on this topic, though.

 

[Jessica Booker]

These aren't always requirements to obtain a position as a commercial paralegal, certainly not in the UK.
The requirements vary firm-by-firm: some firms will only take someone on with a training contract offer, some will consider law/ GDL graduates generally, some will only consider a candidate who has also completed the LPC etc. Some firms, on the other hand, will be less strict about specific requirements and will recruit on a more case-by-case basis according to the candidate rather than a specific 'checklist' of potentially arbitrary requirements. Recently, I've even seen paralegal roles specifically recruiting non-law graduates only (albeit I think they also required previous paralegal experience).

@Jessica Booker will be far more of a font of knowledge on this topic, though.

Completely agree. A requirements for a paralegal can be anything from someone who has left college/sixth form through to someone with 10 years experience. It really depends on the firm, the type of work you’d be doing and the responsibilities. Also tends to vary from the type of role (temp, contract, permanent)

I’d say the most common requirements are just a degree though. I have seen non-law grads with no experience get paralegal roles, so I don’t think a law degree or GDL/LPC is necessary all of the time, but firms tend to favour those people who have studied law on some level.