Training as a solicitor / working full time as a mum

[Motherofking]

I have just completed my Masters in Law, I have done a few vacations schemes and opens days and i am planning to apply for training contracts. I have a 1 and a half year old so no plans to look for training contracts in city law firms , Just international law firms, national and regional firms which offer a better life work balance. Can someone give me tips on how i can manage a full time job and be a full time mum . I will put my son in nursery but i want us to spend alot of time together, i dont want to spend the only hours i have at home cleaning or cooking id rather spend it with him ?

And another question, alot of training contracts give you the job two / three years in advance, For example if i get the job in 2022 my start date will be 2024 or 2025. Would it be a bad idea to get pregnant and have a baby within that gap. I really want another baby especially because once i start my career i dont want to have any more babies. I just want to keep working until i am established enough within my career without any breaks or interruptions.

@Sewannoying

It’s not uncommon for providers to change the name/parameters of course, so I’m not surprised that the OP’s description of her course doesn’t fit with what is on BPP’s website.

And I would also confess that I spent lots of money doing in my LPC without a clear direction in mind - it’s not uncommon. (Fortunately I got a TC part way through and the firm reimbursed me.)

OP - if you decide to look at CILEX, I would recommend calling and asking what exemptions you would get for your course. The CILEX qualification has recently changed from Level 3 and Level 6 to the new CILEX Professional Qualification, so some information online might be out of date.

That could be the case. I did start the course in end of 2019 so the course name has probably changed from them . Plus i will call them and ask them for this

I found being a lawyer with young children exhausting and it’s worse with being more junior. I think you really have to think about where you can get work life balance and a reasonable wage

@motherofking you're not wrong that many lawyers discover what area they want to specialise in once they are practising however it is clearly sensible and improves your chances if you have a good understanding of different practice areas now and those you are drawn to and why. A basic understanding of how they work and more than that, at the specific firms you're looking to apply to. There is a hell of a lot of competition out there who will know.

Op I think you need to post a link to the course you did, it wil enable people to advise you and also help you know what to write on job applications.

Do you realise how ignorant you're coming across?

Seriously? You’re the one attacking and insulting. Calm down before I start reporting your personal attacks.

@wewereliars You keep bringing up your son into this but he has no interest in being a lawyer so i dont see how it is relevant to this post . I have not wasted my time and money , even if i am unable to get a training contract i will be happily working within a legal field in any other legal related job because it is what i have an INTEREST in. The pro bono work i do alone makes me happy.

Yes @Motherofking exactly. You will know which area you will specialise in after you have completed your training contract.

You need to get your foot in a door so to speak. If you are ready to start working, update your CV and apply, apply, apply to lots of firms in your area. Think about commuting times too and how it will fit in with your little one. Draft a good, detailed covering letter explaining why you wish to work for that firm, not a generic letter. Good luck and determination and hard work will get your there. Most firms will sponsor the LPC now and give you a day to study. You need to look in the Law Gazette for vacancies too. Do you know anybody currently working in a law firm? Can they give you work experience or assist with an application?

@Motherofking I also recommended you send your CV to legal recruitment agencies, they will assist also.

OP people who want to practice employment law do not talk about working in " global law firms" and why on earth would they? Employment law is different in every country.

"Global" law firms are covering corporate, banking, finance, international transactions, shipping etc which span jurisdictions.

I work in a “regional” firm- my trainee wage wasn’t great. My official hours were 9-5:30 but realistically you’d be in at 7am and leave at 7/8pm. There were only a handful of occasions where I’d stay beyond 9pm though. This wasn’t corporate work- all of my seats were similar working hours, this includes employment law.

I wouldn’t say that as a trainee it was family friendly at all, I remember asking my boss if I could leave at 6:30pm on a Friday so that I could catch my train up to my bf’s house for his birthday! I can’t imagine how it would have worked with childcare, if I’m honest I think I’d have been quite grumpy if we were staying back to work with one person leaving every day at 5:30. I can’t think of any solicitors who’d leave at 5:30 everyday, though I’m sure some must have done.

I’m currently on maternity leave and am already wondering how I’m going to manage back at work
as I personally don’t think it’s family friendly (I thought I’d be okay with sending my baby to nursery but I underestimated how much I’d enjoy being a mum!) and am looking at other jobs I could do instead.

I’d have thought a high street firm but might be a good place to start as a paralegal, see if they would support you to follow the SQE route even if you need to self fund. Good luck!

@wewereliars

OP people who want to practice employment law do not talk about working in " global law firms" and why on earth would they? Employment law is different in every country.

"Global" law firms are covering corporate, banking, finance, international transactions, shipping etc which span jurisdictions.

It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion

@wewereliars

OP people who want to practice employment law do not talk about working in " global law firms" and why on earth would they? Employment law is different in every country.

"Global" law firms are covering corporate, banking, finance, international transactions, shipping etc which span jurisdictions.

To be fair DLA Piper is an example of a global law firm advertising having a global employment practice so they do exist

Global law firm typically just means a law firm with a global presence, not a firm that exclusively does international law. Heavens. Of course they advise on employment.

@wewereliars

OP people who want to practice employment law do not talk about working in " global law firms" and why on earth would they? Employment law is different in every country.

"Global" law firms are covering corporate, banking, finance, international transactions, shipping etc which span jurisdictions.

Actually the op is correct, my daughter works for a global law firm and they have an employment division, but it’s obviously uk law in the uk, As in the uk employment team deal with uk employment issues but for large international clients,

She did a seat in it and she also found it dull, she felt employment law was very narrow and it was always the same stuff.

I am not saying there are no firms which have employment arms and international work too. But in an interview, a prospective fee earner for am employment position is not likely to wax lyrical about wanting to work in a global law firm. And if they did, eyebrows would probably be raised. Even if only metaphorically.

"Global law firms" tend to be in the City. What is the difference between a Magic Circle-type firm and Reed Smith for example? I don't understand what you mean by "global law firm"

@wewereliars

I am not saying there are no firms which have employment arms and international work too. But in an interview, a prospective fee earner for am employment position is not likely to wax lyrical about wanting to work in a global law firm. And if they did, eyebrows would probably be raised. Even if only metaphorically.

But she did a placement at kennedys, who are global and also have an employment arm in the uk. I think she just meant that kind of firm.

In my experience employment lawyers interviewing at Magic Circle / global firms do enthuse about the global aspect. They talk about advising big household names corporates on employment law (who are with the MC firm for corporate or deal work and use the firm for full service), or the interest in managing multi-j work (local market employment law advice is often managed through the London office) etc. Tbf they are all interview answers and I suspect the MC cachet and salary are more of a draw than co-ordinating employment advice across 50 countries but obviously that's less of an interview appropriate answer!

Sorry OP, that's not very helpful to you is it. You've had some great advice on this thread, and the best of it is to do some proper research on next steps and also what you really want. It's an insane market - I wouldn't want to enter it now - but once you do have some experience and, crucially, some seniority, you have a lot more flexibility. You may not be able to spend much time with your very small children whilst you are so junior though.

@Bluntness100

Op what do you intend to do between now and starting a training contract? People are usually applying the year before completion, have you applied for any?

The sqe is basically an apprenticeship and can be very low paid. I think you need to be clear on what you want to do, when you’re applying and what you intend to do in the meantime.

This is not correct. The SQE is replacing the LLC and can be used with a training contract or 2 years work as a paralegal with specific types of work that qualify as qualifying experience. Indeed many paralegals at the types of firm the OP says she is targeting pay their paralegals more than trainees. The issue will be that it is still new and firms may not yet be buying in to separately sponsoring paralegals through SQE1 and 2 outside their usual training contract schemes yet.

However OP there really isn't the need for you to go the CILEX route at all now that SQE is in place.

You may need to self sponsor to get through SQE1 and 2. Indeed I suspect if you have a Masters in law you should be able to pass SQE1 anyway if you take it soon and thus be more attractive to a firm if they only need to sponsor you through SQE2.

However the reality is that at a decent regional or national you still would not be working a 9 to 5. Is your partner supportive in being able to collect children from nursery? I assume there is a partner as you are referring tk getting pregnant again. I would suggest not doing that until at least though SQE1 which you should be able to take fairly soon.

• replacing the LPC not LLC cheers autcorrect

I’m a trainee supervisor and most trainees have no idea what area of law they want to qualify into when they start their training contract. They may be more corporate than private client but that’s about it. So don’t worry if you have no idea what you want to do, it’s normal.

And it’s also perfectly normal to want to do employment law at an international firm. My old firm had a cracking employment team that worked for a lot of international clients.

@XelaM From my understanding there are only 5 magic circle firms which are global and international too but not all global firms are magic circle firms.