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.

Hi Op, a "global firm" is going to want someone who went to Oxbridge, or Durham, or failing that Bristol, Nottingham, Exeter etc. A global firm does corporate work, and your degree, in the current climate, is just not going to cut it.

I work as a Defendant, in house, and can see that the claimant firms, are increasingly desperate for work in the current climate. So you are going to struggle at the moment.

It's the top tier firms corporate firms who have the money to sponsor things like the SQE, so it's a bit of a catch 22 at the moment for juniors. And they will only pay if they really want the candidate. You are potentially throwing a lot of money at this, so think really hard at what you want from being a solicitor. Corpotate / global firms pay the most, have the deepest pockets, expect ridiculous hours and demand the best from applicants. High st practices have pretty much disappeared, and there are regional firms doing mainly private client work and some commercial, like Shoosmiths, Irwin Mitchell, etc.

Life in all theses places is very different, and if you get to interview you need to be able to show that you really want to work there, so you need to know in depth what the firm do and that you are able and willing to work hard and make a lot of money for them. FWIW my son has just got into Durham, and I have told him, not to go anywhere near law, as the rewards are not worth the effort, not for several years anyway, and not these days.

@HotPeppasauce2 to an extent but from my observations my lawyer friends seem to work longer hours than the accountants, doctors… and have fewer options to work part time.
She also specifically states she wants to see a lot of her children. I’m not sure law is compatible with that. I do have one friend who works part time working with asylum seekers but it is rubbish pay and she still needs a nanny as not 9-5, I think her nanny costs more than she earns but she loves her job and has a very high earning husband.

[quote Motherofking]@FallonCarringtonWannabe Yes thats why i dont want to rely fully on family becuase they could be unrealible. But yes my partner lives with us so will be providing financially[/quote]
Nothing useful to add (not a sol) but you are hugely impressive for such a young person. You will do well whatever you do.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon Thank you . And no my heart is not set on big firms . I want to specialize in employment law so i dont mind which firm i do that in

Op. I mean this gently but I think you need to spend some time doing some research, your posts are confused, and it appears you don’t fully understand the routes to qualification open to you nor do you know which route you’d wish to take.

In addition it feels like you haven’t grasped how difficult it is to get employment,how competitive it is, you write like you just need to apply and your decision is really when to have another baby.

It doesn’t even feel like you’ve ever applied for any proper roles. Even your timing is wrong, a training contract starting in a year or two is based on lpc timing for example and where you are with that and if the employer is paying or not. Have you even researched which law firms will pay for an lpc? Sqe is basically an apprenticeship and very different. As is cilex.

I think take some time out to research your options. Then Start doing some applications. Learn as you go, plenty of people can advise you.

But your initial op about managing hours, being with your baby and wanting to have another one, seems woefully uninformed. You’d be doing an lpc full time or two years part time, in that time frame but we working Ie as a paralegal of you do it part time. Kennedys for example do not pay for the lpc.

@FallonCarringtonWannabe

Firstly, ‘alot’ isn't a word.

I think it depends how old you are already and how much time you actually have to put off having a second child.

Also, in the area you want to work, is there any evidence of age discrimination when employing new starters?

I think I’d also be tempted to time the next child for the gap. But you need to remember that you will need reliable childcare. Have you looked into that?

Firstly, ‘alot’ isn't a word.

Well 'manners' is, so I suggest you look that up and get some

I think I’d also be tempted to time the next child for the gap

But there isn’t a gap as such. The op is confused re the lpc and how that fits in. An sqe would not start a couple of years later. It’s timed for when uni finishes, a training contract starts a year to two years later as the lpc is done in between time.

Thompsons have a big employment department, and are a big national firm, have a look at them OP. They have union funding for private clients so may be better riding the Covid wave than some

I agree completely @Bluntness100

Is the Masters you're referring to the two-year GDL and LPC combination some law schools offer? They call it a Masters but in reality it's just two separate one-year courses taken consecutively. You've presumably spent a fair amount of time and a whole heap on money getting to this point and like a PP I'm just surprised you're only now considering the logistics of a training contract.
If I were you I'd be looking at smaller firms where the hours are likely to be less punishing. If you're looking at an international firm you've got to consider the fact that clients may be in different time zones.

I’m sorry, you sound very, very naive to me. There are loads of law graduates chasing very few contracts.

I wouldn’t say that the fact you didn’t attend a top-tier university would rule you out. There is an increasing movement with some companies to remove university details, etc, from applications to avoid the Oxbridge, RG, etc, bias so that the application process is fairer to all applicants.

I agree, though, that your writing, grammar and punctuation on this thread, in addition to what seems to be a lack of knowledge and research, does not indicate an applicant of the highest calibre.

Don't underestimate how hard it is to get a TC.

I have AAAB at A-level, a 2.1 from a Russell Group Uni, a commendation at GDL/LPC and at the time had 8 years relevant work experience.

I spent 5 years applying for TCs until I gave up.

Of my LPC class of 20 only 3 got TCs. Only 1 is still a lawyer. The two who left, did so due to the hours. The one who remains hates it. None of them have children!!

[quote Motherofking]@Frederica852 Okay , I guess i wont plan for the second child thanks[/quote]
OP, you are 24 and unless you plan more than 2 children having a second over the next couple of years makes sense. Yes it will be tough doing your TC with two young children but as I said previously GLD does allow part time. GLD also have a significant employment law team.

Thinking long term you have 36 years to 60 and 41 years to 65. If you have completed your family at 26 by the time you are 40 your youngest will be 14. A lot of 40 year olds in the workplace have young children, particularly if they only had them when they were 35-40. 40 is often a key point in people working lives many start a second career.

@Motherofking
I've done a lot of mentoring and advising young solicitors and aspiring solicitors.
If you'd like to DM me please do.

I dont need to do a gdl as i do the masters in law which is the gdl but on a masters level

I also don’t understand this op? It seems you did llm at BPP in London, possibly Part time over two years, but it is not the same as the gdl?

On the basis of this thread op

You should start work as a paralegal. Get an understanding of business and law firms.
And go from there

Firstly, ‘alot’ isn't a word.

Well 'manners' is, so I suggest you look that up and get some hmm

I usually find grammar-correcting posts pointless, but in this case if the OP writes to law firms her English has to be utterly flawless. Proper written English is a crucial skill for a lawyer, because so much can turn on it. The competition for training contacts is huge Any letter containing "alot" (or any of the other relatively trivial slips in her posts) is going straight in the bin!

And I also agree with what @Bluntness100 has politely said. Anyone going into this should be completely realistic.

I admire your ambition ,however I think you may need to be a bit more realistic in your expectations .Many women do in fact manage to combine working in a demanding profession with a young family. My DD works in another industry ,and it is routine for people earning a good salary to have Cleaners ,Gardeners and so on .Nannies are usually required as hours are long and demanding .The point is you seem to be looking for a 9 to 5 job which you will be able to spend long chunks of time with your DC.This is just not the case sadly . I would have a look around and see where your options are .My DD has a Masters degree in Physics from a Russell Group Uni ,and was one of only 2 people picked for her role in a Large Company .She is unmarried and has no DC as yet

Op

Why did you do a masters in law?

BPP say it is most appropriate for those

* Our Master of Laws (LLM) offers a unique experience and education for professionals needing highly relevant expertise in key areas of law, along with practice of particular relevance to the modern financial and business world.*

Ie those already practising and looking to specialise

@MurielSpriggs

Firstly, ‘alot’ isn't a word.

Well 'manners' is, so I suggest you look that up and get some hmm

I usually find grammar-correcting posts pointless, but in this case if the OP writes to law firms her English has to be utterly flawless. Proper written English is a crucial skill for a lawyer, because so much can turn on it. The competition for training contacts is huge Any letter containing "alot" (or any of the other relatively trivial slips in her posts) is going straight in the bin!

And I also agree with what @Bluntness100 has politely said. Anyone going into this should be completely realistic.

So there are no dyslexic (for example) lawyers anywhere?

I suspect you put in the same amount of thought and consideration in to doing a masters of law as you did to your plans post completion

We are being harsh op
Because you have spent £15k upwards on doing your masters
And now you seem to have no idea about
… well law firms or indeed that international firms operate different hours to the Uk

I would urge you to go down the paralegal route first

WorraLiberty There must be dyslexic lawyers, but presumably they use spell check?

Were I recruiting, a spelling error on a CV would mean that CV would be straight in the bin. It's the lack of attention to detail that is as much of an issue as the spelling / grammatical error.