Applying for law summer interships

[FloatingLeaf]

DD has begun applying for summer law internships in the city and is a 3rd year undergraduate. She doesn’t seem to be getting very far in the process. There is a lot of online testing and then she is told she is through to the next round which i think is when they read her actual application. She is always rejected after they’ve looked at application. Quite a lot of people she knows applied in second year and now have a training contract.

I’m curious as to why she might be getting rejected once they look at actual application.
-GCSEs dodgy
-A levels grades good (grammar school sixth form)
-Heading for decent 2:1 at very good university
-reasonable extra curricular stuff

From what I understand these are characteristics of her more successful friends
-good GCSEs
-good a-levels (private school)
-Most have got for 2:1 overall so far, but some may get firsts.
-more extra-curricular, ie representing uni at various sports, putting on plays.
-speak 1 or more other languages fluently.

I also get the impression they are a bit more sophisticated ie parents have high-flying jobs, lived abroad a lot. (Although they couldn’t know that till they had face to face contact.)
I think she has worked hard on the personal statement type bit and has looked at what successful candidates have written so hopefully that’s not too far off the mark.

She has very little work experience and none to do with law.

Any thoughts as to what may be weakening her applications other than it being so so competitive?

DS2 not DS3, not that it matters. Mine were all at grammar too. School really has no bearing whatsoever, nor do 'contacts'. DS2 in particular is very sporty but I don't think that clinched anything very much and none speak a second language fluently (sadly).

Thanks for the comments and I think lack of any real law related experience which shows any commitment to the idea of law is probably a major factor. There have been some good suggestions on how to do that.
Her initial plan had been to study law at uni and she did win a local law essay competition now that I think about it!!

I think it might be worth asking her friends ' parents
I certainly wouldn't mind someone doing that

@Xenia will probably have good advice

I would have thought that law internships in the city are exclusively for law undergraduates? Bit harsh if they don't state that though.

I don't have any insider knowledge, I did do a law degree but decided against it as a career as it seemed quite snobbish as a profession, in general you needed to know people to get experience, and you'd need experience before getting an internship or a training contract. I went into big 4 accountancy instead which is reasonably similar but not at all snobbish and no specific qualifications needed.

Applying in year 3 isn’t an issue. As a non-law applicant it is the earliest she could apply any way because the firms recruit two years in advance and she will have two further years of study to get her to the point she can start a TC.

Where is she applying? London only? Could she cast the net wider at regional firms/offices - Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester all have thriving legal sectors.

She needs to make sure to focus her applications on the firm she is applying for, and not simply take a scattergun approach. Research is key. And she needs to be able to articulate why she wants to be a solicitor and demonstrate that she understands what the job involves at the type of firm she is applying to. Simple things like representing businesses rather than individuals if large corporate firms - no point in saying on your application form that you want to help people!

@Tfoot75 I was the first person in my family to go to university, went into the law with no contacts etc at all. Neither did any of my friends Or colleagues with whom I trained. I fear you may have been working on assumptions and not facts. Whilst it was about 156 years ago what I do think made a difference was summer jobs in solicitors firms while at school and being active in university Law Soc. in those days summer vac schemes in City firms were far less formal and probably easier to get into (I did 2 in the summer after 2nd year) - it’s brutal now

It's not correct that vac schemes are for law undergrads only.

I worked for a Magic Circle firm as a graduate myself, although before the days of vac schemes - but the recent experience of three of my DC (and very many of their Oxford friends) is what I'm basing my information on. DD1 was offered a TC at her preferred firm, immediately post vac scheme, same as DS2. DD3 wanted to be a barrister (and is now a barrister!).

I should add that DD1 qualified and was taken on as an Associate at the firm too. I think the focus should be on your own DD asking herself why exactly she wants to do law in general and this type of law in particular, and then do things which will help her answer those questions and demonstrate both the interest and aptitude. There is very definitely a lemming thing at the top unis for bright students to all go blindly for vac schemes and City law (I was guilty myself). Lots then regret it. Not saying your DD has doubts but really being able to nail what it is she likes about that sort of law is fairly key to success.

I would add to what goodbyestranger said - does she actually know what working in a City law firm will be like? It can be a horrible experience, work/life balance not often considered especially for junior staff. Yes very well paid but when you are constantly letting down friends for post work drinks etc because you are still in the office it can be very draining. You have to actively want it to name a success of it. And further down the line it’s v difficult to balance with having a family. That’s why I’m an ex City solicitor

Absolutely agree with all that VanCleefArpels. The hours DD1 worked during her TC were horrific (she didn't complain, but I worried). You need immense resilience to make it through, physical as well as intellectual and psycholgical.

I have been a graduate recruiter in two law firms. One with regional offices and one with just a London office and a regional hub.

I am more than happy to have a conversation with your daughter/you and give you some advice or read applications etc.

Feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.

Also, does she meet any of the criteria to qualify to be a member of Aspiring Solicitors?

The Corporate Law Academy is also worth a look.

Alumni volunteer to go on a list to be contacted. I’m on the list and get contacted every so often. You’re welcome to PM me?

being a non-law student isn't a problem for the big firms, provided she can demonstrate a genuine interest in law. Query whether she is explaining "why law" well enough in her personal statement.

To get some relevant experience I would recommend joining a debating /mooting society and looking for volunteer work. Citizens' Advice would be a good option, as would contacting local courts to see if she can volunteer to run around after the duty solicitor.

She should join her uni law society and attend the various talks and dinners the firms host - that way she can talk about meeting them in her application.

Does she have any mitigating circumstances for her GGSEs? If so she should definitely include them in the relevant box.

and that law essay competion definitely needs to go in the box for prizes, scholarships etc

About 15 years ago I needed legal work experience so I wrote to every small/ medium size firm in my city (and nearby cities) with a CV and cover letter.

Out of this I got a couple of weeks unpaid experience and a regular one day a week slot. High street firms doing basic admin and sitting in on client appointments.

Probably helped me get a decent vacation scheme and then interviews and a TC at a decent firm.

If she in year 3 (as my sons are elsewhere) I believe she should apply for training contracts from about September 2019 to Jan 2020. I think that is the application window. So she has probably missed for this year's round for training contracts. I don't think she needs to apply for vacation schemes at this point. my daugher who was sponsored through the GD and LPC by a firm didn't do a vacation scheme but got a training contract (she didn't read law). However she did when she was 16 spend a week at a law firm - she had a great time - it was not commercial experience but she had to do things like find an obscure council block on her own, bring a woman and her children to court, clean up the sick of the childre in the court corridor - just lots of not very relevant experience but something she she could chat about in interviews I suppose. I think she did 2 days in the BBC legal department too just sitting around or going to a few meetings. However I suspect on the interview day of the TC she got it was more how she managed the group exercises, got on with people and that kind of thing.

Your daughter could apply now for the GDL to start Sept 2020 with my son perhaps and needs to look at the qualification changes for solicitors - currently she would be under the existing route if starts in Sept 2020 but not if she starts teh GDL in Sept 2021 (although the date might be pushed back) so that is something to bear in mind. She could then apply from Sep - Dec 2020 for training contracts (and have a gap year after the LPC to reflect that she will be in a sense be a year late).

Do mention the law prize she won on the applications.

Solicitor in a City firm here.

She needs some experience. If she wants to practice, experience in a firm of solicitors as well as a set of Chambers would be great. Is she in a position to offer her time for free in exchange for the experience? Are there firms or sets close to home, so that she would have somewhere to stay? Even if was a few weeks at each.

Also consider applying for experience at the Courts - County (for civil claims), Magistrates and Crown (for criminal).

Also something like CAB, legal advice centres.

WellTidy I don't think the top City firms are the least bit interested in time spent in the criminal courts. Nor in the performing of admin functions in High St firms. They're looking for particular qualities, not for box ticking to show a vague generic interest in law or the fact that you don't think you're too good to do photocopying. This sort of thing gets said on the med school threads too, but it doesn't cut to the chase.

But goodbye if the student cannot afford to access anything more than local firms or sets or courts or whatever, as they need to live at home, then this is a good option.

I’ve been a solicitor at a top City firm for 20 years, btw. There is an emphasis on social mobility in my firm, an understanding that some students cannot access other experiences. No idea whether this applies to the OP’s daughter, which is why I asked the question.

Obviously all firms incl the Magic Circle are conscious of access. I don't think that stretches as far as to suggest that experience in a magistrates court is of any direct value to bagging a vac scheme. The Magic Circle are looking for particular qualities, not time spent sitting in the back of a court listening eg to a plea in mitigation for assault/ careless driving etc.

My DD got 2 weeks experience at a local solicitors. I think second summer at university. She also volunteered extensively for the NT. She gave talks and honed her people skills.

She couldn’t do as much as she would have liked at university as she didn’t study law but she did as much as she could. She decided she wanted to be a barrister and a decent cv is vital for any competitive area of law.

We didn’t know anything about law. We couldn’t help. She was motivated to do it. She chaired her faculty ball committee at uni and also chaired a society. Getting involved and being able to juggle and organise your life successfully is something law firms and Barristers want to see. The work is long and hard and you need a variety of skills, and to be very organised, to be successful. You also have to desperately want it! No half baked whims.

During GDL she volunteered for the CAB and was let loose on real (sometimes very challenged) people and did special outreach projects with staff. She also volunteered as a first responder for a women’s crisis charity.

So, your DD might want to think about what she can do. Does she really want city law? What’s her commercial instinct like? DD hasn’t got it so did family law. There are many opportunities outside city law but she needs a better cv. She could widen her search and start thinking about which area of law she might be better suited to.

I'm surprised she left it until the 3rd year tbh.

Why is she limiting it to the City of London?

They are impossible to get. Her credentials and her friends are mediocre tbh. They will cherry pick the best of which dodgy gcses and "good" alevels won't be enough.

Why doesn't she send her cv and covering letter to as many high street and local firms as she can?