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?

[BubblesBuddy]

Yes, I thought that’s what you said. I think some posters thought it was for a training contract. I would now concentrate on what experience she needs.

By the way, the grammar schools around me do 9 or 10 GCSEs and always have done. Plenty have gone to Oxbridge. Some have definitely not got 11-13 A*s. I’m afraid she’s being really silly about this. And with parental contacts. She just need to get decent work experience and she really needs to look at the timetables for all of this.

Barristers can apply for 10 pupillage via Gateway and others not advertised via Gateway. Can you imagine how much work that takes? Every application has to be honed and the best it can be. This is why she needs to use her time wisely and think about strategy. What about the MLaw? Cambridge do one.

[Xenia]

Floating, yes she is out of time for training contract applications for most firms for this year but that does not stop her applying for a GDL place now starting in September and applying in this coming Autumn for the year after that. My oldest did that and got a TC during the GDL year, did GDL and LPC funded by a law firm and then had a gap year working abroad after the LPC but with the 2 year TC to come back to which was rather a nice gap year after 5 years of unversity/post grad study. The only reason I am on top of the deadlines is I was looking at them for my sons - not that anyone ever takes my advice......

On the old and new system, I think the current system is simpler - GDL with exams, then LPC year with exams then 2 year TC. The new system is not too clear yet but is probably some kind of law course such the new versions of the GDL that are coming out with exams and the same year via a different body Kaplan you then take your SQE1. i cannot see that is better as you have 2 sets of exams although technically you only need to pass SQE1. Then you probably need some kind of course like the LPC to learn for SQE2 exams although again in theory you would noly have to sit the SQE2 exam itself rather than do an LPC course. I know some of the City law firms hope to ensure students under the new system will continue to get all their exams done before they start work at the firm so I suspect GDL then LPC even if a bit accelerated might still take place.

I think she should not apply for va schemes but instead in September apply for training contracts and if she is sure about law then just start the GDL anyway. if money is a problem to pay the course fees because of no law firm yet to sponsor it, you can take the GDL as a masters and get a student loan for the bulk of the cost. "Graduate with a Master’s degree and access postgraduate loan funding with our LLM route options" www.bpp.com/courses/law/pgdl-law-conversion-course

[squee123]

@MarchingFrogs I don't think it is that unusual at all. I'm at a big well respected firm and out of interest just asked my law school friends WhatsApp group which has people from most the other big city firms, most of the friends interview. They all said that they would find any legal experience to be a positive provided it was clear that what the student had taken away from the non-commercial experience was a conviction that it wasn't the area for them and were convincing as to why they felt commerical law was a better fit. Far better someone has tried different areas to get a sense of what is right for them rather than just blindly assuming that law is right for them.

[Aethelthryth]

I used to be involved in recruitment for Vac Schemes and Training Contracts at a Magic Circle firm.

It is true that vac schemes are harder to get than training contracts, because some people are offered and take up more than one. It is also true that vac schemes involve more social engineering than recruitment of trainees: it's a good opportunity to take a close look at people who may not have a traditional academic track record and make a fairer assessment.

I think that given your daughter is in her third year she would be better applying for TCs than vac schemes- she has missed the boat on that one, together with a GDL place. She will need to be convincing about having a real interest in law; but everyone knows that city vac schemes are hard to come by and there are other ways of demonstrating interest.Has she, for instance, come across any "legal" question in the course of any other work experience?

Cambridge is a good start; but she needs to be aware that an average of about 68 in exams taken to date is pretty much a bare minimum starting point. A first will help. She will also need to demonstrate a lively interest in the business and political world around her: reading the economist and FT would be sensible. In addition, evidence of grit or resilience is good: menial job, or picking oneself up after difficulty etc..

Contacts are irrelevant. Candidates perceived as having had an easy run so far and coming from "legal" families are given a harder time.

[FloatingLeaf]

@BubblesBuddy definitely agree strategy is key here. Both being clear about why commercial law and demonstrating this through experience.
@Xenia thanks for link. Tbf she’d still need to work to get something behind her so September not enough time. But if she wants it enough other posters have been resourceful enough to find another way in.

[Xenia]

I need to add to my new solicitor exams post above. I now tink that if you pay for and book the GDL/law conversion course before September 2020 but only start it in 2021 then you might still be able to qualify under the existing GDL/LPC route i.e 2020 graduates having a gap year before the GDL might just be in time for the old/current system still. I am making further enquiries (as my possible gap year son would be affected so we want to know). however it is certainly that those who start the GDL /law conversion course can certainly choose to stick with the current qualification system if they prefer.

[whatthehelldowecare]

Op - how did your daughter get on? It's a crazy time, but I hope she got some positive feedback atleast x

[Xenia]

On my post just above that position was confirmed by the SRA - you can still use the existing qualification system even if you start the GDL if you have applied for the GDL before Sept 2021 (or have a TC). The issue is no longer relevant to one of my sons as he has had to scrap his gap year travelling and is just going to start the GDL in September anyway in 2020.

Meanwhile one of my sons (both starting GDL in Sept) is working on one training contract application. I sent him the linkedin profile of someone I know whose son went to that firm. That boy got 10 A* at GCSE (not like my 5 children although despite that my daughters and I are solicitors in London and I am sure my sons will be fine) and that boy is brilliant so I suppose it is pretty clear why he was picked and he also went to Oxbridge unlike my five, although he left the firm less than a year after qualifying to work for his father's tech company and did very complex software or maths courses too for that so clearly he is really good at everything he does.

Like whatthehell asked, it would be interesting to hear how the FloatingLeaf child did. Once you get started in law it is all a lot more about how good you were in the last job. My second daughter got two job offers last week (and has accepted one) and is really pleased about it and was comparing it to trying to get a TC in the middle of the credit crunch 2008 + period which was not at all easy.

[cologne4711]

I have to say I read a thread like this and I just want to weep.

Why do law firms give a stuff about whether you've "always" wanted to be a lawyer or are "committed to it as a career"? What matters is whether you will make a good lawyer, not whether you've always wanted to be one and can show evidence of the fact.

Ditto the nonsense about personal statements on UCAS forms. Why on earth do you have to write so much nonsense? Does anyone *really" read it? Or do they actually just go on grades and tutor reference? Surely they know it's all made-up claptrap?