Are there any solicitors who can help me re: training to become a solicitor?

[MeadowHay]

Hi, this might be a long shot but feeling lost and unsure who to talk to about it, was hoping someone might be kind and give me a few pointers. I'd like to start by saying that my typing etc on here is in no way reflective of my comms skills in a professional context .

I'm mid-twenties, on mat leave with my first baby. I had a long-held dream of eventually becoming a barrister, however the more I think about that the more I think it seems hugely risky and impractical. Over the last few months I have re-thought and am considering applying for solicitor training contracts at large firms that fund your LPC. I have a first class LLB with a language from a decent uni, graduated in 2017 (not RG but not ex-poly) and will probably only apply to firms in the city in which I live (NWE). I have a had a look and I have some idea of the process, which firms I'd like to apply for etc. I currently work in a very junior legal position for a law firm btw (not one that I will be applying to for a TC). I can see on the firms' websites that the recruitment is for 2021 - can someone explain the timeline to me? Does this mean starting LPC in 2020 and the TC seats in 2021? I naively thought if I applied this cycle, I'd be starting the LPC in 2019, but have I missed the boat for that?

I've also never done any Vac schemes, as was previously not interested in becoming a solicitor, nor have I ever done any solicitor-related training during law school (although I did make the client interviewing finals in final year, and I have other relative work & volunteering experience). I realise now that was very stupid. I will apply for vac schemes alongside the TC apps this cycle like. Do you think these things will really harm my application?

Finally, DH and I do want at least one more child at some point. I know that if I start this process, if I'm successful there is no way we can have a child from me starting the LPC until I have a solid NQ job and even then that would probably really hurt my career. However I really don't want to have another child very soon for various health-related reasons as well as financial ones. Does anyone have any comments on this point, I know you can't tell me what to do but wondering if anyone has had kids as quite a junior lawyer, or straight after completing their TC, did it ruin your whole career or was it not so bad? I'm not counting on a star-studded career earning megabucks or anything like that, my aim is to just eventually have a solid job that pays decently (and by decently I mean the idea of a £30K salary sounds AMAZING right now!).

Wow, that was long. I have booked an appt with my uni's career service for later in the week, but I'm unsure how helpful they will be (and clearly they can't comment on my last concern ).

Most firms that pay your LPC fees do recruit while you are 2nd year uni if a law grad or before gdl if non law. Not all firms do pay your fees though.

You can self finance and apply for tcs. Some tcs are advertised for people who have already completed their LPC eg. Some local authorities.

You could apply and ask whether there was any possibility of it being for 2020 instead of 2021.

My DH's firm does recruit its trainee from its summer placement candidates using the 2 week placement as a 2 week interview in effect.

It will depend if the firm has the capacity to take you early. Some might be able to if they are growing firms.

Btw newly qualifieds at his firm (not London) earn about £42k

Ps. I trained when my son was a toddler.

Hi, thanks for your response. I would really struggle to finance the LPC myself and would probably need to wait a few years if I had to do that. I have checked with the firms that are local to me and they advertise their TC and summer work experience placements as still being open to grads. I have compiled a list of the firms local to me with their deadlines for TC and summer scheme apps and will apply for both.

Unfortunately, all the trainee salaries in this area seem to be around the £22-£24k mark but that's still significantly more than I get paid now and DH will have completed his studies and be earning circa £30k by then too so it would be bliss for us .

Oh sorry, you said NQ salary. Yes I think that's possible in these parts too depending on speciality.

I know you have said you want to be a solicitor, but have you considered CILEX? You can do their Graduate Fast Track (2 practice units and Client Care Skills), and once you have sufficient qualifying employment and complete with the portfolio, you can qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive. It’s much cheaper than the LPC and can be done while working, if you don’t want do it full time.

Also the LPC will soon be going and there will be the SQE in its place. This will be a 2 part exam. The first will be multiple choice law questions like the US Bar exam is set up. Then the second part i "legal practice" type stuff. There will not be training contracts as there currently are but "work experience". This may also suit you better.

www.chambersstudent.co.uk/law-schools/the-solicitors-qualifying-examination

Amummy I have thought about that but long-term the prospect of being a solicitor is much more attractive, for various reasons that I doubt I need to spell out. But I appreciate why you brought it.

Jackie I am aware of that too, but there seems to still be a lot of uncertainty around this path. In my area, paralegal and other similar roles are very poorly renumerated and I have seen lots of law grads stuck in them for long periods of time with little room for progression, and I am very wary of being stuck in that trap if I don't take the plunge soon. Plus assuming the SQE exams cover a wide range of areas of law, this would require me to independently study for these exams whilst also working full-time and juggling this with time with my family - and given that I will have been out of education for a good few years, I think that option sounds like it would be more difficult than dedicating one year of full-time study to the LPC, iyswim?

Which area of the country are you based in?

I don’t think the studying is your biggest problem, it will be working. Few trainee solicitors do normal hours. Certainly not in London! In the North West (I think you said) it might be a bit more gentle but probably not! However if you don’t apply you will never know but there must be thousands of law grads, plus grads from other disciplines, who want these jobs and have done all the internships and vac schemes and tick every box imaginable including degrees from top class universities. It will be hard but give it a go. Can you start to fill in the gaps re vac schemes, volunteering etc?

I'm in the NW. I think the calibre of applicants here is, er, generally a bit different from the fierce competition in the City etc. The numbers are still bleak to read, like, but I do honestly think that I'm a good candidate with a fair chance up here. I do have relevant legal work experience placements that I did as a student - I've done two local mini-pupillages (I was originally intending to go down the bar route, you see), a placement with a Local Authority which incl. time spent with the YOS, and an in-house placement. I also have various volunteering that I've done, both quasi-legal and non-legal, and I've done extra-curriculars at uni that might look good, both legal-related and otherwise. It's just a lack of work experience/VS in private practice (although I do now have paid employment in private practice).

I am wary about the hours as a trainee, as you say, but my DH works in a profession that should enable him to be more flexible/drop some hours, and we have help with childcare from DM, as well as nursery, obviously, so I think it would be doable. Plus Chambers Student Guide 'True Picture' for pretty much all the firms local to me have praise from the trainees about the working hours, saying it's rare to be in the office after 7pm etc. I think in terms of the future and working hours and flexibility I need to be thinking strategically about what seats I would do and what kind of law I'd want to specialise in, as I imagine the hours/flexibility/family-friendliness varies a lot by speciality, as well as firm?

I don't think there is much I can do to upgrade my applications atm. I'm currently on maternity leave and can't really arrange childcare for anything as DM is busy enjoying her free time before she takes DD two days a week when I return to work in the spring (understandably!). DH is a student too so he only has a few set holiday weeks a year and can't take leave outside of that (and they coincide with Xmas etc so not good times for me to be doing work experience placements). I have seen some of the firms here, if not all of them, have a system where you apply for the VS and TC at the same time and if you get the VS they interview you or automatically consider you for the TC at the end, so I will go down that route. I could maybe look for volunteering opportunities in the evenings or weekends or something, I could probably squeeze in a few hours a week, but it would be a stretch (DD is a difficult baby and we moved house a few months ago and still haven't finished sorting the house. DH has to study outside of the times he is at uni/placement so I am doing the vast majority of the childcare even when he is at home, we are so time-poor atm!).