An aspiring lawyer's guide to choosing where to apply

There are several factors to take into account when choosing which solicitors’ firm or barristers’ chambers to apply to, including the type of law and office locations. Use this Feature to help you narrow down potential employers based on your preferences and interests.

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We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to do your homework before applying to a law firm or set of chambers. Don’t send copied-and-pasted applications to dozens of firms. Instead, you must identify the type of organisation that you want to work for and then target a select group to apply to. It’s worth thinking about the practice areas the firm specialises in, whether there are secondment opportunities and how much client exposure you’re likely to have as a trainee – these are all great questions to have on your list when you visit a firm’s stand at a law fair or its offices for an open evening.

What type of law?

Many firms and chambers specialise in one or more areas of law (eg, family, banking or media). They’re proud of their services and are unimpressed when applicants fail to mention the specialism or, worse, get it entirely wrong. Please don’t apply to a firm that’s known for its corporate work saying you want to be a patent lawyer. The head of graduate recruitment at one City firm says: “What drives me insane is when applicants talk about a practice area we don’t have – for example, ‘your thriving media practice’. It comes across as sloppy and badly researched.” So, it pays to match your comments to the firm – achievable only by doing your research.

Meanwhile, IP lawyer Ellen Lambrix from Bristows LLP highlights the importance of completing additional research into the practice area you’re interested in and the work the firm does in this area: “Look at as many different firms as you can, the type of work they do and whether you think that would fit with you. There’s so much variety within IP law, so doing your research when starting out is key.”

Think about what sort of lawyer you broadly want to be. Do you see yourself as a human rights barrister? A commercial solicitor? A criminal lawyer spending lots of time in police stations? Or something else altogether? As an example, let’s say that you want to be a human rights barrister – the best way of going about the application process is as follows:

• First, find out which sets specialise in human rights law – whether that’s within immigration, police powers or another area (search LawCareers.Net’s pupillage directory).
• Next, notice what’s particularly special or exciting about the set and what separates it from its rivals (look on its website to see whether there’s a particular line of cases or a niche area of law that its tenants are developing).
• Finally, see whether you match the criteria that the set asks for from applicants. Be realistic – if it asks for applicants with a first, you’re unlikely to get in with a 2:2.

If you meet all the criteria and the set has grabbed your interest, you should apply – using your application to demonstrate your research. Otherwise, keep looking, using the same step-by-step guide. This approach applies equally to other sets, law firms and practice areas.

However, it’s also important to keep an open mind about the exact area of law in which you end up specialising. You won’t know what you truly enjoy until you get some experience as a trainee or pupil, so don’t narrow your focus too early, especially in your applications. If you have no idea what you want your specialism to be, focus on getting into a firm or set that offers a well-rounded training contract/pupillage. Many firms and sets offer a variety of seats and experiences. In addition to reading recruitment marketing, look for information and news about firms and chambers in the legal media, such as LawCareers.Net, The Lawyer, Law Gazette and Legal Futures.

Which location?

Once you’ve figured out the sort of firm or set you want to target, you should consider whether you’ll be happy with the location. It’s not worth applying to a firm in the City if you don’t enjoy London; your heart won’t be in it and that’ll be apparent at interview.

Often, regional firms prefer applicants with local connections. This is because they’ll be investing a lot of money in their trainees and, not unreasonably, they want to see a good return on their investment. In asking whether an applicant has local connections, they figure that those with ties to an area are less likely to leave for greener pastures after the training contract ends.

For more advice on choosing between working in a city versus a regional firm, read this LCN Says.

Also, regional firms want to be sure that you’re not applying to them just because the London firms have passed you over. As one partner of a Yorkshire firm explains: “Does a candidate who’s attended a prep school in Sussex, attended the University of Sussex and always lived in Sussex seriously expect us to believe that they want to move to Scunthorpe? There’s clearly no long-term commitment and we’ve received the application for a training contract only because the candidate has been rejected by every practice in the South East.”

What sort of working environment?

Many students find it difficult to distinguish between different types of firm. However, recruiters also talk about the need for students to have an idea of the firm’s culture, and whether it’ll match their needs and personalities. The size of the firm’s trainee intake is another factor to consider. Being one trainee among 60 or one of three starting that year will be different experiences.

All solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers are different, but those that do similar work often share other things in common and can therefore be grouped together (eg, City firms, regional firms and high-street/general practice firms). Paying attention to these categories won’t tell you everything about a firm, but it’ll provide insights into practice areas, trainee salaries, whether a good work/life balance is offered, the possibility of going on secondment and so on.

Find out more about what trainee life at each of these might be like via our ‘Types of firm’ page.

As for barristers’ chambers, they can be split broadly into those that are in Central London and specialise by practice area – such as commercial, public law, common law and crime – and those in the regions, including the ‘supersets’. Students should make sure that the pupillage being offered is constructive and properly managed. A pupil supervisor shouldn’t only manage the workload for the pupil, in terms of who the pupil works for and when, but should also act as a mentor. The pupil supervisor should also ensure that the pupil isn’t overworked. It’s incumbent on all chambers to ensure that the pupil provides their best work for those they work for so that informed decisions can be made when a vote on tenancy is taken. Students should make sure they know what’s being provided before they apply.

Carmine Conte, a commercial law barrister at Blackstone Chambers, advises aspiring barristers to “get involved in mooting to get a feel for whether you enjoy oral argument, and trying to persuade someone. Mooting offers you a flavour of what life will regularly be like for a commercial law barrister (especially when you become more senior)”.

Learn more about what a pupil’s life at each of these might be like by reading our ‘Types of chambers’ page. 

What other factors are important?

When considering applying for a training contract or pupillage, you might also want to bear in mind the following factors:

• the work area/s you’ll experience on the training programme or pupillage;
• the expectations of you as a trainee/pupil;
• the firm or set’s overall reputation in the legal market;
• any awards received;
• any impending changes such as mergers that may affect the firm or set’s future;
• any financial help offered during postgraduate training;
• trainee/pupil retention rates;
• the firm or set’s client base;
• the salary on offer and any benefits; and
• future opportunities and remuneration.

Work/life balance is also an important aspect to consider – lawyers work hard and you’ll likely have to work long hours on occasion. However, most firms now also encourage their trainees to get involved in various additional activities, including sports teams, internal diversity networks and pro bono work, so it’s worth researching this as well. Equally, don’t be entirely swayed by salary: a higher salary might be attractive but look at the long-term prospects and quality of training too.

Many firms and chambers will hold events at your university/college campus, such as workshops, seminars and networking events, at which you can learn about their work, clients and culture. You can also attend open days and go on vacation schemes and mini-pupillages, as well as conduct online research. And since the move to online, we’re still seeing plenty of virtual and hybrid events as well, so you can network with lawyers and gain insights into employers without even leaving the house.

As a starting point, you should consider the following factors when researching firms and trying to work out what you want from your career:

• Type – commercial or high street?
• Size – law factory or local firm?
• Focus – highly specialised or a wide range of clients/practice areas?
• Location – City or regional?
• Feel – high pressure or relaxed?

We’ve said it time and time again, but don’t forget that choosing a legal employer is an important decision, and not one to be rushed. If you do your research, find a firm or chambers that genuinely appeals to you and reflect this in your application and at interview, you’ll be well on your way to a long-term career somewhere that suits you.