Legal work experience and extracurricular activities: what you can do as a first-year student

Essential advice for first-year students, from first-year schemes to extracurricular activities, law fairs and everything else in between.

“Start early” – the advice any student is bound to come across when researching career opportunities in the legal profession. It’s a constant message because it rings true, especially for those interested in commercial law, where many firms recruit their trainee solicitors two years in advance, meaning that law students who want to go straight from their degree to the Legal Practice Course and then into a training contract need to be ready to apply at the end of their second year of study. More than that – changes to the Voluntary Code of Practice for the Recruitment of Trainee Solicitors mean that the earliest point at which it is deemed acceptable for firms to offer training contracts to students is at the start of the second year, not the end – although this has not yet brought about significant change to the recruitment calendar and we will bring you that information immediately when and if it does.

Commercial firms are increasingly engaging students earlier, putting on schemes for first years largely in response to growing demand for more opportunities from switched-on students who are already thinking about their careers. However, initiatives for first-year students are highly competitive and there are not nearly enough places for everyone, not least because the firms which run specific first-year programmes are still in the minority. Furthermore, not every aspiring lawyer wants to be a commercial solicitor or is even sure about the kind of lawyer they want to be; a pretty reasonable position for a first-year student to be in, considering that well-informed career decisions are best made with the benefit of first-hand experience. And on top of that, enjoying the unique academic, extracurricular and social opportunities that university life has to offer is also an important (and time consuming) part of being a student, although this can sometimes seem overlooked by eager recruiters, careers advisers and certain yellow-and-blue logoed law websites.

With all that in mind, it’s easy to find yourself wondering just how you should ‘start early’ as a first-year student. Studying hard – recruiters will look at your first-year module results when you apply – and enjoying your time at university should be at the top of your priorities, but there is also a whole range of things that you can be doing to enhance your student experience and your CV at the same time. The rest of this article will set out the options available to first-year students, at least some of which you should definitely pursue if you are serious about becoming a lawyer. Remember that not securing a vacation scheme or mini-pupillage in your first year is not a disaster – the road to practising law is a long one and there will be other, equally important (if not more so) opportunities ahead. However, with competition for training contracts and pupillages in all areas of the profession as high as it has ever been and a glowing CV a prerequisite for most of these sought-after positions, it really does pay to start thinking about you career during your first year – and this applies to those who are already certain about what they want to do and those who are less sure alike.

Law firms’ first-year student schemes

Let’s start with the formal schemes that an increasing number of solicitors firms have started to run in recent years and which are also available at some barristers’ chambers. Prestigious firms including Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, Simmons & Simmons and Berwin Leighton Paisner all offer vacation schemes or insight programmes to first-year students – each is a valuable opportunity to introduce yourself to the firm, see what life at its offices is really like and improve your chances of securing a place on a vacation scheme, which is the most direct path to a training contract.

Top City outfit Hogan Lovells was an early adopter of this approach; its vacation scheme which is aimed specifically at first years has been running in the spring term holidays since 2008. But is engaging with firms so important for first years, many of whom will not yet be applying for training contracts? “We are always listening to the feedback that we receive from our applicants and the first-year scheme was introduced in response to requests from enthusiastic first-year students who wanted an opportunity to find out more about life in a City law firm,” explains Natasha Sheehan, the firm’s trainee recruitment manager. “As these students are still very much at the beginning of their legal journey, we are keen to give them an insight into the commercial world of law so that they can make an informed decision about whether this is the right environment for them. The focus is therefore aimed at finding out their motivations for a career in commercial law in the City, as well as the transferable skills that they have gained‎ in other areas of their life that would be an asset as a future trainee lawyer. Building up relationships with students from an early stage allows them to determine whether they are suited to a career at your firm and is particularly important now that training contract offers can be made to law students from the beginning of their second year. Engaging with students at an early stage allows them to determine whether they are suited to a career at your firm. As with all of our applications, applicants for our first-year spring vacation scheme are required to submit an application, complete our online critical thinking test and take part in a telephone interview. Both the format of the application and the telephone interview take into account the limited experience and legal knowledge that applicants will have at this stage in their career‎. Candidates that take part in our spring vacation scheme in their first year and then apply for a summer vacation scheme in their second year are not required to complete the online Watson Glaser critical thinking test or telephone interview again, but can be progressed directly to assessment day. So building up strong relationships with firms can definitely be beneficial for the future!”

Meanwhile, magic circle firm Clifford Chance is one of the most famous to have introduced a scheme for first years and we caught up with Aasha Tikoo, the firm’s graduate recruitment manager, to ask about the thinking behind this. “We introduced the First Year Springboard scheme last year – we had previously engaged with first-year students through open days and workshops, but the First Year Springboard is our first ever full vacation scheme opportunity for students in their first year of study,” explains Aasha. “The scheme was introduced in response to the enormous number of requests that we were getting from highly motivated first-year students for more opportunities. Historically, we have always run a first-year insight workshop which takes place over a couple of days – places are highly sought after and the competition for them is huge, so our experience of running that workshop, combined with a marked increase in the number of requests from students, made us decide to expand the opportunities for engagement that we offer with a new initiative which carries the same weight as a vacation scheme, but is aimed exclusively at first-year students. Last year, completing our first-year scheme would have led directly to a place on a summer vacation scheme at the end of a candidate’s second year, but this year it will lead straight to a training contract assessment day in September.”

For an insight into the benefits of such schemes from a student’s perspective, we spoke to Nadeem Brora, who is studying law at the London School of Economics. During his first year, Nadeem gained a place on leading commercial firm Allen & Overy’s first-year programme, A&O First. He explains how he heard of the scheme and what the application process was like: “I attended a presentation about A&O First in the autumn term of my first year at university – it sounded like a great scheme and I decided to give it a go and apply. The application process opens around 1 January and the online application form was fairly standard in asking about grades and any work experience that you have had, but had some unique elements to it too. These included a question about your interests and activities, and a question specifically about your interest in commercial law. There was also a question asking you to detail a particular challenge that you have faced previously. I found those last two questions pretty difficult to answer, but I had a clear sense of why the firm was asking them – they wanted to learn something about the person behind the application. I also wasn’t required to do a psychometric test, which was a positive – I don’t think anyone enjoys those! Once the application was submitted, it was just a case of waiting for an email confirming whether I had secured a place – there was no interview component.”

The first day of the scheme was split into two halves – workshops and advice sessions in the morning and shadowing a trainee in the afternoon. “The firm gave us great advice for our second-year applications and interviews, as well as on the elusive concept of commercial awareness in terms of what it means and how you develop it,” says Nadeem. “For example, one exercise we did was a commercial negotiation between three parties – it was fun, challenging and probably the best part of the day for me personally. I think that the application advice has also stood me in good stead – my experiences have certainly allowed me to tailor my application to the firm, while the graduate recruitment team will be able to put a face to the name when they pick up my application. After lunch on the firm’s famous roof terrace, we then each shadowed a trainee for the afternoon. This was a really valuable experience because it allowed me to see first-hand what I would be getting into if I pursued a career as a solicitor – it was a great insight into what the job actually entails. We were also able to network with the graduate recruitment team, as well as associates and partners. This helped me to picture myself working at the firm and get a sense of how I would get along with the people and culture there.”

Securing a place on a firm’s first-year scheme has clear benefits in terms of boosting your CV and application prospects, as well as your knowledge of the profession and ability to make an informed decision about what you really want from your career. “The shadowing aspect of the scheme in particular showed me what it would really be like to be a trainee solicitor – without attending A&O First, I would have had no idea beyond speculation, which isn’t ideal if you are thinking about committing to a challenging career path,” says Nadeem. “I have also kept up with the trainee whom I shadowed on the first day of the scheme – we have met up for a coffee a couple of times since, so it’s a great way to get to know people and build links in the legal profession. Taking part in the scheme also provides the opportunity to become one of the firm’s campus executives, which involves representing the firm to your fellow students and spreading the word about upcoming presentations and any other events.”

But with places so limited, you shouldn’t be too disheartened if you miss out. “Any experience that you can get is valuable, no matter the size of the organisation you gain a placement with or are planning to apply to in the future,” explains Aasha. “If you are a first-year student who wants to gain experience, the opportunity is there and you should absolutely go for it; but at the same time, don’t panic or feel that your options are exhausted if you don’t get a place.”

Nadeem agrees: “A place on a vacation scheme, which comes later, is still the most important thing in terms of securing a training contract. However, it bears emphasising that taking part in a first-year scheme will certainly increase your chances of securing a place on a full vacation scheme later on.”

But fear not – there are plenty of other ways to engage with the legal profession during your first year…

Law fairs

Taking place every autumn during October and November, university law fairs are a great way to introduce yourself to firms and chambers. Be sure to do some research into the firms and chambers attending before you go, so that you can make the most of your time by having constructive conversations with the organisations which actually interest you. Don’t ask basic questions that you could find answers to on a firm’s website – aim for more interesting conversations. This will be invaluable in determining what may be for you, while it also creates a good impression with recruiters – you can even mention your conversation and who you spoke with in a later application. We have covered law fairs at length on LC.N, so click the link above for more detailed information and advice.

Mini-pupillages (for aspiring barristers)

The availability of mini-pupillages for first-year students and the timetable for applications differs among chambers – many are aimed at second years and above – but they are a great way to see barristers in action and to introduce yourself to people who could remember you favourably later on. Check chambers’ websites for details of how and when to apply.

Informal legal work experience

Many of the formal work experience schemes run by larger firms follow a strict timetable and are often only open to second-year students and above (with notable exceptions – see above). However, it is possible to secure work experience at smaller, high-street firms on a much more ad hoc basis. Write to firms in your area or give them a call. Even providing office support for a day or two, or shadowing a solicitor for an afternoon, is all valuable experience which improves both your CV and your knowledge about what you do and don’t want to do when you graduate.

Non-legal work experience

It’s not just law placements that you should put on your CV – all work experience is valuable. It is even better if you can build some experience in an area where clients of the firms you are interested in operate. If you’re interested in private client work, any customer-facing role such as working in catering, customer services or events will really help to demonstrate that you have the necessary people skills and can apply them in a professional environment. If you apply to a corporate firm, any experience in the financial sector (eg, working for a bank, hedge fund or related business) will be particularly relevant.

Beyond that, it really is the case that any previous employment will have taught you valuable transferrable skills. Previous jobs in pubs and supermarkets should not be cut from your CV, but used intelligently to provide evidence of the core skills needed in any professional environment, such as team working, time keeping and responsibility. Many firms will appreciate how hard it can be financially to go to university and the need to therefore be employed in more casual jobs while you are studying, so under no circumstances be ashamed or embarrassed if this makes securing the kind of work experiences set out above more difficult. Earning a living while studying for better qualifications is something to be proud of. Even if it can seem that the culture among the professions of unpaid work experience as a prerequisite for a job is designed by well-off people, for well-off people with no appreciation of how others have to live (it is), this has so far been unable to alter the actual fabric of reality and progressive employers will appreciate this.

Pro bono

Volunteering for a free legal advice centre, charity or organisation such as the Citizens Advice Bureau is a fantastic way to gain legal work experience – you improve your CV while helping others. It is possible to juggle these commitments with study and any part-time job you might have, although it will cut down your free time. However, it’s worth it: here is more information on the benefits of pro bono work, after which you can look through a nationwide list of pro bono initiatives.

Mooting and debating

Joining mooting and debating societies and taking part in competitions is great for building up key skills – advocacy, obviously, but also team work and research. Mooting is essential for those bound for the Bar, but it is also a great activity for any aspiring solicitor to get involved in, too. Here is some more information on how mooting can help you to a successful career in the legal profession. 

Extracurricular activities

There are many other things you can and should be doing with your time, besides pursuing legal work experience. Employers like well-rounded candidates and most of the recruiters we speak to want to see evidence of extracurricular interests outside the law. That means playing for a sports team, playing in a band or singing in a choir – among countless other things – are all great university pursuits which will also look good on your CV.

And finally

Take your career prospects seriously and be sure to do as well as you can academically in your first year. Even if your first-year results don’t count toward your overall degree classification, recruiters inundated with high-quality applications will look at your module breakdown for evidence of consistent academic ability and the right attitude. You should also take advantage of some of the opportunities above, not least because many of them will help you to decide whether the career you are considering is right for you. But missing out on an open day or vacation scheme in your first year is no reason to panic – and make sure you enjoy what university has to offer!

Josh Richman is the senior editor of LawCareers.Net.