Creating your own opportunities

Luke Murphy is a trainee at Clarke Willmott LLP and the Southampton representative of the South Hampshire Junior Lawyers Division. He describes a selection of ways in which you can create opportunities that may take you closer to a training contract.

As an aspiring solicitor in a fiercely competitive training contract market, it is inevitable that one will encounter a number of challenges along the way. But it is worth remembering that hurdles can be jumped, obstacles can be navigated and mountains can be climbed.

In today's world it has become increasingly important to be able to create your own opportunities. If you have received rejection letters, been unsuccessful at interview or are having a tough time getting your foot in the door, you are not alone but sometimes it is worth (if you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel) stepping out of the tunnel and turning the light on yourself.

As a graduate and a trainee, I have picked up and developed a number of ways to turn the light on. Below are some of my top tips on creating opportunities:

Coffee; where and when?

Meeting up over a casual coffee can be a great way to build up your network of legal contacts. Tap into friends and family. If you do not know any legal professionals, try writing a speculative letter or email to arrange a quick coffee. A busy lawyer is much more likely to give 15 minutes of his/her time for a quick chat than award a week of work experience to a complete stranger.

I'm a student: get me in there!

Locate, research and attend every networking event you can, whether that be a drinks event, a guest speaker event, a careers fair or a legal update seminar. It is never too early to get talking to new people. Be a face that people know. If attending a talk, take notes and ask a couple of questions at the end. Introduce yourself personally to the speaker.

Follow up, diarise and follow up again

Whenever you meet somebody new, always follow up with a polite email. You may not see the immediate value of having this person as a contact, but who knows where they or you might be in six months' time? Diarise their name and some key details about them. Keep an eye out in the news, legal press or on Linkedin. Make an effort to follow up if you see that they have been promoted, been involved in a deal or written an article. Be the person that they think of when a vacancy or work experience place arises at their firm.

But I'm too old for story telling

Exposure. Exposure. Exposure. Writing articles, starting a blog and having an online presence can be a great way of getting your name out there. Highlight these achievements on your CV and be the person whose name pops up as author of 'that really interesting article' when the recruiter taps your name into Google.

Luke Murphy is a trainee with the employment team at Clarke Willmott LLP and the Southampton representative of the South Hampshire Junior Lawyers Division.