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How did we get here? Let me rephrase, as I don’t mean to engage in philosophy or theology – why did you and I choose to study law, or why do we have an interest in a legal career? 

I know I didn’t always want to study law at university. Even up to my final year of high school, I wanted to study some form of engineering, with law just another option at the back of my mind. When I eventually realised that I don’t actually like maths all that much, law suddenly came to the fore of my educational ambitions. Five years on, having completed the LLB and Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, and soon to begin a training contract, I am rather pleased with my mathematical epiphany. 

Looking back, my initial attraction to law was more about curiosity than conviction. I liked reading, writing, winning arguments – and law was an obvious vehicle for all of that. Plus, in truth, it seemed readily employable. But if you’d asked me what kind of law I wanted to practise, or what a training contract even was, you may as well have asked me to explain how a fax machine works (I still don’t know).

There’s a strange disconnect in the way that many of us choose law (or most degrees, for that matter). We sign up for the degree before really understanding the profession. At 17, law seemed a neat academic challenge, with a hopefully stable income as the outcome. Now, it seems much more expansive.

Learning what law looks like

University can sometimes be a mirage. You learn the rules of evidence without ever seeing a witness, and study company law without necessarily knowing what companies actually do. It’s only through practical experiences – open days, insight events and vacation schemes – that the profession starts to take some initial shape.

For me, vacation schemes were the turning point. Experiencing life inside a law firm revealed three key insights:

• first, the variety of legal work far exceeded my expectations;
• second, I discovered a genuine enjoyment in the process – there’s a catharsis in translating abstract rules into something a client can actually use; but
• third, I became increasingly aware of aspects of the profession that I might not find fulfilling.

These schemes shifted my idea of what I thought I wanted. Perhaps like many of you, I was at one point very keen on the idea of being in court all the time, as in courtroom dramas. Then I came to learn of the stressors of litigation. Suddenly, a relatively calm afternoon drafting contracts didn’t sound so bad.

Choosing (or not quite choosing)

By the time I was applying for training contracts, I didn’t know what kind of lawyer I wanted to be. So instead of chasing a specific practice area, I paid attention to how trainees described their days, how approachable people seemed and how the law firm talked about development. I didn’t necessarily choose a law firm in any decisive, strategic sense, but rather I opted for a law firm where I felt I could learn – and feel comfortable while doing it.

And the traineeship is a starting point, not a life sentence. Whether it’s by friends, family, tutors or interviewers, you’ve probably been asked what kind of law you want to do, as if it’s a personality quiz with neat categories. In reality, most trainees figure it out on the job – because that’s the first time they properly experience it. You might discover a surprising niche that suits you, or just click with a team. Sometimes, the decision is made for you – this isn’t always a bad thing.

Nominally, I chose law, in that I chose to study it, but I didn’t really choose this path within law – not all at once, at any rate. I’ve been choosing along the way. I still don’t know where I’ll end up, but I have no worries about that. Training contracts exist precisely because people need time to learn and try things out. We’re not picking a destiny but testing the waters.

‘Falling’ into a career doesn’t have to be a freefall and doesn’t have to feel helpless. It means being flexible, willing to try different things to see what works and adapting along the way. I’m just glad I didn’t like maths.