My experience as a career changer/mature law student in lockdown

I decided to change my career to law after seeing a trial take place in a crown court. I had absolutely no idea what to expect but I had a gut feeling that I had missed my calling and so I plunged in! At the time, I owned a company in a specialist type of construction. So, after selling my shares, I started to research a career as a solicitor and the deeper I dived the more I started to fall in love with the law.

Fast forward one bumpy ride of a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and a lot of juggling kids, work, home and stress I am now on the Legal Practice Course (LPC) MsC at The University of Law. As a mature student studying for the LPC, I spent this summer attending lots of online events, vacation schemes and networking and have now entered the 2020-21 university year with a completely new outlook.

Remember, this is likely to be a new sector or a new journey if you are entering as a career changer or mature student and learning can be tiring.

How to make the most of virtual events as a mature student

The virtual schemes are accessible to anyone, and by virtual schemes I mean the easily accessible InsideSherpa schemes (which recently changed brand to Forage). I have completed two, which were both challenging in different ways. The InsideSherpa schemes have several modules and the top tier law firms running them can choose whether to view your work. You can also showcase parts of your work to the firms running the schemes.

Applicants should approach them with thought and care when considering using them as work experience on your CV. Unlike traditional schemes, the virtual schemes are often not as competitive to enter so it’s important that candidates use the experience wisely and tailor it to your chosen practice area. For example, a scheme could involve advising a client on the set up of a new company in the UK. If you are a student wanting to practise in corporate law, think about how you can showcase this virtual experience on an application form – can you tailor it to your chosen company, their top practice area or operating sectors?

Larger schemes

Examples of larger schemes are the Legal Cheek Virtual Vacation Scheme and the Bright Network Virtual Internship. As well as independent work, these were more interactive because the activities were peppered with networking sessions. All the speakers at the event took part in the networking sessions, which presented a fantastic chance for students to meet them and ask any questions they might have. Before covid-19, it is unlikely that after hearing a talk from a partner at an event you would have been given much extra time to have a one-to-one chat with little distractions. In addition, attending these accessible virtual schemes also helps us to stay informed with current issues as they are always discussed at such events. Mature students now have access to initiatives that we may not have previously had access to because they have moved online and there are always plenty of opportunities to ask questions, either on side chat functions or in networking sessions, for example.

The transition from face-to-face to virtual has in some cases also affected the traditional method for vacation scheme recruitment.

Turning the camera on

At the virtual events there are often opportunities to talk to firm partners and graduate recruitment teams that are attending the events. This gives candidates an opportunity to have a virtual one-to-one chat with a partner or graduate recruiter, with no wait and no queue! This rarely happened before covid 19, and if it did it came with a lot of emails and phone calls to get there.

To make the most of these opportunities it’s important to take a deep breath and turn the camera on.

On top of this, ensuring your background is professional can also be important. The more virtual events I attended this year the more I started to think about making my workspace zoom friendly. I invested in a stand for my laptop, finished decorating my wall with inspirational law quotes and kept the background uncluttered and neutral.

With an increasing number of virtual events arriving in the calendar, I started to see the same faces and my confidence increased on virtual platforms. I was paired with another mum at the Bright Network scheme, which was great as it enabled me to build relationships with a network similar to me. Sometimes these events clashed with real life of course, but there can be ways around this if you know the time of the webinar. For one event, I cycled through a forest with my phone attached to my bike shushing my sister as I strained to hear the partner explain his journey from state school to partner!

Social events online

At the end of many of the virtual events, there are also social elements. I have attended online Yoga sessions, wine tastings and I believe some of the magic circle firms were doing lunchtime cookalongs on their virtual vacation schemes.

There have also been virtual DJ sessions, mocktail and cocktail making classes and virtual coffees. These opportunities are so important for you to show your personality and to get to know the firm and its employees; they are usually good fun too and despite initial awkwardness (which you might also experience face-to-face!) I enjoyed all that I attended.

Overcoming barriers

Chances are there are a lot of mature students and a few career changers dotted around in the group anywhere you attend. With mature students making up 36% of students on undergraduate courses and 53% of students on postgraduate courses this group experienced a 10% growth in 2018/19. The number of matures students could increase further, as accessibility to online courses improves during the current pandemic and many individuals start to rethink their lifestyle options and career for a variety of reasons.

So, while being a mature student or career changer may sometimes seem like a barrier it is only as much of a barrier as we perceive it to be. The online world we currently live in means that the playing field for mature students has levelled out a bit, and we can be seen, heard and considered more for opportunities. If you are a career changer, focus on those transferrable skills because law is also about people and business as well as applying the law. If you are a mature student, the overriding message I hear is to be unafraid and put yourself out there!

Top 10 tips for entering law as a mature student

1. Grab every virtual opportunity presented and register for as many webinars as possible relevant to your sector
2. Attend virtual law fairs – and get involved, enter the booths and speak to other students, firms and graduate recruiters
3. If you are doing an online scheme such as an Inside Sherpa one – cherry-pick the elements of the scheme to then tailor to your chosen firm showing and explaining why you enjoyed them
4. Create a workspace at home that is professional and works for you, paying attention to comfort, possible interruptions and what is in view on a Zoom meeting
5. Always take the plunge – turn your camera on and ask questions (make sure they are thought out and relevant to the event) employers want to see and hear from you
6. Reach out to people in the law community
7. Use your experience and previous employment or study to show individual aspects of your personality and as a positive to put forward
8. When attending a social event (freshers’ week or yoga/cooking) don’t be afraid everyone is nervous and you’re all in the same boat
9. Do not hide your career if you are a career changer – show it and talk about it, think about how it matches with your chosen firm
10. Don’t be afraid to ‘put yourself out there’ and share your individual talents and experiences.

Rachael Bell is a non-law graduate who is currently studying the LPC at The University of Law in Chester.