Law Career Advice: Playing to a Passion and Seeking Legal Work Experience
In this article, a Cambridge Law graduate and Trainee Solicitor at Morgan Sports Law, provides an insight into finding a career that you are passionate about. Find out how to choose a career that plays to your interests, the importance of seeking legal work experience and how to go about it, as well as hot to put yourself in the best position possible for law firm applications.
In today’s world there is ever-more pressure to decide on your career path at an early stage. This can sometimes lead to rushed decisions and being influenced by others. There is nothing wrong with knowing from an early stage what you really want to do, and there is nothing wrong with taking advice from those who know you best, but there is no need to rush your decision.
Career choices can affect the subjects you choose to study at A-Level and at University, so there can be a lot of pressure to make the “right” decision early on. However, there are ways to keep your options open throughout these stages of your education.
Picking an array of subjects at A-Level can be a good way to ensure that you remain flexible, whilst most University degrees – perhaps Medicine aside – are broad enough to allow you to pursue almost any career you wish. Perhaps you might need to decide early if you want to follow a science path, in order to properly develop your skillset but, otherwise, you should take time to find what you are passionate about.
I decided quite early on that I wanted to study Law, and that I probably wanted to be a lawyer, after my family suggested it would be something that I might be good at. There was something about the logical nature of the subject which appealed to my personality. Once I was at university, my passion for law grew, but I realised that my career path was still uncertain.
Law is perhaps one of the most career-driven degree subjects (though many lawyers study another subject at undergraduate level) and, as such, you are bombarded by law firms who want you to work for them. There are so many fields of law in which to specialise (relatively few of which you study in depth at university) that it can be difficult to know what to do.
Something which is certain across all subjects at University is that the corporate world will come calling. Big city firms – be it banking, accountancy, law, or anything else – target undergraduates and graduates, and the salaries can be incredibly eye-catching. They offer stable jobs on good wages with good chances of career progression and international travel. For many, it is a dream job.
However, it didn’t feel right for me. The commercial world can be exciting and challenging, but it can also be faceless and dry. It can lack a human element and, often, the lifestyle it brings is both anti-social and exhausting. The stories you hear about graduates doing all-nighters in their city jobs are perfectly true and, despite the glamour, for many people this is not what they look for in life.
At first, I was drawn in by the corporate world – as most of us are! I went to the Open Days, the talks and the dinners, and was fortunate to get a place on a Vacation Scheme at a Magic Circle law firm but, in the end, I decided it wasn’t for me.
Alongside the corporate talks and dinners that I attended, I was researching areas of law which might appeal to me on a more personal level. I looked into firms which specialised in the areas I was most enjoying studying, and also those which reflected my interests outside of academia, such as media, entertainment and sport. I came across a field of law that I hadn’t previously heard of: “Sports Law”. As soon as I found it, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.
I had always wanted to do something as a job that excited me, and this was just that. It was immediately obvious that this might be a way for me to combine my passion for sport with my growing interest in law. As such, I found out what firms specialised in the area and sent emails to some of the smaller, boutique firms with eye-catching clients to ask about work experience. I didn’t hear back from some but was offered work experience at one firm soon after, then, months later, was contacted by a second offering me a three-week internship. I am starting as a trainee solicitor at that firm in August 2020.
By doing work experience at these more specialised “sports law” firms, as well as experiencing what the corporate firms had to offer, I was able to compare and contrast, and to make an informed decision about what it really was that I wanted to do with my life.
Seeking Legal Work Experience
The importance of work experience cannot be overstated. It allows you to experience the work that your chosen career really involves, and what the day-to-day looks like. There can be no better way to make a decision about the path you wish to take.
So, my advice is to go out and look for experience everywhere you can. Write to people, go to careers events, network and hear what people have to say. Get a broad spectrum of experiences so that you can properly consider your options. That way, there is more chance that you will find something you are truly passionate about and that you actually want to do rather than just something you think would pay the bills.
Throughout your working life, you will spend more time working than doing anything else (including – probably – sleeping). With that in mind, it is vital – at least from my perspective – to love what you do.
So many students get on the career conveyor belt – usually driven by the corporate world – and sign their lives away in return for six-figure salaries. But I would encourage anyone to question this and to ask themselves what really inspires them, and what really makes them happy. Ask yourself: “what is going to make me want to jump out of bed every morning?”
The world really is your oyster, and your life is what you make of it. Today, more than ever, is a time of opportunity, and there are careers out there to suit everyone. Take the time to explore and to follow your passions. Don’t settle for anything less than what really makes you happy and find the career you want – not the career you think you should have.
Top Tips: Law Career Advice
Explore both solicitor and barrister career paths – keep an open mind to begin with!
Research areas of law which interest you online and contact firms for work experience (while you’re at school and university!)
Attend careers lectures/ talks/ fairs at school and university
Get involved in debating and/or mooting (at school or university) to hone your arguing and speaking skills!
Read about law and the legal profession in books and online
Visit the courts, to see barristers in action!
Go to law firm-sponsored events like dinners/drinks (at university)
Do the same for barristers’ chambers – apply for mini-pupillages (during university first year)
Apply for law firm open days/work experience schemes (during university first and second year)
Build a CV showcasing your experiences
Be proactive – don’t settle for the commercial law route if you don’t think it’s for you!
By Ben (Cambridge Law graduate and ex-President of the Law Society).
Interested in Law career mentoring? We host a range of exciting activities for students thinking of a future career in Law
Law Research Projects e.g. A project on sentencing with a Research Associate at the Sentencing Academy
Online Law Club: The Law Club convenes weekly to discuss current debates surrounding law, giving you exposure to key legal questions and preparing for university applications/ a future career in law
Law activities in London e.g.
Accompanied visits to the Old Bailey/ Supreme Court, followed by discussions with a Law mentor
Potential for legal work experience
Law Summer School: Particularly useful for those considering law at a top UK university/ Oxbridge
1-1 Law university application/ career mentoring: We have a fantastic team of Law mentors who can support students with career advice sessions, CV building, interview preparation (e.g. for Law training contracts),