Law Career Advice

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Hi all,

I am nearly finished my law degree and I am wondering what to do next in order to secure a decent traineeship. Should I complete a Masters and if so, which one is of particular value? Work experience? Experience abroad? Also is it worthwhile to continue learning a language? Any help will be much appreciated:)

Bepolite

Search function will yield about a bazzillion results. You inquiry is very vague - what are you looking to do?

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Sorry, I should clarify. I would ideally like to train with a large commercial firm but would not mind a medium sized one. I will have a 2.1 BCL degree and just wondering what to add to my CV to make me a bit more appealing on the market.

Bepolite

Internships, involvement with student activities such as mooting, debating and any Law Society your institution might have, FLAC. Just a few I can think of.

More specifically the Advocate Moot is a great one for aspiring commercial solicitors.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Thanks mate appreciate it. Would an extra language,say German, be a plus?

number13

Sorry to jump on board but could someone answer this question. Im in the same boat as carlowbruiser. I have law degree but looking to take the next step. Solicitor or barrister? Just wondering about barrister if i take the weekend part time course and decide not to devil (mortagage and kids). is there any benefit in doing that or would I just be wasting my time if i didnt devil ?
please help

Bepolite

Francisco Colossal Certificate wrote: »

Thanks mate appreciate it. Would an extra language,say German, be a plus?

Depends on the firm and whether you also have some knowledge of Civil Law jurisdictions, I would imagine.

number13 wrote: »

Sorry to jump on board but could someone answer this question. Im in the same boat as Francisco Colossal Certificate. I have law degree but looking to take the next step. Solicitor or barrister? Just wondering about barrister if i take the weekend part time course and decide not to devil (mortagage and kids). is there any benefit in doing that or would I just be wasting my time if i didnt devil ?
please help

You can go in-house or into the Civil Service, how viable either option is with no practice experience is debatable. That said I've never heard a bad word about the BL course.

234

Francisco Colossal Certificate wrote: »

Thanks mate appreciate it. Would an extra language,say German, be a plus?

I think that A&L have a German language unit.

Bepolite

234 wrote: »

I think that A&L have a German language unit.

To be honest I suspect will all be speaking German/Chinese soon enough :P

j80ezgvc3p92xu

To be honest I suspect will all be speaking German/Chinese soon enough

That's true I have been doing much German study in the last year for various reasons and was wondering would it be worthwhile getting a certificate in eg. business German

number13

Bepolite wrote: »

Depends on the firm and whether you also have some knowledge of Civil Law jurisdictions, I would imagine.



You can go in-house or into the Civil Service, how viable either option is with no practice experience is debatable. That said I've never heard a bad word about the BL course.

So you think its inadvisable ? anyone ever done this or am I in dreamland in even thinking this?

NoQuarter

number13 wrote: »

So you think its inadvisable ? anyone ever done this or am I in dreamland in even thinking this?

Lots of people get the BL and then dont devil. But you will need some way to get onto the career ladder, they dont hand out jobs even with the BL so you'll need to use your head and find a way in to wherever it is you want to work.

number13

What options would be available without devilling in law ? Would a company hire an in house advisor without legal practise ? Not much hope of getting into the public service at the moment .

NoQuarter

number13 wrote: »

What options would be available without devilling in law ? Would a company hire an in house advisor without legal practise ? Not much hope of getting into the public service at the moment .

Yeah they would, but this is what I mean, you'd have a better chance if you had some qualification/diploma/experience in the same area that the particular company operate in.

Or for a general approach, there is a diploma in "in house practice" here: http://www.lawsociety.ie/S14-Diploma-in-In-House-Practice.aspx

My experience is that you really need to package yourself and tailor yourself to sell yourself. Off-the-rack suits are ten a penny nowadays.