- Sep 7, 2024
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Heya @Logan1101
Having been in a similar situation before, I understand where your frustration is coming from. It’s disheartening to secure competitive internships and then find they don’t translate into more long-term opportunities at those organisations.
But I don't think it follows that these experiences are without value. The fact that you were able to access both competitive private practice and in-house internships is a pretty big achievement. Even if the training contract didn’t materialise, you’ve gained something substantial: a clearer sense of what lawyers do, and what kinds of legal environments you operate well in. That’s definitely not trivial.
To get the most out of these for future applications, I think it's worth thinking about what these internships gave you that you didn’t have before? What felt interesting? What did you observe about legal practice? What kind of problems did you get to help address? What kind of tasks did you get to carry out? Think also about what these experiences taught you about your own interests and aptitudes. This kind of reflection can be powerful when you get to drafting future applications, not only as evidence of your clear competence, but as an indication to recruiters of your thoughtfulness and resilience.
Again, none of this negates the disappointment. But it does mean your work and experiences have value, even if it isn't yet obvious to you. Really encourage you to leverage these achievements going forward. Let us know if you have any questions about how you can do that effectively. Happy to help.
