So, I already mentioned this in a previous thread, but I will be going to a US law school as part of a dual degree next year. This effectively means that instead of graduating in 2022, I will be doing so in 2023 and will have both an LLB and a JD. I recently received a call from a City law firm offering me a training contract after the completion of their vacation scheme. This puts me in a huge bind. I'm assuming that they would be willing to defer my training contract by a year (I've heard of firms doing this), so the 2023 graduation date probably isn't that big of a problem. The problem is whether I should accept the offer or not. In late July, I will be interviewing for summer associate positions at a number of US firms through on-campus interviews or OCI (which is the way recruitment works in the US, at least at top law schools). The success rates at OCI are extremely high (only about 10% of people DON'T land a summer associate position by the end of it) and I think I should probably be fine. That said, it's not guaranteed. Because of this, I'm contemplating accepting my training contract offer, but that would mean I would be unable to accept work in the US since I would be bound by my contract in London. An additional problem is that the compensation offered in London is just not enough to cover the costs of law school (which, altogether, will probably end up costing around $185k, i.e. £134k).
What should I do in this situation? Is it possible to ask the firm that's giving me the offer to give me additional time (i.e. until after all my OCI offers or lack thereof are in), as well as deferring my start date? Should I just accept the offer?
What should I do in this situation? Is it possible to ask the firm that's giving me the offer to give me additional time (i.e. until after all my OCI offers or lack thereof are in), as well as deferring my start date? Should I just accept the offer?