Hello all!
First of all, I'd like to clarify this is my first year applying for training contracts after having different plans for my career, so my commercial awareness and applications knowledge is not as advanced as one would expect (I appreciate feedback, given this is my first rodeo applying to London firms, but keep in mind that my questions might be a bit naïve and basic - for that, I apologise in advance).
I recently turned 24, and I am an LLB grad (2020, LSE) who achieved a 2.1 by the skin of their teeth - my least strong subjects were law of obligations and property law so I expect this will be a minus in my application. I was always more academically inclined towards different subjects (international law, arbitration... sociology of law), fields which were the focus of my LLM (completed 2023, in overseas but reputable european uni, very difficult programme, my final overall grade was mediocre because of personal issues affecting me during the assessment of an important final subject). I mainly made it through higher education due to combos of scholarships from home country + bursary + loan + full-time work, at the same time of full-time study. My secondary/years 11&12 education in private schools was also owed to scholarships.
I thought I would be pursuing a PhD by now, but I was rejected by two dream programmes of mine due to specific professors not being able to supervise someone at the moment, even though I got very good feedback.
Between my LLB and LLM, I had to return to my home country to support my family financially doing work in an irrelevant field, mostly left me with skills in editing and admin. I have, however, completed a lot of volunteer legal work and served as assistant editor and researcher in academic publications. Qualifying in my home country is a bit play-to-play, and as I am again sucked into work that is financially practical for me and my family right now, I am once again not working in a legal field.
I am now realising that my PhD topic would benefit from me gaining experience in a firm (I do not wish to specify the epistemological reasons but it would definitely help me gain perspective and network better for the kind of research I want to do). I could envision working for 5+ years as a solicitor and then either taking a break to do a full-time PhD or do an executive-track (part-time) one. Currently, I am trying to broaden my knowledge on IP, capital markets, and environmental law while applying to MC, SC, and other London firms - this is the first time I'm ever applying.
First of all, I'd like to clarify this is my first year applying for training contracts after having different plans for my career, so my commercial awareness and applications knowledge is not as advanced as one would expect (I appreciate feedback, given this is my first rodeo applying to London firms, but keep in mind that my questions might be a bit naïve and basic - for that, I apologise in advance).
I recently turned 24, and I am an LLB grad (2020, LSE) who achieved a 2.1 by the skin of their teeth - my least strong subjects were law of obligations and property law so I expect this will be a minus in my application. I was always more academically inclined towards different subjects (international law, arbitration... sociology of law), fields which were the focus of my LLM (completed 2023, in overseas but reputable european uni, very difficult programme, my final overall grade was mediocre because of personal issues affecting me during the assessment of an important final subject). I mainly made it through higher education due to combos of scholarships from home country + bursary + loan + full-time work, at the same time of full-time study. My secondary/years 11&12 education in private schools was also owed to scholarships.
I thought I would be pursuing a PhD by now, but I was rejected by two dream programmes of mine due to specific professors not being able to supervise someone at the moment, even though I got very good feedback.
Between my LLB and LLM, I had to return to my home country to support my family financially doing work in an irrelevant field, mostly left me with skills in editing and admin. I have, however, completed a lot of volunteer legal work and served as assistant editor and researcher in academic publications. Qualifying in my home country is a bit play-to-play, and as I am again sucked into work that is financially practical for me and my family right now, I am once again not working in a legal field.
I am now realising that my PhD topic would benefit from me gaining experience in a firm (I do not wish to specify the epistemological reasons but it would definitely help me gain perspective and network better for the kind of research I want to do). I could envision working for 5+ years as a solicitor and then either taking a break to do a full-time PhD or do an executive-track (part-time) one. Currently, I am trying to broaden my knowledge on IP, capital markets, and environmental law while applying to MC, SC, and other London firms - this is the first time I'm ever applying.
- So, if anyone is still reading... I know that 24 is not too old an age to be applying for training contracts, but how should I address my 2 (between LLB and LLM) + 1 (current) years not in legal work?
- Also, I understand that a question could arise regarding my LLB choice of optional modules (not very commercial choices I must say) and the fact that I could have applied for VCs and TCs since last year, while I was in my LLM - as in, my current VC and TC applications could be perceived as desperation or me being too indecisive while in undergrad. These modules did help me gain analytical skills and tools useful to academia, but I doubt they will seem too attractive to commercial firm recruitment. How do I... explain myself? Or, is this something (in combination to my work experience so far) that could be perceived as more relevant to my socio-economic background (I also belong to an underrepresented ethnic group) and is therefore, okay to be explained by me in that context - as in, "this is the work I had to do for a while, my plans where different, now after gaining more experience I have gained a better insight in what is best suited to me/what I want to do"?
- Also, I will need a Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK. How will that affect my SQE/should I have an answer prepared for that, in case they decide to ask me in interviews (if I get any interviews, of course)? Or is this something that firm recruitment sorts out easily?
