Graduate seeking guidance

[legallysg]

Hello anybody who is reading this,

I so wish I found this community earlier, it is so great to see everybody's inspiring journeys and motivations!

For myself, I am wondering if i should join the journey as well or if it's just not right for me.

My situation
I am a recent LLB graduate. I did not get a good degree and I did not get good A Level results. I really thought i could redeem myself after A Levels by smashing it out the park with my degree, but I did not. In fact I didn't even get the bare minimum expected of law graduates.

I already know I do not have a chance in this life to join a global, reputable law firm. For the past 2 months, I thought I had a chance at more regional, high street firms but I'm starting to think that I don't now. To make up for my awful grades, I know very well that I should have an abundance of experience, interpersonal skills and commercial awareness. However I cannot get a legal-related position to save my life. I'm trying to get my foot in the door but it is just not happening, it's my grades that always let me down or the fact that I wasted my time during my degree not applying to anything to do with Law. I know i am so out of line and undisciplined, how could I let it get so out of control...I would redo so many things. I'm trying not to drown in the past and stay resilient, I'm still applying everywhere to be a legal assistant/ paralegal/ legal admin and I'm volunteering on the side at different organisations. It's probably far from enough but I NEED something to talk about during applications.

My questions
I would love for somebody to just give it to me straight. These are the questions burning in my mind:

• The SQE. Is it worth self-funding even though I have not a single legal role lined up or done? (I really do not want to do the LLM, I know I'll do badly balancing SQE prep & essays)
• I am still very interested in open days from top firms. I'm not hoping to join them of course, but I'm just curious about what open days consist of. Can you tell me more about them & do I still apply?
• Realistically what am I supposed to focus on/ prioritize right now? I get no sleep at night because I'm constantly thinking about the 'right' thing to do to not waste any more time. Do i volunteer, do i get a job in anything and forget about Law temporarily, do I apply for vacation schemes & internships?
• I have never seen somebody get bad A Level grades, a bad degree and a bad level of legal experience. Unfortunately I have all 3. Please be brutally honest what are my chances?

As you can see, i am a very lost person right now! Maybe I am not meant for Law, if i was not dedicated before what will make me dedicated now. I spent my whole degree avoiding that I'm studying Law and made nothing of it, I achieved literally nothing. However why is a tiny part of me so hooked on not wasting my degree, seeing it through by gathering different skills, until a day where some firm out there will accept me. My experience is so tragically unique but I really hope this finds somebody. I will genuinely appreciate any words of advice that come my way.

Finally if you happen to be pre-graduation & you're reading this, please do not waste away these years. Put yourself out there for everything, be eager to learn, invest in yourself and your skillset by staying busy and dedicated. Your future self will thank you for it

 

[anonymous_assessment]

Hey,

I thought I would try and help with a few of your questions. I think, firstly, it's an achievement that you were able to graduate with a Law degree and that you should not diminish that achievement through comparison. There are a lot more people in a similar position than you think, and it is not the case that a legal role is completely off the cards for you.

Regarding the SQE, I think this is a personal choice to make, and a lot of people do self-fund. However, self-funding the SQE does not then guarantee that you will get a TC, though it may help. People do apply for TCs alongside their SQE and this is viable option, but you do need to think for yourself whether this is a risk that you are willing to take. Given that you mention are unsure whether you would want to stick with Law altogether, I think you should be careful with making this step, and try to reach out to people that have self-funded the SQE to understand what the benefits of doing so are in terms of application success.

Open days at top firms do not all require applications, some are more open access, so there is little opportunity cost in attending those sort of open days if it is something you are interested in. In terms of what happens at open days, it varies for each firm, but it tends to be a series of talks on the firm's practice areas, DE&I initiatives, maybe their pro-bono, etc. There also tends to be some more open-ended networking opportunity with trainees and associates at the firm in question. These open days also have a lot of prospective applicants in attendance, so that might be a good chance to connect with those that are in a similar position to yourself.

Personally, I think it would be a good idea to continue to have a think about what sort of law firm you are going for with your grade portfolio, and also worth looking into any sort of legal admin role that you may be able to secure to keep yourself in that loop. But at the same time, there is nothing wrong with trying to branch out into other careers temporarily before returning to legal applications with greater experience under your belt. Volunteering is a sensible option in this line of thinking, but it could be anything as long as you are developing transferable skills.

It is difficult to say what your chances are without knowing your specific grade breakdown and what firms or roles you are aiming for in the legal industry, but I feel like there is always a way to break into the legal industry, albeit from a smaller position. Ultimately, there is no point worrying too much about this, because there will be strong competition for roles throughout the legal field, so the best thing you can do is strategically apply whilst building up a bank of relevant experience that will help you stand out.

I hope that was somewhat helpful, and please do not give up hope! I think it is good that you are seeking out advice, and that you are continuing to make relevant applications. I wish you luck with whatever you choose to do.