how important is paralegal experience in securing a training contract?

Hi everyone. So I’m a recent law graduate hoping to secure a training contract at some point in the future but in the meantime I’d like to get some work experience.

I recently managed to secure two job offers - one as a paralegal in the research and development department at a global pharmaceutical company, and one as a junior finance analyst at a consulting firm. To be honest I never thought I’d find myself in this position as when I was applying I was fully expected to be rejected by both!

I know that the paralegal option may seem like the obvious choice, but the thing that’s making me hesitate is that the subject matter of the finance role ties in more with the sector I’d hope to specialise in as a solicitor, ie., capital markets, securities, etc.

So basically I’m trying to figure out what i should focus on more. the relevant sector, ie finance, even though that wouldn’t be a legal role at all, or the paralegal role which wouldn’t necessarily tie in with the sector I’m interested in but would give me explicitly legal experience, working closely with contracts, NDAs etc?

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I just know what a competitive market it is out there and so I really want to make the choice now that would boost my chances of securing a tc later down the line. I’d say both jobs are similar in terms of salaries and atmosphere. Would really be so grateful for any input!

 

[Artiom]

Thank you for raising this question. Based on my experience of working in regional and international law firms for an extensive period. I would suggest that you focus on the paralegal role rather than sector-based employment, even though it may not necessarily tie in with the sector. As a paralegal, you will develop skills required to be a solicitor such as drafting, research, persuasive communication skills, litigation knowledge, and advising. These are the core skills necessary for any practice, regardless of whether you work for commercial firms or private client firms.

In my opinion, it is easier for an employer to teach you about a sector while you already have the core skills than to teach you those core skills when you lack them. I have personally worked in some areas of law that I had limited understanding of before my employment, but I had the core skills necessary to succeed in any area of law.

Therefore, if you go into commercial practice or private client practice, you still need to have core skills. I hope this helps you make an informed decision about your career path.

 

[chllth96]

Hi Ellisha - just wanted to chip in here to offer an alternate view if helpful.

For context I am a non-law graduate with 5+ years experience in a non-law related field and I've managed to secure 3 vac schemes this year.

I don't disagree with the above comment - you can and will earn a lot of experience that is clearly directly relevant to the work you'll be carrying out as a trainee and beyond. However in my experience firms are interested in transferable skills and experiences just as much (if not more) than paid employment in the legal sector. Regardless of how much paralegal experience a candidate has, firms still teach all trainees how to carry out legal tasks but having a steer on what kinds of practice areas/sectors/clients you want to work with will hugely help narrow down that list of firms to apply to in the future.

Sure working as a paralegal makes it easy to demonstrate your interest in pursuing a career in commercial law but having spoken to partners, GR, trainees etc at law fairs paralegalling is not a prerequisite to getting a TC so why not explore something you're interested in whilst making TC apps. Corporate/finance focused firms will naturally be drawn to finance related experience as much as paralegal experience.

There are other factors to consider here like salary progression. My guess would be working in finance related roles will pay more over time and considering paralegalling doesn't guarantee you any more success during TC applications I would prioritise your own financial security whilst you're making applications. I've applied to 100+ paralegal roles over the last few years, the pay is generally appalling and there is a real limit to development whereas non-law related work can offer you a huge amount of opportunity to grow professionally and personally.

Overall I'd say go for the role that you find more interesting right now (sounds like the analyst role) and use this time to explore different financial institutions/finance work given you're planning on making TC apps anyway. No one is guaranteed a VS or TC in their first cycle so my advice would be to pick the role that you would be happy to do for a few years before starting a TC as ultimately you'll be much happier. IMHO it'll also give you more interesting experiences to talk about in apps/at ACs.

 

[Sim96]

@Jessica Booker - Please may we have your expert views:

Context: A person needs to secure a TC 2026/27 because if they are unsuccessful they would want to leave the country and getting the TC is a do or die. In such a situation:

1. Is it prudent to apply for a paralegal role (at law firm in hope that it may lead to a TC as a parallel to applying for direct training contracts?
Any firm names that come to mind that progress their paralegal to trainees?
2. They may also want to increase their chances of securing a TC through Vacs scheme. In what % should they split their applications? (they make 20 applications - eg 33% vacs scheme apps 33% paralegal positions 33% TC apps)

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker - Please may we have your expert views:

Context: A person needs to secure a TC 2026/27 because if they are unsuccessful they would want to leave the country and getting the TC is a do or die. In such a situation:

1. Is it prudent to apply for a paralegal role (at law firm in hope that it may lead to a TC as a parallel to applying for direct training contracts?
Any firm names that come to mind that progress their paralegal to trainees?
2. They may also want to increase their chances of securing a TC through Vacs scheme. In what % should they split their applications? (they make 20 applications - eg 33% vacs scheme apps 33% paralegal positions 33% TC apps)

1) This may help, but I would stress that if you are applying to a TC as an internal candidate, you'll most likely need to have accumulated a good level of experience (say at least six months) before your performance in role can really be taken into consideration to support a TC application. Therefore the 2026/27 recruitment season may have concluded for many firms by the time you could leverage your paralegal experience as an internal candidate. The firm may have earlier vacancies, but there is no guarantee of this. I don't really know which firms have a strong element of hiring paralegals unfortunately.

2) I don't think there is a set split unfortunately. It will depend on the firms you are applying to and what your personal circumstances are. This might vary on your availability for vacation scheme dates, your eligibility for the opportunities, and also factors like the firm's ratio of vacation scheme places to training contracts. It may also be the case that you can apply for different opportunities at different times of the year. Vacation schemes are typically earlier in the recruitment cycle, while training contracts tend to be later. Paralegal roles will be very different as they aren't recruit as far in advance as VS and TCs, and you would only be applying 6-12 weeks before you are ready to start a role. I think it is a good idea to make a mix of applications though, but what that mix is could be very different from one candidate to the next.