Hi All,
Thought I would sign up here for a bit of accountability and to share some ideas with likeminded people.
I am a 36 year old father of three, currently looking to make a career change from policing to commercial law.
Background
Didn't do particularly well throughout my academic career, 1 A, 3 B's and the rest C's at GCSE. Similar story at A-Level, finishing with ABC. Ended up making a last minute change from a Nursing degree and ended up going through clearing and studying Law at Nottingham Trent University. Lacklustre performance continued and I ended up graduating in 2011 with a low 2.1 (61). Like many before (and after) me I thought I could make up for this overall lack of dedication by doing an LLM, so I opted for a Masters in International Commercial and Business Law at the University of East Anglia. I really applied myself to this and came away with a Distinction (73) and the award for the top student. I managed to secure a role as a paralegal at Mills & Reeve but suffered massively from imposter syndrome and a general lack of confidence, I genuinely thought I would never be good enough to get a TC and so ended up joining the Metropolitan Police Service as a Police Officer.
Current Situation
I have now served in the police service for over 12 years, the last 6 being as an Armed Response Officer, and I genuinely think I have developed some strong transferable skills for a career in commercial law. Specifically teamwork, communication, resilience and decision-making under pressure. So it is now with a renewed sense of direction that I am trying again to secure a TC at a commercial law firm. I know it is going to be an incredibly difficult process given my academic background and if I ever make it to an interview there will be some questions around my career path and commitment to law so I will have to make sure I'm prepared.
Applications
So far I have been focusing my applications based on firms that I like the sound of and that don't focus on academic requirements. I have also focused on ones with upcoming deadlines so I can get an early indication on how my applications are being viewed. Also, while salary isn't the biggest priority, I can't afford to be taking too much of a pay cut at this stage in my life...
As it stands I have applied for:
Got rejected pretty quickly from Freshfields which was understandable given my academics and probably a good indication that MC firms are a pipe dream.
So yeh, that's me in a nutshell. If anyone else is in a similar boat or has any wisdom to share then please get in touch!
Thought I would sign up here for a bit of accountability and to share some ideas with likeminded people.
I am a 36 year old father of three, currently looking to make a career change from policing to commercial law.
Background
Didn't do particularly well throughout my academic career, 1 A, 3 B's and the rest C's at GCSE. Similar story at A-Level, finishing with ABC. Ended up making a last minute change from a Nursing degree and ended up going through clearing and studying Law at Nottingham Trent University. Lacklustre performance continued and I ended up graduating in 2011 with a low 2.1 (61). Like many before (and after) me I thought I could make up for this overall lack of dedication by doing an LLM, so I opted for a Masters in International Commercial and Business Law at the University of East Anglia. I really applied myself to this and came away with a Distinction (73) and the award for the top student. I managed to secure a role as a paralegal at Mills & Reeve but suffered massively from imposter syndrome and a general lack of confidence, I genuinely thought I would never be good enough to get a TC and so ended up joining the Metropolitan Police Service as a Police Officer.
Current Situation
I have now served in the police service for over 12 years, the last 6 being as an Armed Response Officer, and I genuinely think I have developed some strong transferable skills for a career in commercial law. Specifically teamwork, communication, resilience and decision-making under pressure. So it is now with a renewed sense of direction that I am trying again to secure a TC at a commercial law firm. I know it is going to be an incredibly difficult process given my academic background and if I ever make it to an interview there will be some questions around my career path and commitment to law so I will have to make sure I'm prepared.
Applications
So far I have been focusing my applications based on firms that I like the sound of and that don't focus on academic requirements. I have also focused on ones with upcoming deadlines so I can get an early indication on how my applications are being viewed. Also, while salary isn't the biggest priority, I can't afford to be taking too much of a pay cut at this stage in my life...
As it stands I have applied for:
- Addleshaw Goddard
- Taylor Wessing
- Gowling WLG
- Kennedys
- Mishcon de Reya
- Clifford Chance
- Freshfields
- Linklaters
- Davis Polk
- Norton Rose Fulbright
Got rejected pretty quickly from Freshfields which was understandable given my academics and probably a good indication that MC firms are a pipe dream.
So yeh, that's me in a nutshell. If anyone else is in a similar boat or has any wisdom to share then please get in touch!
