Legal apprenticeship: any tips on trying to find a trainee solicitor job

LB25 said:
Is it better to phone firms first to find out if they are taking on trainees or just to send cvs out anyway?
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Well seeing as 99% will say no it would probably be too soul destroying. That's my experience from the reponses I get back anyway. Having said that, out of 100 letters sent last year I only got 27 responses back, and all of them said they weren't taking on trainees. They others most likely just threw it in the bin.

Sorry, I know I'm quite cynical now but I am about 3 or 4 years now looking for one!
 
Research on the net first. Alot of firms these days have websites ( more so in Dublin) Anyway, they may indicate in the careers section that they take on x amount of trainees at a certain point every year.

There are alot more firms out there that hire trainees annually than you would think. The key is to be on your toes and to be aware of all the open recruitments that are running, closing dates etc. The large firms usually hire by way of application form. Do not underestimate the amount of time required to fill these in.

After the large recruitment drives ( usually Sept to Jan) look to on spec applications. Can be disheartening, but may turn up something worthwhile. Keep an eye on the Law Society Gazette ( viewable online at www.lawsociety.ie) , the classifed ads in the national papers and if you are willing to travel for a traning contract, you may see something in the provincial papers also. You can also access a list of all solictor firms on the law society website by location.

As mentioned above, tailor each application to the type of firm you are applying to ( large , small, specialist). I woudl also recommend havign your CV reviewed by a professional. I woudl highly recommend Carr Communications.
 
Re: Legal Apprenticeship?

Just signed up here after reading this thread. Any help would be much appreciated.

miak said:
Hi,

My question is slightly off the point here but I would still appreciate any opinion/advice. I am moving to London in Sept to start an LLM. I'm not doing this solely for the purposes of securing a training contract but I am concerned that my subject choice could have an adverse effect on my applications. If I were to take mostly criminal law subjects would I effectively be ruling myself out of competition for a contract in a non criminal firm? Conversely if I don't concentrate heavily on Criminal Law will I still have a chance of a training contract in a criminal firm? From friends, collegues etc I have been told that the bigger criminal firms usually only take apprentices with Masters in Crim.
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I'm in a similar position - currently doing a phd in criminal justice, having passed the fe1s in apr05.

Doesnt this effectively rule out a job in one of the top tier firms (not that I have any interest whatsoever in commercial practice, but one firm in particular may be appealing in that they have a new public pollicy department). I know I will have transferable skills from the phd itself, and still not sure what road to go down when I finish it.

EDIT: jsut noticed A+L have a corporate criminal offences section now, anyone heard ought bout this? I've never heard of it before, is it a recent development?

By the by, what are the "bigger criminal firms" in Ireland? I know of a few like ferrys etc, but has anyone had any experience of doing an apprenticeship with these firms?

SNB said:
I thought it was five years from the time you passed your last FE1 ? On my letter from the Law Society I was sure my last entry date was five years from the year I passed the last.

I don't have the letter to hand to check , but it might be worthwhile to have another look at yours.

Have you registered with the trainee register in the Law Society ?
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Trafford said:
The way they phrased it on my letter (as I checked it again last week) was "5 years from when you first get exemptions". By this they mean from when you pass your initial 3 exams, which in my case was the April sitting 2005.
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I done the first 4 in oct 04, and finished the next 4 in apr 05. You have five years from the end of the year in which you finished your eighth exam before they expire, from what I remember.


LB25 said:
I have got all my FE1s and the Irish exam and am employed in the Courts Service temporarily. Im going to begin applying for apprenticeships this year. My LLM was in International Human Rights Law and I am not sure whether this will be a turn off for firms looking at my CV. The advice given is generally to stick to what youre interested in and I am interested in human rights and development, however I wouldnt expect it to be a part of my work as a solicitor in Ireland. There arent very many, if any, firms in Ireland that specialise in human rights work. Can anyone give me any advice as to what extent my LLM will be advantageous/disadvantageous to my search for an apprenticeship? Also should I put down any overseas volunteering/travel on my CV or is this irrelevant?
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I'd also be interested to hear some more thoughts on this. I have a keen interest in human rights/ criminal justice etc, and have no intention of "selling my soul" by doing a commercial orientated apprenticeship when I know I have no interest in that side of things. I'm not in this for the money, I always wanted to study law, and the criminal side of things is where I see my future (whether this be in academia, research or practice I still dont know...).


Cheers.
 
LB25 said:
Is it better to phone firms first to find out if they are taking on trainees or just to send cvs out anyway?
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I never tried telephoning firms, couldn't imagine it being much addition. You shoud use the Law Directory ( a 2007 one if possible because firms move around so much) and address your covering letters to the principals in each firm you are applying to. You should individually address each letter as well as I found the response rate to be a lot higher when I did that. I sent approximately 400-500 letters and got replies from around 60%, the majority were PFOs. If you are already working in a firm, you should ask can you send CVs in the DX. I did that as as I was spending a fortune on postage. It's more reliable than the post too. I got interviews for two of the big firms where some 200 people seemed to have been selected, very disheartening experiences! I got two interviews for one small firm where they neglected to tell me until the second interview that they would not want me to go to Blackhall until 2008. This would have entailed me working for 18months pre-Blackhall on minimum wage and they didn't even offer it to me in the end! I had two interviews with another medium sized firm which I felt went very well and was totally gutted to get the PFO a week later.

Securing an apprenticeship was for me, entirely fortuitous. When I finished my FE1s I temped for several months. I became frustrated in the firm I was working in at the time as I spent my days typing letters that were literally dictated word for word, very tedious. I applied for a legal secretary role covering maternity leave in another firm (the job was advertised on irishjobs.ie) and was offered an apprenticeship in that firm which I just started recently when my boss's secretary returned from leave. The firm is less than a 10 minute drive from my house too so there is certainly an element of luck involved. You just need to persevere with the search. There is rampant nepotism in play but I also met a lot of people in the same boat as me.

Best of luck

Brenda
 
thank you to everyone for their help in all this. What is the consensus about cover letters and whether they should be tailored to each firm? I have a list of about 200 firms and, except for the larger ones who have application forms anyway, it is difficult (and time consuming!) to research into what area of law each of them specialise in. It seems most smaller firms do a bit of everything anyway...will I really have to fane an interest in conveyancing or will they see straight though that anyway?!
 
LB25 said:
thank you to everyone for their help in all this. What is the consensus about cover letters and whether they should be tailored to each firm? I have a list of about 200 firms and, except for the larger ones who have application forms anyway, it is difficult (and time consuming!) to research into what area of law each of them specialise in. It seems most smaller firms do a bit of everything anyway...will I really have to fane an interest in conveyancing or will they see straight though that anyway?!
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Probably. In all likelihood you know next to nothing about it and so are unlikely to know if you actually like it or not!
 
Ive just heard that I have an interview already. Im thrilled but very unsure as to what to expect. Its a small firm and as far I know they deal with a variety of areas. They said to come in for a chat which sounds rather informal. Should I be preparing answers to dreaded questions such as "why have you chosen law" or just turn up and see what happens? Ive tried researching the firm but no website etc. Has anyone had an interview for a small firm that could offer any advise?
 
"Securing an apprenticeship was for me, entirely fortuitous. "

It certainly wasn't. You made a lot of sensible moves to maximise your chances. Well done.
 
LB25 said:
Ive just heard that I have an interview already. Im thrilled but very unsure as to what to expect. Its a small firm and as far I know they deal with a variety of areas. They said to come in for a chat which sounds rather informal. Should I be preparing answers to dreaded questions such as "why have you chosen law" or just turn up and see what happens? Ive tried researching the firm but no website etc. Has anyone had an interview for a small firm that could offer any advise?
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If you are only looking for an apprenticeship then you cant really be expected to have an interest in anything specific. At that stage it is more about personality, are you going to be able to work with these prospective employers.

Be keen to find out what they do, have they any niche work for example. Say you are looking forward to working hard and learning from them. Say you enjoy working on your own inititaive but realise that that will only come with time. That is one thing I look for as i like to feel i can delegate (the non-essential stuff anyway!) to the apprentice.

Best of luck.
 
Hey,

I am a Masters degree qualified engineer thinking about taking the Fe1s. Well, more than just thinking actually, read the most detailed of the Societies recommended books for each subject, cover to cover.

1.
My first question is on the detail required for a good FE1 answer. If I develop answers based on the books, will that not be sufficient?

Or is there some special level of detail or veneer/slant to the answers needed that requires courses such as Griffith's revision course? Why do even law graduates find the FE1 exams difficult?

2.
Although I live in dublin, I would ultimately like to move to a county with less restrictive planning ploicies for one off houses. Is there a significant demand for trainee's and PQE solicitors in the midlands region, say within a 30 mile radius of West Offaly?

Thanks,
Corroboration.
 
Corroboratio said:
1.
My first question is on the detail required for a good FE1 answer. If I develop answers based on the books, will that not be sufficient?

Or is there some special level of detail or veneer/slant to the answers needed that requires courses such as Griffith's revision course? Why do even law graduates find the FE1 exams difficult?
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Hi there,

I didn't have a law degree either and did the FE1's (I'm due to qualify in March - hurrah!). Make no mistake, they're an unbelievable nightmare. I'm not saying this to frighten you, just to warn you. Be sure you want to pursue this because it takes FOREVER. I think you can email me via this website so feel free to do so cos I've got a load of opinions on FE1 exams!

In brief, I went to DIT and did their PG Dip in Legal Studies. That gave me a good grounding. But then I did the night grinds at Griffith. I can't fault that place. Excellent lecturers, great materials. They work you hard but I think it's a great place.

FE1 questions are not hard. I believe it's the competition. For some reason, we all want to be lawyers. Thousands sit the exams so your answers have to stand out. I found a technique that worked for me and will happily share it if it helps you!

You say you've read all those books but you need exam technique. Get yourself down to Griffith now (I'd say their prep courses for the March 2008 sitting will be starting in October). Sign up for four. Then sign up for the summer course and do your next four in September 2008.

Best of luck!
 
Have been trying for the past year or two to get the elusive apprenticeship to no avail. It def seems to be either luck or a case of "who you know"(outside of Dublin anyway). I am now thinking of starting the Taxation exams to try and beef up the cv a bit and get some kind of edge.

I dont work in a accounting/tax environment so i know it will require a bit of work to get these exams(at least I will be exempt from the Law module in the first year).

Just wondeing if people out there, particularly those within the trade, think this would be an advantage in getting a place. After the law degree and the FE-1's I dont want to waste more time doing these exams if they are not going to be of any use.

Thanks.
 
Hi,

Has anyone reading this actually passed by the FE1’s based just on their own study of the books on the recommended reading list, without aid of a grinds course or law degree?

Also, any opinionis on point “2” in my post of thurdsay september 20th?

Thanks,
 
Have been following this thread - there is a wealth of information here - Many thanks!!

I am just signing up for a Prep course for the FE-1 exams, moving from a different career - Wondering if anyone might have advice on subjects & timelines -

Firstly... Planning to do 4 subjects in March/April & 4 in September next year - Are there specific subjects that it would be advisable to tackle together? Any advice on subjects that complement each other or should definitely be addressed first/at the end would be welcome.

Secondly, any opinions on career options for the coming year would be great - Currently working in a stressful corporate environment, not conducive to unrelated activities such as study for the FE-1 exams! Wondering should I be looking for a position in a legal setting, or what would be the chances, coming from an unrelated profession, before having sat the FE-1 exams. My other thinking is to try to sustain the well-paid job I currently have for as long as possible in anticipation of lesser paid legal positions to come.....

Any advice welcome. Thanks..
 
Corroboratio said:
Hi,

Has anyone reading this actually passed by the FE1’s based just on their own study of the books on the recommended reading list, without aid of a grinds course or law degree?

Also, any opinionis on point “2” in my post of thurdsay september 20th?

Thanks,
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Hi,

I have been looking for an apprenticeship in the midlands for the past 2 years and have had no success. I had 3 interviews and 2 of them never came back to me. I was then offered 1 but the guy was dodgy as hell and was annoyed at me that I wanted to be paid through the tax system. In the end I figured I was desperate, but not that desperate. To be honest I can't ever see myself as a solicitor now. It's a mixture of not being able to get a master, and not wanting to end up like the solicitors I've met through the interview process. I've worked in law for the past 5 years and know very few solicitors who are happy with their chose career. I'm sure plenty are but I don't know any.

I am very happy working as a legal executive and would gladly stay in this in an in-house position if possible. Because I live in Laois though this may be difficult. A career change looks like my best option.
 
Tersher said:
Firstly... Planning to do 4 subjects in March/April & 4 in September next year - Are there specific subjects that it would be advisable to tackle together? Any advice on subjects that complement each other or should definitely be addressed first/at the end would be welcome.
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I did contract, company, criminal, tort, and equity together at the first sitting. Then the other three at the next sitting (constitutional, EU, property). I think contract and company should go together. Constitutional is just a pain so slot it in wherever (but I wouldn't do it first time around) - it helps nothing and I wish it never existed! I found criminal, tort, and equity quite straightforward so that boosted my confidence. Property is a bit harder. I wasn't mad about EU but I think other people find it grand. Other than that, do whatever you think best!

Good luck.
 
Corroboratio said:
Hi,

Has anyone reading this actually passed by the FE1’s based just on their own study of the books on the recommended reading list, without aid of a grinds course or law degree?

Also, any opinionis on point “2” in my post of thurdsay september 20th?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
 
like s/o already mentioned, contract n company work well together. IMO, i think property n equity should be done together as well.
 
I only have a 3rd class honours arts degree from u.c.d but i have a 2.1 hdip in social justice and equality u.c.d, a 2.2 in legal studies and currently doing emploment law in u.c.d.

Will the 3rd class honour haunt me forever even with my 8 fe 1's?

DO the firms actually check your transcripts?
 
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