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

Well, for starters, she's a 23-year-old woman and they phoned her at about 4.00 on the day in question.
 
I don't think she needs to worry too much about ODSE.

They are laying off qualified solicitors and are overstaffed at the moment.
 
Are all of the bigger companies laying off qualified solicitors or "just" trainees?

Are the companies which are laying off trainees taking on a new batch this year?
 
just a random question how many of you actually got interviews with the MOPS/ McCann/ A&L/ Frys???? Did anyone get an interview with all 4??? Has anyone heard ANYTHING from LK Shields or BCM Hamby Wallace??
 
also, last question, has anyone ever thought of switching careers to accounting.....in order to work in an accounting firm??? What are the jobs like in that sector at the moment?
 
This thread is very depressing! I only have one interview with a top 5 law firm this year- WilliamFry. I honestly have no clue how they decide who gets interviewed and I am feeling VERY disheartened!!! I am also very interested in the question posted by law career85 re how many people on this thread actually got an interview with all 5 top law firms??? Moreover, I am not from Dublin and I have been hearing from people that McCanns is a very Dublin-based law firm in that it usually only interviews persons from Dublin....is this correct?


Good Luck everyone!!!!!
 
I have heard that about McCann aswell but i don't know if its trus so any further clarification would be great? Has anyone heard anything from Lavelle Coleman? Just remembered there that I also applied to them and I have heard NOTHING!!!!

My friend recently did her FE1s again and failed.Shes now 26 and is feeling VERY disheartened by the entire process. She feels that all her study/ work experience/ and Masters were absolutely useless. She is now contemplating returning to college and studying dentistry.

I'm worried that the same will happen to me and that at the age of 26 I still will not have secured a traineeship and that my first class law degree was absolutely USELESS!!!

I SERIOUSLY need some inspiration!!!!

HELP!
 
hi guys,

I dont know anyone who has heard from lk shields. I know BCM were making phone calls on the 23rd...dont know if that was all the ringing they are going to do. In relation to Lavelle Coleman, I received an acknowledgement in late october but nothing since.
As far as people getting interviews with all of the top 5, fairplay to people if they have, however i doubt that there are many. I know that people from the top, down to midway in my class (including the top 15%) are struggling to secure a single interview with the top five, but have interviews lined up with other firms. It really does seem like some of the HR offices just randomly pull out CVs/Applications and dial the numbers, mainly because from what i have heard the number of applications this year has been overwhelming. Whatever the case, the policy at McCanns (above all other firms) is beyond me as i have yet to hear of a(let alone know one) single person to have been invited to interview.
In relation to accounting, I know 2 people who studied law with me and instead of applying for law firms applied to the top accounting firms and both got several OFFERS. It seems that accounting firms look favourably upon law students especially if you're thinking of going into tax. However, the numbers taken on by the BIG 4 this year are significantly less than last year. Last year they recruited around 150 each (another non-law friend of mine got offers from all 4...thats how i know). This year they took on about 150 collectively.
 
Crap that means i didn't get an interview with BCM!!!

How annoying since i made it to the second round last year:(

I'm soo confused!

Did anyone else on this thread get a call from BCM???

Anyone yet hear anything from LK Shields???
​
 
lawcareer85 said:
just a random question how many of you actually got interviews with the MOPS/ McCann/ A&L/ Frys???? Did anyone get an interview with all 4???
Click to expand...

Didn't get McCanns interview but got interview from the other 4. Not too hopeful though as things seem very tight this year.

lawcareer85 said:
Has anyone heard ANYTHING from LK Shields or BCM Hamby Wallace??
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Have not heard anything from either of them. I applied for LK a few days late but still got an acknowledgement e-mail. Didn't even get an acknowledgement from BCM. If BCM were making calls before Xmas, it's not looking good!
 
Paulanthony, if you don't mind me asking do you have a first class honours degree??? Are you in final year? And finally, have you applied for these firms before...or is this your first time??

I have finished final year and graduated with a first class honours degree, however I did apply to all five last year and didn't get a single interview with them except Arthur Co x...What am I doing wrong???

Also if I have already applied before, do firms look unfavouably towards me then>
??????
 
This is soooooooooo depressin!!!

I'm seriously thinking of a new career!!!!

Anyone else with me???
 
lawcareer85 said:
Paulanthony, if you don't mind me asking do you have a first class honours degree??? Are you in final year? And finally, have you applied for these firms before...or is this your first time??

I have finished final year and graduated with a first class honours degree, however I did apply to all five last year and didn't get a single interview with them except Arthur Co x...What am I doing wrong???
Click to expand...

I'm in final year at the moment and have a high 2.1, which may or may not come up to a 1.1 when I graduate. This is my first time applying for training contracts, although I did send off to 2 or 3 of them for summer internships last March or thereabouts.

lawcareer85 said:
Also if I have already applied before, do firms look unfavouably towards me then>
??????
Click to expand...

I don't really know the answer to this. From a practical point of view I guess it would vary from firm to firm, or even between different people in the one firm. If I was applying for a second time I would disregard my previous application and start afresh to show I was putting effort into it.

Also I would concentrate on telling them what I had done since my last app, as in reality this has to be what will change their minds if they rejected you on what you put in last time.

To sum up, I think you may be at a disadvantage if you have applied before, but it is up to you to take advantage of the situation by showing them how you have been proactive in the past year and how you have made yourself a more attractive candidate.

I would practice filling out application forms by applying to some of the London firms. I did this for summer internships last summer and my first few were rubbish but they improved over time and I think this experience has stood to me when filling out recent ones.
 
Just wanted to add my tuppence worth to this debate. I'm currently in Blackhall having been fortunate enough to start my apprenticeship this year. However, it strikes me that many of the posters on this forum are limiting themselves to a handful of firms in Dublin City centre. There are literally hundreds of solicitor practices in Ireland - why limit yourself to 1% of them. If you want it really badly - be prepared to work ANYWHERE for a couple of years to get your foot in the door - then once you qualify things might be looking up and then specialise in a particular firm if that is what you want... It's madness to sit on your hands for a year just because you didn't get a position with one of the so called BIG firms...
 
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