Choosing a training contract can be difficult. To make things easier you should focus, by deciding on the key factors you are looking for in a training contract, and then search through law firms accordingly.
Practice Areas
This is one of the most important factors for a candidate to consider when deciding which firms they want to apply to. There is a big difference between studying the law and practising it. As a law student, it is easy to believe that what you learn at university will correspond to the workplace. You may not find the books and lectures of a particular subject especially interesting, but the same subject may be much more dynamic and exciting when you are out in the field and working on real cases.
Whilst the larger firms may have departments that cover all practice areas, each department will be a different size and carry its own reputation within the industry. Whether you are looking to work in Corporate, Real Estate, Finance, Litigation, Employment, Incentives or Competition, doing your research about the different departments within your prospective firms will help you choose the best ones to apply to. It will also provide you with invaluable credibility when it comes to the training contract interview stage. You will probably not be given the exact combination of seats that you would like in your legal training contract. However, you can not go too far wrong if you have chosen a firm whose major practice areas match those that you are interested in.
Client Base
The profile of a firm generally corresponds to the profile of its clients. Some people prefer to work with high profile organisations, but will usually have to contend with dealing with people from varying levels within the organisation. Smaller clients give you a chance to work more directly with the key people and your input will be more visible.
Size
The practice areas and client base of a firm are very good predictors of its size. Firms range from commercial law practices working with major global corporations to high-street firms more accessible to the general public.
Large firms bring their own disadvantages as well benefits. The larger a firm is, the more likely it is to take on a greater number of trainees. A high profile firm can bring your CV strong brand value. On the other hand, if you are working for a smaller firm, there will probably be fewer trainees. This means that you may have more interaction with qualified solicitors at various levels within the firm.
Location
This is something of a personal choice, with implications that will affect your quality of life and your career. The largest firms are based in London and the legal market which circles the capital's financial services industry is one of the most lucrative in the world. This translates into higher average pay packets for London solicitors. Aside from the careers benefits to choosing London, trainees can enjoy all the social and cultural activities that the cosmopolitan city has to offer.
However, the cost of living is higher in London and you will have to content with the traffic and rush hour crushes on the tube. Working hours are often longer at London firms and you may find a more attractive work-life balance at firms outside of the capital.
Training Structure
Traditional law training contract structures place trainees in fixed placement periods in different departments. However, there are variations in terms of the placement period, number of departments to be rotated through and the amount and type of work completed in each department. If you are undecided about which practice area you want to work in when you qualify, you may want to apply to firms which will place you in many different departments during your training contract.
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