Completing the Institute exams is a major milestone, but for many aspiring solicitors, it is followed by another challenge: securing a training contract.
Every year, candidates begin applying and interviewing for training opportunities, often while waiting for exam results. It can be an exciting time, but it can also be competitive and uncertain, particularly when it feels as though everyone around you is progressing at a different pace.
Some candidates will already be working within law firms. Others may have legal experience from previous roles, while some will be trying to secure their first opportunity within the profession.
There is no single route that guarantees a training contract.
What you can do is make sure that you continue developing your experience, your skills and your understanding of the profession while looking for the right opportunity.
Make the experience you already have count
One of the biggest mistakes candidates can make is assuming that only experience with the word “legal” in the job title is valuable.
It isn’t.
Of course, working as a paralegal, legal assistant or legal secretary can provide excellent practical exposure to a law firm. You may develop experience in file management, client contact, court procedures, drafting and working directly with solicitors.
But if you cannot secure a legal role immediately, don’t assume that taking a role outside the legal sector means you are moving backwards.
A job in hospitality, retail, customer service, administration or another professional environment can develop skills that are extremely relevant to a future solicitor.
Think about what those jobs actually require: communicating with different personalities, dealing with difficult situations, working under pressure, managing competing priorities, solving problems, taking responsibility and providing a high level of service.
Those are transferable skills — and they matter.
The important thing is being able to recognise what you have learned and explain how that experience will make you a better trainee.
Interpersonal skills matter more than you may realise
Academic achievement is important, but being a successful solicitor requires much more than academic ability.
Law is a people profession.
You will deal with clients who may be anxious, frustrated or unfamiliar with the legal process. You will work with colleagues at different levels of seniority. You will need to communicate clearly, manage expectations, listen properly and build trust.
These skills are often developed through real-world working experience.
So don’t dismiss a role simply because it isn’t in a law firm. Ask yourself instead:
What am I learning here that I can take with me into my legal career?
That change in mindset can make a significant difference.
If you can secure legal experience, make the most of it
If the opportunity arises to work within a law firm before securing your training contract, it can be extremely valuable.
But simply having a legal job title on your CV isn’t enough.
Be curious. Ask questions. Learn how files progress. Understand why things are done in a particular way. Take an interest in different practice areas and observe how experienced solicitors communicate with clients and manage their caseloads.
The aim isn’t simply to be able to say “I worked in a law firm.”
It is to be able to explain what the experience taught you.
Prepare properly for training contract applications
When applications open, avoid approaching every firm in exactly the same way.
Research the firm. Understand its practice areas, the type of work it undertakes and, importantly, why you would genuinely like to train there.
When you get to interview, be prepared to talk about more than your qualifications.
Think about examples from your employment, studies and wider experience that demonstrate qualities such as:
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Teamwork
- Resilience
- Organisation and time management
- Initiative
- Commercial awareness
- Dealing with pressure or difficult situations
- Willingness to learn
And remember: your examples do not all have to come from a law firm.
A strong example from a Saturday job, hospitality role or customer-facing position can sometimes tell an interviewer far more about you than a generic example chosen simply because it happened in a legal environment.
What if you don’t secure a training contract?
This is the part I think candidates need to hear.
Keep going.
Not securing a training contract in your first round of applications doesn’t mean your legal career has stopped.
Look at the feedback you received. Think about where you could strengthen your experience. Continue applying for appropriate opportunities and keep developing the skills that will make you a stronger candidate next time.
If you can secure a suitable paralegal, legal assistant, legal secretary or other law-firm position, fantastic.
If you can’t, take the opportunity that allows you to work, learn and develop.
Don’t sit waiting for a job with “legal” in the title because you think anything else won’t count.
It can count.
What matters is what you gain from the experience and how effectively you can demonstrate that when the next opportunity comes along.
Your route doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s
It is very easy at this stage of your career to compare yourself with other people.
Someone you studied with may secure a training contract before you. Someone else may already have worked in a law firm for several years. Another candidate may appear to have followed the perfect route from university to the Institute and straight into training.
Your career doesn’t have to follow the same timeline.
Keep building your experience. Keep developing your interpersonal and professional skills. Stay engaged with the legal market and continue putting yourself forward for the right opportunities.
The role you take today may not have Solicitor, Trainee or even Legal in the title – but the skills and experience you gain from it could help you secure the role that does.
At Pathway Legal Recruitment, we work with aspiring solicitors and legal professionals at different stages of their careers. If you’ve completed your Institute exams and are considering your next move, whether that’s a training contract, a role within a law firm or simply understanding how to strengthen your experience, we’re always happy to have a confidential conversation.