Thousands of sixth-form students have attended InvestIN’s Young Lawyer Programme over the past five years and a major portion of the day is dedicated to career coaching. How can you maximise your chances of getting a top legal job before you start university? We have collated the advice of dozens of solicitors and barristers and the highlights are below.
A-level Grades
Your teachers are not lying when they say your A-level (or equivalent) grades will affect the rest of your life. The top law firms and barristers’ chambers will look at your grades and expect a minimum of AAB (it could well be higher by the time you graduate).
The grades are more important than the subjects you study, so please choose the subjects you think you will do best in. We regularly meet students who have chosen a particular subject because they think it is regarded more highly than others — our advice is to study what you enjoy because you are likely to do best in that subject.
One of the most attractive things about the legal profession is you really can study anything, at both A-level and degree, and still enter the profession.
University Grade
Again, the best law firms and barristers’ chambers will expect a minimum of a 2:1 at university, so our advice on A-level choices applies equally to that of degree choice — do something you will enjoy because you are likely to achieve a higher grade in that.
We have met many students who chose to do a degree they found difficult just because they thought it would look more favourable and they dropped a grade as a result. Often this comes off the back of parental pressure — please consider your choice carefully because the consequences are permanent.
University Brand
For better or worse, your university’s brand is more important than your degree choice from an employer’s perspective. So be savvy with your university applications — do not fall into the trap of applying to a lesser-known university just because it is highly rated for your particular course. Employers do not have time to look into rankings of individual courses; they are biased towards universities they know have a longstanding solid reputation.
There is no exhaustive list of “good” universities. The Russell Group is a useful guide, but there are plenty outside that group that are still highly regarded. There are many articles online showing polls of which universities were attended by today’s top lawyers; these are a good source of information because it is these people who will be employing you.
Work Experience
While there are limited opportunities for official work placements for pre-university students at top law firms and chambers, there are three things you can look at to make your CV stand out immediately:
- High-street firms often welcome some help, so hand out your CV locally.
- Volunteer at organisations such as Citizens Advice or the Free Representation Unit.
- Go to court. Courts are open to everybody. Make some time during the holidays to visit court and take notes on what you hear.
It is perfectly valid to put down such experience on your CV. Just make sure you can talk about it in some detail when it comes to your interviews.
- Join LinkedIn. You may wonder why somebody should be on LinkedIn before they start work. But I see many students now describing themselves as a “future lawyer” in their profiles, making connections and getting involved in discussions about legal topics. This shows maturity and is impressive
You can even search for people who are currently lawyers and went to your school; reach out to them and see if they are willing to give you some advice. Of course, you should always have a parent/guardian on hand to supervise any connections you are making with strangers.
Hitesh Chowdhry is director of InvestIN Education
