Keele University
Careers and Employability
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Legal Vacation Placements/Internships and Mini Pupillages
Why undertake legal work experience?
For students considering a career in the legal profession, there is no real substitute for relevant work experience. It will be invaluable in helping you to decide:
- Are you suited for the legal profession - do you have the skills, personality and commitment needed?
- What type of legal work would suit you - solicitor, barrister, paralegal?
- What areas of law would you enjoy - employment, immigration, commercial acquisitions...?
- What kind of organisation would you want to work for - a commercial law firm, legal aid practice, local government, regional chambers...?
Not only can work experience give you the opportunity to answer the above and many more questions, but it also allows you to prove to legal employers that you have made an informed and appropriate career choice. It can be difficult to convince a potential employer that you are committed to a legal career without evidence of hands-on experience.
Many law firms recruit a substantial number of their trainees through their work experience schemes. Equally, some chambers will only accept pupillage applications from candidates who have already undertaken a mini-pupillage with them.
Formal work experience schemes with law firms are usually for second year law students or non-law graduates prior to the Graduate Diploma in Law/CPE. Informal arrangements can be undertaken at any stage - the sooner the better. Mini-pupillages are more flexible.
Vacation placements/internships with solicitors
Time with a solicitor could include:
- Court visits
- Observing interviews
- Familiarisation with cases and transactions
- Visiting companies
- Attending workshops
Typically, only larger firms provide paid placements. These larger firms will have a very clear structure to their placement and if you perform well your application for a training contract may be put through to interview automatically.
Time in smaller firms will be very much shaped by your supervisor and you can use your initiative to suggest work you could do and ensure exposure to a range of legal areas. Students who have had successful work experience in such firms have had training contracts saved for them or recommendations to other firms.
Making applications
These have become increasingly competitive - especially the structured, paid schemes with larger firms. City/commercial may require a specific tariff at A2 level and certain results in Year 1 of your degree. The largest intake is over the summer vacation but some firms also take students at Easter and Christmas. For such firms you should :
- Enquire early - August onwards for Easter, November onwards for the summer.
- Check closing dates - may be as early as October for Christmas and Jan/Feb for the summer. Many large firms close their applications well before the official deadline - sometimes up to a month in advance.
- Some firms' closing dates may be different from non-law/conversion students.
- Spend time preparing your CV or online/paper application form.
- Apply to advertised schemes on a speculative basis.
Smaller firms or organisations with a small legal team may recruit up to Easter but it is best to make enquiries from the New Year onwards to ensure you don't miss anything.
Identifying firms
The Law Society Find A Solicitor Directory
www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/findasolicitor.law lists all solicitors in England and Wales while the other websites select on the basis of performance, specialist fields and for payment of an advertisement.
Some solicitors, especially the larger firms or organisations, advertise their placements as below:
Prospects Legal
www.prospects.ac.uk/p/sectors/law_sector.jsp
Provides a search function for vacation work.
The Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook
www.lawcareers.net
Lists the deadlines for a high number of firms/chambers offering vacation work.
Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession
www.chambersandpartners.com
Gives details of highly rated firms and chambers in specialist fields. The student edition includes a vacation work listing and timetable.
The Legal 500
www.legal500.com
Provides a listing of high profile, specialist practitioners and details the firms for which they work.
Smaller firms/organisations usually rely on speculative applications and can be identified via the Law Society website as above.
A number of these publications in paper formats are available on reference in Careers and Employability. Spare copies will be available at certain times of the year. Careers and Employability also receives details of firms recruiting for vacation work which we keep in the Careers and Employability Centre, sent to the School of Law and post on this website.
In addition, some firms hold Open Days which enable students to gain on insight into the organisation and their training schemes. These days give firms the opportunity to reach a larger number of students. Open Days also require a competitive application.
Mini-pupillages with barristers
Mini-pupillages are periods of work experience spent with barristers. You can undertake mini-pupillages at any point during your degree, prior to applying for the Bar Vocational Course and pupillages.
Mini-pupillages with a barrister could incorporate:
- Helping to prepare papers
- Observing in court
- Researching acts
- Sitting in on conferences with clients
Mini-pupillages can be assessed or un-assessed.
Assessed mini-pupillages are becoming more popular. The purpose of the placement is to allow the chambers to assess the student over the week as a means of selecting candidates for pupillages. Typically the mini-pupil will be asked to complete a piece of written work and discuss it with one or more members of the chambers.
Un-assessed places are available at most chambers. This is not to say, however, that your behaviour and performance are not informally noted. Students find it valuable to have a reference or develop contacts through a mini-pupillage.
Mini-pupillages are usually unpaid.
Identifying opportunities
Opportunities can be found at:
The Bar Directory
www.barcouncil.org.uk
Lists all Chambers in England and Wales.
Pupillage Portal www.pupillages.com
The chambers recruiting for pupillages typically have mini-pupillages available. See individual entries.
The Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook
www.lawcareers.net/Barristers
Provides a list of Chambers offering mini-pupillages.
The Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession www.chambersandpartners.com
Includes profiles of selected Chambers which include a mini-pupillage entry.
Applying for mini-pupillages
Chambers are less structured in their recruitment than law firms and therefore more flexible regarding timing. In order to ensure you don't miss any deadlines, begin to check individual chambers' websites in line with the dates suggested for solicitors above.
Applications are usually via CV but larger Chambers may require you to complete an application form. See the Chambers' websites for details. Given the importance of the written word and presentation to the role of barrister, CVs must be selective and effective. Careers and Employability can provide information and guidance to help with CVs, application forms and interviews. You can see a Careers Adviser on drop-in and access the file Applications and Interviews - Law Related in the Careers and Employability Centre.
Additional information
For further information about legal careers see the Law section of the Careers and Employability Centre.
Updated: 1 October 2012
