Okay so heres my position: I’m a final year student who has just spent a year abroad in Finland studying international law on exchange. I am now back to complete my final year. After 2nd year I finished with a 62 average.

I want to be a barrister or something based in international law after exploring it more, however for barrister I do not know what area to go into. I have done 2 mini pupillage, one a combined criminal/family, and one at a civil law set.

My question is what should I be doing in my final year to maximise my chances of passing the bar course and securing pupillage (or what should I be doing to figure out what I want to do after my degree).

Sorry I may seem indecisive. I’m just in a strange spot rn.

Hi, I am an LLB graduate (2024), and I'm really trying to get my foot in the door—I've been struggling. I've progressed to several final stages at Magic Circle/US/national firms for training contracts, but to no avail. Currently waiting on my SQE2 results and I'm based on the south coast.

I've found applying for paralegal roles extremely difficult, especially for City-side positions (which is my ultimate goal). I don't have direct paralegal experience, granted, but I'd like to think I have a varied CV.

My question for the Paralegals: How did you do it? How long did it take? And would anyone be willing to review my covering letter and CV for feedback?

Hi all,

I am currently undertaking a solicitor apprenticeship (LLB & SQEs), due to qualify in 2030.

I am currently working in personal injury. My firm does not offer anything other than PI and CN.

I have recently realised that PI is not the area of law that I would like to practise for the entirety of my career and at present, the most appealing area is corporate. I really like the idea of the challenge that a career in corporate law would bring with it and obviously, the earning potential is much more attractive than that of PI.

I have recently moved to a fee earning position, so albeit in a completely different area, I will have 4 years of caseload management experience upon qualification.

Has anybody made a move like this before? If so, please may you outline the steps that you have taken to achieve this - potentially moving to a firm that does multiple areas and look for an internal department move?

I would really appreciate any advice on anything that I can be doing to increase the possibility of a move like this.

Thank you!

How much are associates, senior associates, partners paid at IM? Thinking about NQ roles and was wondering if anyone can answer this! Thanks

If you get a sponsored TC from a firm that will pay for both the PGDL and the SQE, what are the expectations? I'm a career changer currently working full-time. Would I be expected to quit my job and enrol on a full-time PGDL and SQE prep-course or could I do it part-time alongside my full-time job?

If not, I'd probably self-fund the PGDL + SQE prep and apply for TCs while I'm on the course. Law firms normally hire 2yrs in advance for trainees. With self-funding I wouldn't have to stop working during that 2 year period between receiving a TC offer and starting as a trainee, but then I'd have to pay for the course myself. Yes it would cost more money upfront but I'd keep my income for longer and it'd also give me more options - I could look into firms that don't sponsor and also look at non-commercial fields of law as well. Commercial law pays the most but I'm not fixated on it, I wouldn't mind doing immigration or conveyancing for instance.

How does sponsorship work for career changers? I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons for self-funding as a career changer.

Hi all,

I desperately need some career advice..

I passed sqe1 in jan 26 and I took sqe2 this may so I am waiting for sqe2 results.

I couldn’t land on any TC however I got offered a position in house. To be the sole legal counsel for a multi national company (uk branch).

Should I take this offer and go in-house ? It’s a well known multinational company however I’m afraid I will not be able to go to private practice once I qualify in-house without any private practice experience…

If I accept this in-house I wouldn’t want to just qualify and then leave since it’s genuinely a huge responsibility to be the sole legal counsel.

Could you give me any sort of advice or thoughts on this ? As I am the first lawyer in my family, I’m quite lost.

Not sure if being paralegal at private practice (big law) is more valued (even if lower pay) than being in-house if I later want to go private practice…

Curious as to whether anyone knows which firms consistently recruit external candidates for NQ roles?

This isn’t my story. It’s my partner’s.

For years I’ve watched someone who genuinely loves the law slowly lose faith in the profession.

He has legal education from both the UK and the US.
He completed the LPC years ago. Since then, he’s done exactly what aspiring solicitors are told to do: become a paralegal, work hard, prove yourself, and eventually a training contract will come.

Except it never does.

Every new job begins with hope.

He throws himself into it, learns everything, takes on responsibility that isn’t even his, becomes indispensable… and then, somehow, it ends.

Sometimes it’s restructuring. Sometimes funding. Sometimes the explanation makes no sense at all. At one firm he was literally told he worked too much.

Every time he starts believing he’s finally found somewhere to build a future, the rug gets pulled from under him.

Then he starts again.

What hurts the most is that this isn’t someone who avoids hard work.

At one firm, he generated around £1.5 million worth of Letters Before Action in a single month (-edit: this one gets the most comments, for the context, this is what the owner of the firm told him. before stating that even with this, he will never make a black man a solicitor. not familiar with invoice level realities, but this is painful quote imprinted on our minds) On paper, he was one of the firm’s highest-performing fee earners in that area.

Today he’s in another paralegal role. After six months he’s become the person everyone relies on, yet nobody has even mentioned a training contract or any path to qualification.

He’s reached the point where he genuinely doesn’t know if firms see him as someone worth investing in, or simply as someone who will quietly do the work while being told to wait “a little longer.”

Watching this over the years has been heartbreaking.

I’m not posting because I think the profession owes him anything. Plenty of talented people struggle.

I’m posting because I genuinely want to understand.

Has anyone here been through this?
Is there something we’re missing?
At what point do you stop believing that working harder will eventually be enough?

I graduated 4 years ago from a top UK uni and pretty much got a paralegaling gig in the city immediately after university in a specialist team after what was essentially my first ever job interview (no clue how I landed that so easily, but 2022 was a different time). The plan was to paralegal for a bit and leverage that experience to get a TC.

Fast forward, 4 years later and nearing probably 100 vac scheme/TC applications, and I havent gotten anywhere closer to my original goal. My firm for whatever reason does not care to progress internals to ACs (not just me, multiple other paralegals have experienced this too).

Have made it past the application state multiple times, even to a few ACs, but it just hasnt happened for me. I’m nearing my late 20s and at this point am just stuck feeling like my adult life hasnt even started yet. Paralegaling on paper is a solid job, but City firms dont pay nearly enough for a good standard of living (especially considering the fact that my billable targets are the same as trainees in my firm). If I get a TC this cycle, I’ll probably start it in 2028 and be done in 2030, which means i’ll be be a 30 years old NQ with a whopping 4 years of prior paralegaling experience…

Am constantly having mini mental breakdowns at this point, thinking a) am I not meant for this career, b) having spent so long in a specialist team, which non-legal profession will even hire me at this point if law is not for me, and c) did I essentially waste 3 years of uni and half of my 20s for a career that is not meant to be?

Basically just asking around for opinions / relatable stories / genuine career advice because at this point, im just going through the mechanics at work and trying to hold to together, with the job market looking so bleak, im almost not sure there is anything else for me to do but stay stuck in my paralegal job.

would it be considered appropriate/good to send a thank you note on linkedin to the lawyers i've networked with throughout my vac scheme, now that the scheme's ended? not really sure what to do / what's considered the correct etiquette, as i don't want to come across as doing too much...

Major rant incoming….

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore.
I’ve been rejected by Dundee in both rounds and by RGU in round one. I’m waiting to hear about RGU round two tomorrow, but if I don’t get in, it feels like my legal career is over before it’s even begun.

The worst part is that I’ve already secured a 2027 traineeship with one of the top Scottish law firms, but I can’t start it without the Diploma. It feels crazy that you can do everything right, get a traineeship, and still potentially lose it because there aren’t enough Diploma places.
Has anyone been in this position before? Is there anything I can actually do if RGU also says no, or is that genuinely it?

I’m honestly devastated.

Hello, I’ve received an interview for Irwin Mitchell as a helpline paralegal. It consists of a mock call, normal interview and legal technical interview. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or anything I should know/expect? I am a bit nervous! Thank you so much :)

I completed the Making Links Scholarship 2026 assessment back in June and received the standard email saying they would be in touch with an update.
It’s now been over a month and I haven’t heard anything further (no rejection or invitation to the next stage). Is this a normal timeline for Linklaters or is it time to send a polite email to graduate recruitment asking for an update? Or is it better to just wait? Thanks!

title. Not that my co-workers are evil in any way, but I just feel that at the workplace I can't fully be myself, which is why I can't make truly deep friendship bonds. Whenever I get invited to a lunch or a get-together, I usually don't feel that interested because I always feel that if I go out with friends outside of work, I will be able to enjoy myself more.

After the study case interview, does the final hiring process depend on only the interview outcome or do the partners also evaluate the candidates academic transcript?

Hi, I have a first from a top 5 uni, and am starting my conversion soon.

That said, in my degree modules, my most common grades are 1sts and 2:1s, with 2 2:2s across the whole 3 years.

I am also kinda worried because my average grade for years 2 and 3 is 69.3%, not 70+, as my average for y3 is 71, and 2 is 66. that said, my degree was still given a 1st, and in 3rd year, I got straight 1sts with a single 2:1 (that was 69%) in my modules

I guess I’m asking how bad is this for my goals overall. I ask because I looked up ppl on LinkedIn who have the jobs I want, and virtually no one has their module grades listed, so wanted to ask how much they can make or break you?

I want to be based in a Manchester set- London one’s are not my goal.

For those of you who did not qualify or left practice, what alternative careers are you pursuing now? Compliance and Insurance tend to be common areas but always interested to hear from people. Thanks :)

Hi Reddit

I am looking to change careers into law with the aim to become a solicitor in the future. I have a STEM degree from a university (not Russel group) from over 10 years ago. I have floated around working in education to start with slowly transitioning into business operations and supply chain, where I've been for the past 5 years. I don't have any legal experience. I have applied for training contacts, but I feel like, of course I won't be successful getting on of these, will I? I also have had no luck applying for paralegal / legal assistant roles. I also cannot really afford to take out a loan to self fund any courses. What would be realistic steps for someone like me? Thanks in advance, and please no rude comments. Edit: would perhaps the CILEx route be worth looking into? I have also applied for the GDL at The College of Legal Practice - would anyone recommend or even not recommend them?

It is very hard to find information online about the university of law. I just accepted a training contract with a US firm in London and will be doing my law conversion and SQE at the uni. I have just deeped that I will be spending the next two years of my life invested in the institution basically, and wanted to ask for people’s experiences there.

Generally, how did it compare to undergrad in terms of uni experience? What is the social life like? Do most people spend their time building out social networks across broader London, through sports etc? Are there structured societies that I can involved in that are good, or should I invest my time elsewhere? What is the freshers week like in terms of socialising / clubbing (or is that not the vibe entirely)?

I had quite a social undergrad, but have not kept many friendships live after graduating so I would want to building a proper social network in London prior to not having any time as a lawyer. How would someone best recommend to do this? This sounds crazy to ask but it is of course important to have that support.

Separate from social side, how intense is the work actually? For context, I have a first class from Oxbridge in a non law degree and I want to get a sense of how much for how intense this would be, perhaps in comparison. I also wonder how much free time I might have for other things (learning a language, working part time (10 hours a week))?

I just honestly have not been able to get a sense of anything about the university online and thus have had difficulty preparing mentally for these next 24 months of my life (essentially). It just feels like such a long term commitment and I am conscious of getting the most out of it as possible, whilst of course passing all of the benchmarks that my firm requires of me.

How far do these 2:2s hurt my chances of getting a vc/tc at a city commercial firm? Will firms consider the structure of my course, as I completed 28 modules in total?