If you are reading this, it’s likely that you are a trainee, coming up to qualification. First of all, huge congratulations to you! The route to qualification for many lawyers can be tough, but that’s all the more reason to ensure that your NQ solicitor role is right for you.
I’m a specialist legal recruitment consultant at Chadwick Nott and work with many trainee solicitors who are looking for that all important newly qualified role. I wanted to write this blog to provide some guidance on where to start, when to start, what to consider and how to ensure a fruitful search. This blog is based on my most commonly asked questions and my own experiences from placing NQ’s right across the South West.
My first piece of advice is to consider at the big picture of the legal market alongside your own personal ambitions and to be proactive.
Timings
The number one question I get asked by trainees is; “when do I need to start looking”? This is a tricky question as there are so many variables. I advise anyone that would like to work with me to contact me 6 months prior to qualification. This isn’t always the best time to make applications to live roles, but this is the prime opportunity for me to get to know you, to understand what your ideal role looks like, as well as the types of firms you’d like to work with, salary expectations, locations and more. When you get around 3 months away from qualification this is when live applications start to be made. By having that conversation ahead of time, I can keep you in the loop with not only live vacancies but market movements too. My team and I are very well connected and are liaising with law firms every day about solicitor roles of all levels. We may be told or hear about NQ roles before they are advertised on job boards or websites.
Should I wait until I know what is happening at my current firm?
In short, no. I have had countless conversations and meetings with trainees who were confident they would be offered an NQ role at their firm and then due to reasons beyond their control, they were not offered. This led them to quickly interview and accept a role they wouldn’t otherwise be happy to consider. This results in them reaching out to consider new opportunities a few short months into qualification. It is better to cover the market ahead of time so that you have all options available to you, from which you can make a reasoned and informed decision.
I want to qualify into a very specific practice area - what if I don’t get this?
It’s important to have a reasonably open mind when it comes to practice area. You may have a clear dream of what area you would like to work in long-term and I will work with you to achieve this goal. However, any search will always be led by the market, so there may need to be flexibility and discussions around this. If you are prepared to relocate and/or work in a law firm of any size, you can afford to be more prescriptive in terms of practice area. If for personal reasons you have a limited search area and only imagine yourself in a top 100 law firm, you may need to be more flexible on which roles to consider. One example - I was working with a fantastic trainee who was looking to qualify into regulatory matters on one area. I suggested a commercial litigation general role with a strong percentage of regulatory dispute matters involved. This person was delighted with the position and is now thriving in their new role despite not specialising purely in regulatory matters.
How flexible are law firms on practice area experience?
What practice area you choose to qualify into is important. Traditionally, this will be an area in which you have completed at last one seat in and/or have prior paralegal experience in. If you are looking for a role in which you only have academic experience this can be more difficult, especially if it is popular practise area where there will be a lot of competition for a role. It can occasionally be possible to secure a role in an area of law where no seat has been undertaken. A recent example is a firm that was looking for someone to specialise in property disputes, they were happy to meet with individuals that had strong commercial property experience and litigation experience but did not require a seat in property disputes.
Salaries
Should you chase the money? Does it have to be X salary or nothing? You need to consider whether salary is more important than the type of work or location of the law firm. Yes, corporate or tax are likely to be well paid areas of law compared to family, but what area of law inspires you and can you imagine working in this area of law for many years. An NQ role in London will pay the highest but is your heart really in Northumberland or Wales? I have spoken to NQs that moved into roles upon qualification and this decision was purely salary driven. They have
taken the role and not enjoyed the work at all, so they are now looking to get out of this quickly.
The big picture
When considering NQ opportunities, you really do need to consider the bigger picture. What areas of law are busy and actively recruiting in your year of qualification. Generally, lawyers are not very adversely affected by economic downturns but that’s not always the case. Obviously if the property market is slow or even crashes it will obviously be very tough to find a property role. It is important to gather market information before fully committing to one area.
My top tips
· Be ready – have you not updated your CV since you began your training contract? Do this now!
· If your dream role gets released and you have to spend a busy week putting together your CV, you can miss out on deadlines. It is much better to have this updated regularly. Don’t forget to include examples of your responsibilities during each seat.
· Be proactive – speak to your law firm early about what the possible options might be – touch base with your supervisor so you can get an insider’s view.
· Do use supervisors and colleagues to get a real feel for the legal market – what are the ‘hot’ areas of law?
· Ask for advice and feedback from supervisors throughout your training so that you can work on any missing skills and experience – your training contract will fly by so it’s good to get into this habit from early on.
· Use a recruitment consultant who is embedded in your area. Check out LinkedIn and ask for recommendations from colleagues and even HR/Recruitment team at your firm:
· Be prepared for every interview by using a recruitment consultant. With each lawyer I work with that is invited to interview, I provide comprehensive advice on what to expect by pulling on experience from previous interviews we have arranged with the firm. I cover how to prepare, what to prepare, how to tackle difficult interview questions and more. I also offer to hold mock interviews to help those who feel they would benefit from them. I do everything I can to ensure you feel prepared and confident when attending any interview.
· Does your agent work with the firms you are interested in? Ask this question. Not every agent will have access to work with every firm and so it is important to ensure that your agent can make the introductions that are important to you.
· CV sends – do not be hasty! Firing your CV to every firm is the worst thing you can do at this time as they will spot a generalised CV send a mile away. Any approaches should be tailored to firms that you have researched and would genuinely like to work with. A word of warning, some agencies will use this scatter gun approach and send your CV to every contact without consent. This is unprofessional and does not present you in the best light. At Chadwick Nott we only send applications with consent and ensure each application/ approach is tailored and informed.
If you are thinking of instructing a recruitment consultant for your NQ search, check out my colleague Emma’s blog on ‘Getting the most out of your agent’ for more tips.
In summary, this decision is extremely important and so it needs to be right. Give yourself plenty of time to discuss your options and ensure that any approaching / applications are tailored to ensure the most fruitful search.
If you would like to discuss your step into an NQ role or would like to ask any questions regarding the above content do get in touch for a fully confidential conversation.
For a confidential discussion, please contact Abbie Jackson at Chadwick Nott.
(t) 0117 945 1635
(m) 0792 189 5768
