Get that traineeship Yasemin Guven Careers Development Officer

Get that traineeship! Yasemin Guven Careers Development Officer

Topics for today Today’s talk: - Trainee statistics - Scotland’s different legal employers - What are employers looking for? - Dealing with feedback

Trainee statistics Training contracts started in 2017/18: 587 Number of Diploma students commencing in 2017/18: 612 Number of Diploma students commencing in 2018/19: 649 Training contracts started Yo. Y

Trainee statistics What sizes of firm do trainees work in?

Multi-seat or single seat? What’s best for you? Specialising or diversifying? Traineeships can be in any area of law. How much flexibility do you have when choosing your seats? It can be down to the needs of the business. Don’t forget about secondment opportunities Read ‘getting the most out of your in-house secondment’ When applying for a traineeship, tell the employer why the seat-structure appeals to you.

In-house employers 12% of traineeships were registered in-house last year The five biggest employers of in-house lawyers in Scotland currently are: • The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service • The Scottish Government • The Royal Bank of Scotland plc • Glasgow City Council • The National Health Service Scotland At the other end of the spectrum, a large number of organisations employ only one solicitor, making some in-house lawyers more akin to sole practitioners. 2/3 of our in-house members work in the public and third sectors including the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Service, central and local government, public bodies, the courts and charities.

In-house employers Applying for traineeships in-house Bigger organisations will have a structured recruitment process – this might be in line with how they recruit other graduates. Use national recruitment websites like Indeed, S 1 Jobs and Linked. In. Look out for competency-based assessment (especially COPFS), but also other skills and strength based approaches.

In-house employers Some of the keys to a successful application: - Knowing the difference between private practice and in-house - Taking own responsibility for workload - Knows how to succeed in the wider business out-with the legal team – good ability to build up own networks - Specialist skills e. g. Financial services awareness? Knowledge of not-for profit organisations? Commercial awareness?

High Street firm employers Almost 1/3 of trainees are based in small firms (1 -6 partners). Areas of specialism vary significantly and some firms may be more niche, whereas others will offer a range of services. Typically, working for a small firm might involve: ‒ Close contact with clients ‒ Working across different roles and undertaking administrative work when needed ‒ Working proactively and independently ‒ Being comfortable with responsibility ‒ Adding financial value to a firm from an earlier stage as an NQ

High Street firm employers Smaller firms may recruit using application forms or by requesting a CV and covering letter. It’s also possible to approach small firms with speculative applications. However, make sure first that they don’t have a formal recruitment process. Building a relationship first can be really important when applying to a small firm, particularly speculatively. Is there an opportunity to meet a prospective employer – at industry events, at Court or at least having a chat over the phone?

Big firm employers Around 50% of trainees are based in ‘big firms’. There is no official definition for a big firm, but generally it’s over 10 partners, or those that have a large number of staff. Big firms tend to specialise in several areas and trainees often get the chance to move around and try different things. Don’t group ‘big firms’ all into one basket when dealing with them – they’re all proud of their separate, different cultures and will look for trainees with different attributes.

Big firm employers Big firms tend to recruit well in advance, so you need to be prepared. They often have early closing dates, around October-December each year. A high percentage of trainees at big firms are hired after having undertaken an internship with the firm. Internships can now commonly form a big part of the interview process. Several run informal evenings at their local offices where students are invited to come along and ‘get to know’ the firm.

What are employers looking for? Some (most) employers will actually tell you on their website what they’re looking for! You can get a good idea of whether you would be a good fit, then you can explain all of these reasons to an employer in your application. Always check for an ‘about us’ or ‘our people’ section on an employer’s website.

What are employers looking for? Commercial awareness This will mean different things to different employers - An awareness and interest in the commercial world - How world events may impact business and clients - Business development: how can the firm grow?

What are employers looking for? Legal technology awareness Do you know what’s available in the marketplace, what products and services legal tech incubators are working on and how firms are structuring their firms differently to embrace legal tech? Understanding of law firm/in-house economics How do you become a business person who practises law? How does a law firm make money? Why is accurate billing, time-recording and networking so essential? How do in-house organisations add-value and be more than a ‘cost’? Client communication skills How do you interact with everyone and be the face of the business? This is probably the most essential skill for lawyers!

Applications Common mistakes and pitfalls CV too long No profile and not well-formatted Being generic I worked in a professional capacity to improve my knowledge Poor grammar and silly mistakes Not answering questions Waffling

Getting feedback and support Make sure you feel confident about your applications from an early stage. Make an appointment with your Careers Advisor! If you aren’t successful with an application or at interview, try to get some feedback and improve for next time. Be open to critique. If you’re not getting anywhere and you’ve made a tonne of applications, you need to find out why.

Getting the most from your Law Fair • Do some research • Ask questions • Get insider knowledge • Go alone… • Participate • Network

Become a student associate Sign up now! It’s totally free to join and takes 2 minutes! www. lawscot. org. uk/students

Online careers hub

Online careers hub

Mentoring scheme Get specialist ongoing support from a professional Looking for a traineeship? Get mentored by a trainee Want general careers advice? Get mentored by a practising solicitor We have a fully online platform which allows you to create a profile, browse mentors and start a conversation all in one place. For more information take a look at our Mentoring webpages.

Any questions?

Contact details Yasemin Guven Careers Development Officer yaseminguven@lawscot. org. uk Student associates Sign up now for free www. lawscot. org. uk/students