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For "normal" legal jobs, as distinct for student-oriented openings and support, see also the Jobs page.
Law Careers Net is a comprehensive online resource for future lawyers which has now been running for 10 years. The site offers full details of how to go about joining the legal profession. It features over 1,250 employers and legal educators in three (firms, barristers, course providers) comprehensive directories as well as the most comprehensive editorial, news and features information available anywhere to candidates. There is a newsletter called LC.N Weekly which goes to over 15,000 readers every Tuesday and the site as a whole is visited over 3 million times per year.
studentatlaw.co.uk is "an introductory guide to qualifying as a solicitor for non-law students". It is designed to give people an insight into what it takes to pursue a career as a solicitor and what the options available to those from a non-law background are. It is written by someone developing a career in law himself and who is describing his experiences of trying to qualify as a solicitor. The site describes the many different routes available to qualifying as a solicitor as well as giving details of the GDL (Graduate Diploma In Law also often known as "the law conversion course"), the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and training contracts. There is also a section designed for people wishing to become dual qualified both as a solicitor in the UK, and as an attorney in the US.
Ladders 2 Law is a site about becoming a lawyer, designed for "the very best A-level students from non-privileged backgrounds". The idea is that they will be mentored by a practising barrister or solicitor, and will give students help and advice on how best they can work towards a career in the law. The scheme is jointly managed by two charities, The Social Mobility Foundation and The Brightside Trust. The site is constantly updated with interesting news items, advice from experts, stories from lawyers about "how they got there", reports of interesting cases, polls on controversial topics (such as capital punishment) and other features. The site is aimed at students aged between 14 and 18 who are interested in a career in law and aims to build up their legal knowledge whilst retaining their enthusiasm.
LawBritannia offers careers advice to non UK nationals interested in studying and practising law in the UK. Working with a network of advisers and contacts in many top 100 firms the site aims to give international students (non UK students and lawyers) straight forward answers to their questions about studying and practicing law in the UK. There are free downloads to explain the steps international students need to take to become a lawyer in the UK. They also offer a variety of services and publications to help students research firms and find the best "match" to their experience.
Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs was founded in 1990 to promote the excellence and professional recognition of Legal Secretaries and PAs. They are a professional organisation with Students and Members throughout the UK and overseas. The Institute provides nationally recognised qualifications and helps people with their legal secretarial careers by giving advice, support and career guidance. The Legal Secretaries Diploma course provides the legal knowledge and skills needed to work as a Legal Secretary. There are evening classes in London throughout the year and also Distance Learning available.
Student Pro Bono has a database of what law schools are doing in the pro bono area. The information available includes project description, who takes part, supervision details and contact information for those wishing to find out more. It can be searched using a variety of criteria.
legalalternatives.co.uk another site designed to assist lawyers - and particularly law students - who wish to get involved with pro bono work.
Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society (previously the Trainee Solicitors Group) was set up as a specific group within the Law Society to provide Junior Lawyers with support, advice, information and networking opportunities. They also represent Junior Lawyers' views through lobbying and campaigns both internationally and in the UK. The JLD Community benefits include: a dedicated website, a freephone telephone helpline service, careers advice and planning services, social and networking events held nationally and locally, competitively priced and accredited continuing professional development training and the opportunity to influence the future of the profession.
Lawyer2B.com is a new student and trainee website and journal from the Lawyer. It provides information on careers in the law and how to secure a training contract or pupillage. There are news stories selected from the Lawyer's main coverage and various features. There is also a video of LPC students at the College of Law talking about their experiences (not all good).
Trainee Solicitor is a forum for trainee solicitors and wannabee trainees to discuss issues surrounding qualifying as a solicitor and training contracts. There are around 630 registered users so far.
Trainee Solicitors is a site designed to bring together students seeking a training contract with the firms looking for suitable candidates. Students can upload their profile on the website (ie. qualifications and experiences) and Law Firms can invite suitable candidates from the website for Training Contract, Vacation Placement or Paralegal interviews.
Pupillages.com is a site from the Bar Council which provides access to all pupillage vacancies in England and Wales. It includes information from chambers offering pupillages as well as handy hints on identifying the right chambers for you. It also houses OLPAS, the online pupillage application system, which allows applications for pupillage to take place online, backed by the Bar Council. Students can apply one or two years ahead and can apply for up to 12 chambers per season. There is lots of information about the process of obtaining pupillage on the site.
WikiJob is a careers advice website for students and graduates interested in finding out about top careers, jobs and discussing interview processes at law, finance & accountancy firms in the UK. The site has been designed to let students and graduates find out what careers, employers and interviews are really like. It is the first candidate focused graduate recruitment website and the largest graduate job search community on the internet. WikiJob helps candidates find out what they really want to know about employers, and puts the power in their hands to tell other people what they think too. WikiJob's Wiki profiles are open for anyone to edit, which means the information inside them has been written by both candidates and companies.
Association of Law Costs Draftsmen was founded in 1977 with the object of promoting the status and interests of the profession of law costs draftsmen generally and the maintenance of the highest professional standards. The main aim is to promote and foster a proper appreciation of the contribution made by law costs draftsmen within the legal profession. The usual method of entry to the profession is via a Solicitors office where a general legal knowledge can first be obtained. Many law costs draftsmen are self employed but rarely employ untrained assistants. Membership of the Association is open to men and women over the age of 18 who are employed as law costs draftsmen. Entry is as a student member irrespective of experience. Students should be employed by a Fellow or Associate or in the employ of a firm of Solicitors, a government, local authority or other legal department, but each application is considered on its merits. A student will be expected to follow a course of study, which will depend on the experience already gained in the profession, and sit the Association's written examination within 4 years.
ELIXIR (European Lawyers' Information eXchange & Internet Resource) is a project based at The University of Birmingham Law School. This includes material provided by Dr Julian Lonbay on the different legal systems in all the EU countries, including training requirements, and an introduction to the EC Law on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications in EU countries. Information on notaries and bailiffs is now also included.
Chambers and Partners Law Student Website, with extensive information on finding training contracts and the sort of firms to contact.
ILEX Paralegal Training is a business division of The Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) and provides a comprehensive and flexible range of vocational legal training for non-lawyers. The courses have been developed with vocational principles very much in mind and will result in qualifications awarded by ILEX which recognise the underpinning knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in today's legal and business environments.
gti - UK & Irish Graduate careers. They have a substantial section on pupillages and mini pupillages and they also have general information on legal careers and placements.
Ten percent Legal Recruitment are legal recruitment consultants for UK and international legal jobs and also provide one of the largest free sources of information for law students and lawyers on legal careers. The website has a careers centre with over 100 pages of information and advice, and is linked to LegalRecruitment.blogspot.com with a further 200+ articles on legal careers and recruitment, written by the Managing Director, Jonathan Fagan. There is a legal work experience scheme available to students and graduates at no cost, as well as the well-used list of "100 top legal job interview questions" (answers are available through the blog). The company also provides paid for services including Legal Career Coaching for a range of clients from law student through to senior partners and CV Writing Services.
Training Contract Winners is a booklet by which helps students make strong applications for training contracts. It is written by Mark Boardman and Zara Harrington, future trainee solicitors at City firms in London and Leona Tan, reading Law at the University of Cambridge.
For "normal" legal jobs, as distinct for student-oriented openings, see also the Jobs page.
Careers, Training Contracts and Pupillages