Thinking about becoming a solicitor?
Live Q&A: We are assembling a panel of experts who'll be offering advice about becoming a solicitor - post your question now in the comments below
Much has been made over the past few years about the stiff competition you'll face if you want a solicitor job. So much so, in fact, we wouldn't blame you for feeling the jury's out on whether you'll ever stand a chance of getting your foot in the door.
You've only got to take a glimpse at some of the experiences of aspiring solicitors to see the kind of challenges facing those who want to follow this path. Guardian Careers blogger and Legal Practice Course graduate Krishnan Nair explains: "The immediate struggle for us wannabe solicitors is in obtaining a training contract - a two-year traineeship with a law firm. The more time you spend searching for one, the more unattainable it can seem - a feeling only compounded when you look at the facts: in 2009-10 there were 11,370 full-time and 3,140 part-time LPC places compared to just 4,874 newly registered training contracts."
Cat Pond, an LPC student and founding contributor of legalcheek.com, told the Guardian late last year that the mood of law students "hovers between worry and a sort of determined cheerfulness."
She says: "Nobody seems to be completely secure in their situation ? for those with a training contract, there's the potential for their firms to push back their start date or worse; for those without, the pressure is well and truly on."
Before we're accused of putting you off, however, let's provide a note of optimism from trainee Susan Wamanga-Wamai, who told Guardian Careers: "There are jobs out there, you just have to work hard to get them." There is also plenty of advice here from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's Simon Johnson about what you can do to stand out in your training contract applications.
If you're determined to go the distance and become a fully-fledged solicitor, our panel is here to offer their advice and discuss what prospects are like. From pro-bono work, work experience at smaller companies and vacation schemes, join them to discuss how to stand out. They'll also be explaining in detail the different paths you can follow, so whatever stage you are at, join us for live advice on Thursday 10 May between 1pm and 3pm. Post your question in the comments below or email alison.white@guardian.co.uk.
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Source: http://careers.guardian.co.uk/becoming-a-solicitor
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