Five Crucial Aspects To Consider In Choosing A Training Contract Firm

Practice areas

This is certainly one of the most crucial factors for you to consider as part of the process in choosing a training contract firm.

There is a big divergence between studying the law and practicing it. As a law student, it is trouble-free to believe that what you find out at university will correspond to the workplace. You may not find the books and lectures of a particular subject especially interesting, but the same subject may be much more lively and exciting when you are out in the field and working on real cases.

larger firms may have departments that cover all practice areas, each department will be a different size and carry its own standing within the industry. Whether you are looking to work in Corporate, Real Estate, Finance, Litigation, Employment, Incentives or Competition, doing your study about the different departments within your potential firms will help you decide the most excellent ones to apply to. It will also provide you with priceless integrity when it comes to the interview stage. You will most likely not be certain the accurate combination of seats that you would like in your legal training contract. Nevertheless, you can’t go too far wrong if you have selected a firm whose major training areas match those that you are involved in.

Client base

The outline of a firm usually corresponds to the profile of its clients. Some people choose to work with high profile organizations, but will usually have to compete with people from altering levels within the organization. Smaller clients give you a chance to work more directly with the key people and your input will be more visible.

Size

The training areas and client base of a firm are very good predictors of its size. Firms range from commercial law practices running with major global corporations to high-street firms more accessible to the general public. Of course, there are many exceptions to the rule. Look closely so you won’t be surprised later on.
Large firms bring their own difficulties as well benefits. The bigger a firm is, the more likely it is to take on a larger number of trainees. A high profile firm can bring your CV strong brand value. On the other hand, if you are working for a smaller firm, there will probably be fewer trainees. This means that you will almost certainly have more interaction with skilled solicitors and various levels within the firm.

Place

For most training contract applicants, the chose boils down to the simple question: “Do I go to London, or do I work for a local regional firm?”

It is a little of a individual choice, with implications that will influence the quality of life and your work. The largest firms are based in London and the legal market which circles the capital’s financial services industry is one of the most lucrative in the world. This interprets into higher average pay packets for London solicitors. Aside from the careers benefits to choosing London, trainees can enjoy all social and cultural activities that the cosmopolitan city has to offer.

Though, the cost of living is higher in London and you will have to satisfied with the traffic and rush hour crushes in the tube. Working hours are often longer at London firms and you may find a more appealing work-life balance at firms outside of the capital. The choice is, as always, yours.

Training structure

Traditional law training contracts structures place trainees in permanent position times in different departments. However, there are discrepancy in terms of the position time, number of departments to be rotated through and the amount and type of work completed in each department. If you are in doubt about which training area you want to work in when you qualify, you may want to apply to firms which will place you in many different departments during your training contracts.