Hi guys, I recently graduated in July of this year with a 2:1 from a RG uni and I've been looking for roles to build legal experience. But I know that the job market in this state is not good, but I've still been trying. I think I've been somewhat fortunate in getting 8 interviews in the past month, but I've consistently failed as I didn't have any experience, despite the roles being graduate focused.

Can someone who was in a similar position to me have any potential ideas to get over this? I don't want to waste too much more time.

Career question, not a request for legal advice.

TL;DR: Senior tech leader in UK with a decade of privacy/security governance work, considering 2-3 years out to qualify as a solicitor (conversion + SQE). Is the qualification worth it for someone already doing the work?

Background: 27 years in software engineering, the last 17 or so heading into and working in CTO/CIO-level roles. For at least a decade I've worked closely with customers' legal counsel and privacy counsel, and I've run the governance side myself: data protection, AI governance, infosec and the blue-team/GRC side of cybersecurity. Non-law BA and for what it's worth, about to turn 50.

Where I am: financially stable, so I can afford to step back for a few years. I'm looking at a law conversion plus SQE prep (BPP is on my list), then QWE. Privacy, cybersecurity and contract work are the parts of my job I enjoy most. Software engineering is still fun, but there's only so much of it before it gets repetitive, and AI is taking over more of it every year.

The goal: qualify, then eventually build a practice around privacy and cybersecurity. I'd be happy at a firm, in-house, or on my own.

What I'd love to hear from practising solicitors:

1. What does being qualified add over being a consultant or DPO-type adviser? Privilege, credibility, sign-off, something else?

2. Would firms realistically take on a career changer for QWE? What have you seen work or fail?

3. Is a full conversion worth the cost, or is cheaper SQE prep enough for someone with my background?

4. What am I underestimating: the QWE stage, the pay drop, the day-to-day work?

Also - I'm genuinely open to "don't bother." I'd rather hear it now : )

Hi there

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience/advice re qualifying as a solicitor while working in a risk and compliance role.

I have 5+ years experience in risk and compliance, but I am seeing more roles that require you to be qualified - all for things I can competently do. I am wondering if it is worth attempting to qualify for the longevity of my career

My biggest concern is QWE while working in compliance - any advice would be greatly appreciated

I’m Emma 👋 I’m an in-house lawyer and in my spare time, I run the Inclusie Club to help aspiring legal professionals find diverse routes into the legal profession.

I’m building a free job board to help you find different legal work experience opportunities, placement years, paralegal and entry-level legal roles, training contracts and more.

I’d love to know what features are most important to you about the job board. So far I’ve got

✨ Searchable by location

✨ Searchable by opportunity type

✨ Clear whether prior legal experience is required

✨ Provide some interesting alternatives to legal careers

I’d love to know what else you’d like to see or what else we can build?

You can view the resources we already provide free and sign up to the Inclusie Club at www.inclusieclub.co.uk. Our members will be the first to get access to the job board when it’s live!

Thanks 🙏

Turned out I accidentally signed up for a case on UK Lore

I am an overseas solicitor and will need to arrange for the printing, binding, and delivery of a bundle to an Arbitrator based in London. Just looking for suggestions of suitable companies to engage considering the short turn around and confidentiality requirements.

pls and thx

Juniors (0 - 5 years PQE) in my team at my firm, including me, are subject to heavy supervision. I'm talking anything to an external contact more complicated than a holding email is subject to a partner signing off, including innocuous stuff like BD emails. A colleague with several years PQE recently handed in their notice partly because the supervision was so overbearing.

However, because of general lack of capacity in the overall team it has gotten to a point where it is making it difficult to get things out promptly and I am starting to get some heat on my ability to turnover work for other teams at the speed at which they need it.

Wanted to see if this seems normal, whether my firm is just incredibly risk averse and what other experiences are as to when supervision started to taper off.

Hi guys, I'm a peultimate-year currently applying to vac schemes and I recently saw my uni's careers counselor for law. She told me that I should omit certain work experiences in my application, such as my part-time tutoring job because these are 'professional' big-corporate companies and these experiences 'weren't exactly at this level'. Since this goes against the general conventional advice (from at least what I've heard) that you should include a range of experiences, I'm just wondering what's everyone's take on this. Thanks!

No I am not a brand affiliate, I am just a regular applicant who paid for premiums of both TCLA & Commercial Law Academy and wanted to give my honest review for candidates who might consider them (as there are not many reviews out there)

TCLA

PROs: -has a WhatsApp chat for members where you can ping their ambassadors (who are future trainees) to ask for specific help with your applications, I found that feature particularly helpful -They have custom practice tests (SJT/WG etc) built to mimic those of specific firms (i.e., first stage of Hogan Lovells) -You can get instant AI feedback for your video interview responses, maybe it is not your thing but I liked it a lot

CONs: -firm profiles are not very helpful honestly, super vanilla -They have application guides for some firms with more specific guidance, which is great, but they did not update said guides after some firms changed their application processes so they are not as useful as they used to be -£50/month can be quite challenging if you are a student (hence why I got mine after I graduated) -their pricing per application review is crazyyyy I can’t believe people are actually paying that

Commercial Law Academy

PRO(s) -Jake is just great, man. I love attending his webinars -They have the best & most detailed application bank that I have seen -Like TCLA, they have their own video interview feedback thing, and it is nice -Pricing is great, very good value for £20/month

CON(s) - As good as the application bank is, their firm profiles are quite shit honestly. Very surface-level, often outdated and not helpful - I personally didn’t find the courses that helpful. It might be good if you are a beginner or a career changer but it is too surface-level if you are a seasoned applicant (honestly Jake’s books are better if you are in your second or later cycle) -They don’t offer coaching/application reviews anymore so if you are after that it won’t help you

The TLDR is, do you need these services? I honestly don’t know. I know many people who got TCs without them, and many people who used them as they land TC offers. I will personally continue to pay for both as I think I am getting good value, but it is personally your call to make

I hope this was helpful!

hi everyone!

i am currently in year 13. my future plans include doing law as a solicitor. however, i am an international student who relocated from asia last year, i have an ILR with a dependent visa. i researched universities i’d like to attend to pursue law. however, the tuition fees for overseas students are £17k above. which i can’t afford because a) i can’t take student loans b) my parents are working-class with incomes that barely helps us survive

my parents are insistent in me going to uni. however, with the costs, i think not. so i looked into solicitor apprenticeships. i live in london so there’s many options

BUT, the requirements to be eligible is to have 5-7 GCSEs above. i only have 2 - the core subjects. math and english language as my sixth form required me to finish it. i emailed one of the firms that offered a solicitor apprenticeship, and they told me i have to pass a ‘BPP Admissions Test’

i’m not sure what it is as there’s not a lot about it on the internet

but my main concern is: how competitive are solicitor apprenticeships?

i know universities are very competitive as it’s all my school talks about. but apprenticeships aren’t often discussed. how and what do you need to do to be competitive?
i plan on taking a gap year before applying for uni OR apprenticeships, so i’ll have time to prepare my application. any tips and advice?

thank you so much!

Hi there,

I’m currently a second year law student at a decent RG. I achieved a low 2:1 at the end of my first year, with my highest mark being a 70 in public law. My A-Levels aren’t great either (ABB).

I’ve been interested in qualifying as a solicitor so far and I’ve visited a bunch of firms including national, international, SC and MC.

Are there any success stories from people who came from a similar background?

I just joined as an in-house Paralegal in a tech company coming from a private practice background… any tips?

My previous experience was mainly in litigation, with my own caseload and client contact, so I’m used to managing matters, drafting legal documents and working within a law firm environment.

I’m already noticing how different in-house work is, particularly when it comes to commercial contracts, internal processes, systems and working with different teams across the business.

I’m still in my first week, so I appreciate that there’s a lot to learn and that it will take time to get up to speed. I think the biggest adjustment so far is getting to grips with how everything works internally, rather than the legal side itself.

Any tips that could help? Thank you!!!!

What’s it like paralegalling at an MC firm? Did you find it useful for TC apps/ did it help launch your career into qualification?

Hey, can someone give me a general idea of what kind of questions come up, whats out there on forums is pretty inconsistent. Thanks!

How normal is it to make it to final stage interview for job, be told you'll hear back in a week with an update, and then have zero update more than two weeks later ? Assumably the silence is rejection, but why not just nip it in the bud and say no (for context team is very small)

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for some advice on potentially transitioning into a paralegal role, particularly from anyone who’s taken a similar route or works in legal recruitment.

I graduated from university with a 2:2 in History and have been working as a Team Assistant at an international law firm in London for the past four months, specifically within the Banking & Finance department.

My role involves supporting fee earners directly, as well as completing work delegated through their Personal Assistants. Since joining, I’ve become increasingly interested in pursuing a career within the legal profession and would love to explore the possibility of becoming a paralegal, ideally within my current firm.

I’m also open to potentially qualifying as a solicitor further down the line, although that’s not something I’ve fully decided on yet.

My main concern is my 2:2 degree classification and the fact that I don’t have a legal background. I understand that some firms have minimum academic requirements, particularly for training contracts, but I’m unsure how much this would affect my chances of securing an entry-level paralegal position.

I’m considering reaching out to HR to discuss internal progression opportunities, but I’m conscious that I’ve only been at the firm for four months and don’t want to come across as trying to leave my current role too soon.

I was wondering:

Has anyone successfully transitioned from a Team Assistant/PA or another business support role into a paralegal position?

How much of a disadvantage would a 2:2 in a non-law degree put me at?

Would working at the firm already give me an advantage when applying internally?

Is it worth approaching HR now, or should I wait until I’ve gained more experience?

Would I need additional legal qualifications before being considered?

Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated!

Just working on an application for Mishcon and noticed some text saying the only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. This applies to all vacancies

I applied to their Open Day which is due to occur on the 4 Nov and havent heard a peep in over a month. Anyone have experience getting a rejection from Mishcon not communicated? Whats the protocol - do we email to ask if we’re still being considered? Am planning on applying to their VS but if the normal approach is that they contact only successful candidates then dont want to spend months worrying over this

Very odd (slightly insulting) to not even contact candidates who spent time preparing an application with at least a “no”. At the very least these can me automated…

they're still running a vac scheme but am also pretty hesitant to apply to a firm that might be taken over or at worst case run to the ground before i even start (partners leaving, wanting to merge with other firms but noone so far actually wants them). but on the other hand, there might be less competition and a lower bar and it's a great us law firm...

got 1st class llb 2022 withdrew lpc llm in 2023 mental health worked national law firm litigation asssitant november 2023-august 2024 and worked paralegal febraury-November 2025. What options are their for me?

Edit: Please suggest a better university

I’m currently facing a bit of a dilemma regarding my LL.M. plans in the UK and would love to get your honest perspective.

For context, I’ve already been accepted into an LL.M. program at the University of Lincoln. My long-term career goals are:

Working in International Organizations (like the UN).

Working in international legal practice/law firms abroad.

My original thought was to use Lincoln as a "first stepping stone"—a manageable environment to get used to the system and build my research skills before aiming higher later. However, after reading some harsh comments on Reddit calling mid-tier schools a "waste of time and money," I started second-guessing myself.

The counter-argument in my head is: If I'm going to put in the hard work anyway, shouldn't I just put that exact same effort into a higher-ranked university right now to avoid regrets and get better brand recognition? (Assuming English or adjustment isn't the primary barrier here).

Also, on a practical note: Are there still UK universities accepting applications/open for rolling admissions for upcoming intakes right now?

I want to avoid wasting time or money if a mid-tier degree won't realistically help me break into international practice or global organizations compared to a stronger university brand.

I’d really appreciate your raw, unfiltered thoughts on this. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I know this gets asked a lot here, but I would still appreciate some brief guidance nonetheless as I feel quite confused and overwhelmed at the moment.

I have just started my first year at Oxbridge for Law, and have been set on becoming a barrister well before. I wanted to ask what I should be doing in terms of extracurriculars - for now I am only aware of mooting and essay competitions. I am also not quite sure about first year schemes as most mini pupillage offers I see are only available for final or penultimate year students.

I am really lacking when it comes to work experience and barely have anything to put on my CV. I am anxious to fill out that gap and ensure I am in a good position for applying for further schemes in later years, but as the question suggests, I don't really have a clear plan about how I can do that.

Lastly, I had a query about law firms. There are loads of dinners and events with law firms in my university, are they still worth going to even though I am pretty much fully interested in the bar? In comparison, there aren't nearly as many events with chambers.

Thank you.