Starting Out in Law
Most law degree courses require A and B grades at GCSE as well as 3 good A levels. Therefore aspiring lawyers should stay on top and get the best academic results possible from the start. It is also important to seek out as many work experience opportunities as possible — if these can’t be arranged by your school or college get out there and start networking, use family, friends or any other contacts to find people within the legal profession who are willing to give a week or two’s work experience.
Once you start at university it is important to keep getting those good grades, as grades from every exam and assignment in your university career will be taken into account by chambers and firms even when considering candidates for work experience, and certainly for training contracts or pupillage. Most will only be satisfied by a steady stream of good grades. Organisation is also key; the legal profession recruits years in advance so applications for training contracts / pupillage should be made from the second year of university onwards.
Recruitment agencies specialising in the legal profession will offer advice throughout your career and can be a goldmine of information, however most will not help you until you have at least 6 months fee earning experience, and will not be able to help secure training contracts or pupillage.