Mature StudentsMATURE STUDENTS
It can all seem so unfair. Here you are with plenty of life experience, masses of commitment and motivation, and you know that given the opportunity you'll make a hard working and committed asset to any law firm. Then the rejection letters come in and you look around at the 21 year-old students on your course who are holding several great training contract offers, and you feel frustrated and disappointed. Sound familiar? If so, read on!
Mature students can be at a disadvantage in the legal recruitment market, but that does not mean that you are necessarily excluded from it. What it does mean is that you need to make sure you capitalise on your strengths, market yourself strongly and target your applications appropriately. You also need to consider the different routes to qualification and decide which one is realistically going to work for you.
AGE DISCRIMINATION
Thanks to new employment legislation, in the guise of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, discrimination on the grounds of age (actual or percieved) is now unlawful. This means that as a mature student or applicant to the profession, you are protected from being discriminated against because of your age.
The legislation is in place to stop employers from advertising posts to young applicants only, or applying age related criteria to job applicants. Recruitment is intended to become a completely age-neutral process, based on merit.
Perhaps you are thinking that this is too good to be true, and all the legislation in the world could not change people's attitudes to mature students. This may be the case in some respects, but it does provide you with recourse should you feel that you have been unfairly treated, simply because of your age.
Please see the Age Discrimination section of this website, as well as taking specific legal advice on your rights in this regard.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Start by taking time to consider the most appropriate firms or organisations to apply to. Do you have any relevant experience that might interest them? Commercial law firms will look with interest at career changers coming from banking, finance and other business areas, as such experience and commercial awareness will be a positive asset. If you have been a nurse or worked more widely in the medical profession, have you looked at the firms within area of medical law? Have you considered the idea of training within the public sector? Both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Government Legal Service offer training contracts and have a positive approach to mature applicants. An important factor in increasing your chances of securing a training contract will be to target your applications appropriately and realistically.
Many mature applicants are restricted by geographical considerations. It is not always possible to move the children from school or expect your partner to change job. If you are limited by where you can work, you need to find out exactly what is available to you in your area. Make contact with local firms and with the Trainee Solicitors' Group. Find out more about the Crown Prosecution Service and other routes to qualification that might better suit your needs.
Another key factor in achieving your aim to be a solicitor will be how effectively you market yourself at the application stage. Take advice from a careers adviser on CVs and application forms so that you present yourself in a positive way that maximizes your strengths, addresses the skills you have gained and demonstrates the experience you have gained in your working life in a way that is relevant to your chosen profession. Make sure that you research your chosen area thoroughly and that you know enough about the firm or organization you are applying to. The commitment, motivation and time management skills that you have had to call on to study for your degree are real assets, so remember to market them or you may sell yourself short.
Well targeted, effective and realistic applications are more likely to succeed, and if you are prepared to consider all the different options there is a real possibility of achieving your aims and becoming a solicitor.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
What are these other routes? The most obvious is by training as a legal executive with the Institute of Legal Executives. If you have already completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC), or are in the process of completing it, you may find that you are exempt from the exams set by the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX). If you have not done the LPC you can do ILEX training while working in a law firm as a trainee legal executive. Age is no barrier and after you have been qualified for a few years you can apply to be admitted to the Roll as a solicitor. Another option is to consider working as a paralegal in a law firm. Many people looking to train in areas such as criminal law find this route works well in terms of impressing employers enough to persuade them that they are worth a training contract.
|
