Ten Percent Legal Recruitment

in Careers Advice, Changing Jobs, Newly Qualified Solicitors, Staying in Your Job, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 14/09/2015 by Jonathan Fagan

Changing Solicitors Firms during a Training Contract

Reading Time: 3 minutesWe sometimes get queries from trainee solicitors asking if it is possible to change law firms during a training contract, and whether they ought to do it. Our advice is always the same; jump through the burning hoop of the training contract with as minimal fuss as possible and only change law firm if your…

in Careers Advice, CV Writing, Job Applications, Newly Qualified Solicitors, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 14/09/2015 by Jonathan Fagan

How to Improve your Chances of Success when making Job Applications – become a Borg

Reading Time: 3 minutesImproving chances of success when applying for a job – become a Borg Whilst working as recruitment consultants, we often get asked by candidates what they can do to improve their chances in relation to a specific job that they may be considering applying for. Very often there are a whole raft of things that…

in Careers Advice, CV Writing, Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 09/09/2015 by Jonathan Fagan

Five Common Mistakes When Writing a CV

Reading Time: 5 minutesFive common mistakes when writing a CV. Here are five very common errors that arise from CVs we receive every day of the week into Ten Percent Legal Recruitment. Some of them are glaringly obvious, others are not so straightforward. 1) Not putting any contact details on the CV This is very common and a…

in Careers Advice, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience, Uncategorized on 06/05/2015 by Jonathan Fagan

Finding a Job as a Barrister is harder than winning at Russian Roulette

Reading Time: 5 minutesThinking of studying for the BPTC? (BPTC stands for Bar Professional Training Course – formerly the BVC Bar Vocational Course – also known as IWMLP – an Incredible Waste of Money for a Lot of People)? The cost in 2015 of studying this ‘course’ is £18,500 according to the University of Law (formerly the College…

in Employers, Job Applications, Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 27/06/2014 by Jonathan Fagan

What is the difference between a Paralegal and a Fee Earner in a Solicitors firm?

Reading Time: 3 minutesThis week an LPC graduate applied for a Conveyancing Fee Earner role in Central London through us (Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment). Before every other LPC graduate sends us their CV I should add that this candidate has over 12 months residential conveyancing experience in a solicitors firm already, which is why she is an extremely suitable…

in Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 19/03/2014 by Jonathan Fagan

What Relevance does Voluntary Work have for Making Job Applications in the Legal Profession?

Reading Time: 4 minutesThis query comes up quite regularly with legal job applicants coming into the profession. So many times I have been asked by graduates and students why we have ignored their applications for specific vacancies that require say ‘2 months legal experience’. The conversation usually goes: Caller: “But I have 2 months legal work experience.” Me:…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 28/01/2014 by Jonathan Fagan

UCAS Points conversion for law school including A Levels and International Baccalaureates

Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe sometimes get asked about International Baccalaureates and how they convert into A levels. We also spend some time every year advising clients and candidates on what BTEC HNCs equate to for A levels. Here is a handy table for converting them all into UCAS points. As an aside – whatever happened to all the…

in Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 10/12/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Why do Paralegals Always Seem so Unreliable?

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhy do Paralegals always seem so unreliable? One of the main reasons people come to see me as a career coach or contact our website is because they are law graduates and unable to get ahead – whether this is to secure a training contract or work generally in the legal profession. We very often…

in Job Applications, Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 04/12/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Elocution – essential for Northern England graduates looking to work in the South?

Reading Time: 2 minutesElocution Lessons – a vital part of a move from the North to London? There has recently been a flurry of articles and comments in the media about the legal profession being traditional, conservative and middle class with a bias against anyone not conforming with the norm. This includes those with strong regional accents applying…

in CV Writing, Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 15/10/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Sample Covering Emails and Letters for Legal Jobs

Reading Time: 2 minutesRecently I have put together a couple of emails and letters for a client and these are included as free covering email and covering letter templates in this post below. The candidate in question is currently in house as a General In House Counsel. The covering email/letter is in a classic layout with the information…

in Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 29/08/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Which University is the best for studying for a law degree?

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat University should I go to in order to study Law? This is a question we are often, or “What is the best university to study law at” or “which Universities do commercial law firms consider to be the best?” or “Are there any universities that law firms will not take applications from”. The answer…

in CV Writing, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/08/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Using a Personal Statement on a CV

Reading Time: 3 minutesUsing a Personal Statement on a CV One thing that is often apparent on CVs is that people seem to take the wrong approach to their personal statement on the CV. It seems to be the accepted norm that the personal statement is used to put down quite a bland description of what the individual…

in Careers Advice, Changing Jobs, Job Applications, Staying in Your Job, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/08/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

I Want to Get Out of Law And Am Completely Fed Up – Help!

Reading Time: 3 minutesI want to get out of law and am completely fed up, what can I do? This relates to a number of queries that have come into the Ten Legal Careers Centre over the last six months, although the level of enquiries of this nature has dropped (excluding crime solicitors). Redundancy or threat of redundancy…

in Changing Jobs, CV Writing, Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 03/07/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

What should be included in a covering letter or email for a job application?

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is the advice I have recently given to a career coaching client looking to put together the perfect covering email or letter. It really depends on the circumstances in which you are using these, but generally you should be sending CVs as attachments and a covering email to go with the CV which should,…

in Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 27/06/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Areas of Law to avoid getting work experience or a training contract in unless you are a sado-masochist

Reading Time: 5 minutesAreas of Law to Avoid unless you are a sado-masochist The title of this article speaks for itself. These are the areas of law to avoid getting work experience in, finding paralegal work or applying for training contracts in 2013. Crime LSC funded Immigration Personal injury LSC funded Family Law Social Welfare and Mental Health.…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 24/03/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Is it possible to get your own training contract?

Reading Time: 2 minutes—–Original Message—– From: Sent: 19 March 2013 17:15 To: Jonathan Fagan Subject: Setting up a law firm To whom it may concern, I am currently doing my LPC, and me and a few of my friends want to set up a law firm. We understand how difficult this can be and the financial implications but…

in Careers Advice, Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 07/02/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

Tips for getting the most out of Vacation Placements in Law Firms

Reading Time: < 1 minute5 top tips for getting the most out of your vacation scheme with a solicitors’ firm If you have any additional suggestions, please email them across! 1. Make notes every day on everything you do – very useful for future application forms and also for remembering at interview. 2. Speak to as many people as…

in Legal Profession, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 04/01/2013 by Jonathan Fagan

What is the difference between contentious and non-contentious legal work?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteQ: What is the difference between contentious and non-contentious legal work? A: Contentious legal work relates to legal matters that take place between two or more parties, such as a court hearing or a tribunal hearing to resolve a dispute. Non-contentious legal work relates to transactions occuring between one or more parties, such as the…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 22/06/2012 by Jonathan Fagan

I’ve finished my law degree – what next?

Reading Time: 3 minutesFinishing your law degree is a massive achievement. The fact that you may have managed to get a 2:1 or a 1st Class Degree is wonderful and you are probably glowing with achievement right at this minute. If you got a 2:2 or Third Class Degree you are probably fairly depressed although even these are…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 13/05/2012 by Jonathan Fagan

Commercial or High Street Solicitors Firm Work Experience?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe answer to this is fairly simple. Apply to commercial law firms if you are looking at training contracts with commercial law firms. Apply to the high street law firms for the same reason. If you have a 2.2 or lower, you should be aiming at high street firms. If your academics are good and…

in Changing Jobs, Legal Profession, Staying in Your Job, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 13/01/2012 by Jonathan Fagan

How to Dramatically Improve your Legal Career Prospects

Reading Time: 3 minutesThis article is divided into three sections. The first is for law students, the second is for graduates and the third is for qualified lawyers, solicitors and legal staff. How do I Dramatically Improve my Legal Career Prospects? We often get asked this question and people are often expecting an easy answer. It depends on…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 03/11/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

3rd class law degree from overseas university

Reading Time: 2 minutesLegal Careers Question : I have a 3rd Class Degree from the University of Ife in Nigeria. I have no legal work experience in the UK and I am not qualified. What are my prospects of finding work? Answer: I think that your chances of finding work are just above 0 %. A 3rd Class…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Should I do the Legal Practice Course part-time or full-time?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteGood question. This really depends on your career plans. Our advice is always to get the Legal Practice Course over and done with as quickly as possible if you can afford to. Completing the Legal Practice Course LPC part-time or by distance learning is only really relevant if you have to work whilst you are…

in Careers Advice, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Where should I do my Legal Practice Course?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteEvery year we get asked this question by lots of different students wondering whether they should go to the College of Law or complete their LPC (Legal Practice Course) with another provider. We think that unless you have an outstanding academic background and it is looking as if you will be heading for a large…

in CV Writing, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How Should I send a Legal CV to Law Firms?

Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you are making an application for a legal job or speculatively approaching a law firm for any type of position including solicitor work or paralegal/work experience, you need to make a decision on how you send your details over. Do you need to handwrite a covering letter, send a covering email or print out…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Dear Ten-Percent, I want to get on in law. Can you help me? From a Law Student

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is a very common email and telephone call to our offices. Firstly, if you are sending emails to legal recruitment agencies asking for advice and assistance you may be surprised to find out that most of them will not respond to you. Legal recruitment agencies have much better things to do than reply to…

in Changing Jobs, Interviews, Newly Qualified Solicitors, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

An interview with Jonathan Fagan, Solicitor, Legal Recruitment Consultant and Career Coach

Reading Time: 4 minutesQ Why do you offer career coaching to lawyers and law students? Good question! Together with 3 other lawyers I set up Ten Percent Legal Recruitment back in April 2000. Within a few months we were being bombarded with CVs from law students and graduates desperate for training contracts and work experience. We obviously could…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

I am a Law Student Looking for Work, can you help?

Reading Time: 2 minutesNo. We can’t help and you may be surprised to know that we will be quite annoyed if you telephone us. We have warnings all over our website detailing who we can help and how we can help and sometimes the sheer volume of students and law graduates without any work experience calling us overwhelms…

in Interviews, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 09/09/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How Do Training Contract Interviews Vary when with Partners or HR Managers

Reading Time: 2 minutesI was asked yesterday about the likely interview style and questions to be thrown at someone from a city law firm during a pre-selection day interview. This was to be with the HR Manager of the firm and would last for about 30 minutes. Does it matter who takes a legal job interview and is…

in Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 29/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How Badly do you want a Training Contract? Test Yourself

Reading Time: 4 minutesPeople often get in touch to say that they are looking for a training contract and will do anything to get one. Really? I can almost guarantee that in the majority of these cases if we were to push them further on this they would not have walked up and down high streets banging on…