Choosing a Law Firm for You...

Choosing a law firm isn't quite as simple as picking a big name that you've heard of before, or applying to where your friends are applying to. It isn't school or University where you are only there temporarily and you will be leaving after a certain period. A law firm is the place that you will be training to become a solicitor and hopefully continuing your development over a number of years, and so it requires a much higher degree of consideration. There are many things that differentiate law firms and they are all worth analysing before you start making those applications. Hopefully the below is a good place to start in figuring out what firm is for you...

Sector Specialism:

When people begin researching law firms that they wish to apply for, I know many will look at the Practice Areas in which the law firm specialises in, however, most firms provide a long list of Practice Areas nowadays, which all look very similar to one another. The way that I think you should be refining your search, is to look at what Sectors the firm specialise in. Many students say they wish to be a 'Corporate' lawyer, but this entails a large variety of sub-areas to be explored and what differentiates two firms that both offer Corporate law, are the Sectors they work in. One firm may focus on the Automative industry while the other specialises in Technology and Media. Knowing your interests and what Sector you wish to work in will really help to narrow down the firms that you wish to apply to.

Culture:

This one is difficult to gauge if you have not worked there previously. Nevertheless it is a really important deciding factor on whether you see yourself fitting in and excelling in the environment. If you have not previously worked at the firm, I suggest speaking to as many employees of the firm as you can to get a feel for the firm culture. Now, that does not mean bombarding everyone with personal questions about if they are happy at the firm, but I would personally scroll through the firm's website and social media to get a feel for the firm and then begin by contacting a couple of people to have a chat with. Use events such as law fairs and specific law firm events to engage and speak with the graduate recruitment and trainees as they are always pretty honest about the work environment. I know that I have been able to define whether I see myself fitting in after a five minute conversation, so put yourself out there and I am sure you'll be able to find out more than you think.

Trainee Intake:

This one may not matter to you, although there are a couple of differences to bear in mind. With a smaller intake, this usually means there is slightly more demanding work on offer and a higher level of responsibility, whereas, larger intakes mean a more collegiate hub for the trainees and sometimes slightly more mundane trainee tasks are handed out. It is totally personal as to how much responsibility you are wanting from the get go and how much of a collegiate atmosphere you are looking for. There are pros and cons to each so you really need to analyse what would suit you best. Some people excel in high pressured, fast environments and others excel when they have more time to get to grips with processes. Know what would best suit you and go from there.

International Presence:

Something else that many students may not think to consider is whether the firm works cross border. The majority of firms do some kind of work internationally, however, if it is really important to you that there is the opportunity to work abroad, or to be involved in multi-jurisdictional transactions, then it is imperative that the firm is able to offer you this kind of opportunity. Alternatively, if you know that you only wish to work in the UK and aren't interested in international work, then it would probably be best to stay away from firms that deal cross-border as their priority.

Litigious/Transactional:

Another aspect of the legal field that is really important to consider, is whether you want to be a litigious or transactional solicitor. It isn't to say that you can only fit into one of these boxes but it is a good idea to know where your strengths lie and what kind of work you are wanting to conduct as a solicitor. There are law firms that solely focus on litigious work, so if this is an area that you have no desire to practice in, it may be worth staying away from such firms. This isn't a hard rule, as I said, but it is worth keeping in the back of your mind when looking up firms.

Seat Options / Number of Seats:

My first point was to not focus on the Practice Areas as much as the Sectors, but that isn't to say that they should be ignored all together. A good way to refine your search is to look at the seat options for trainees. Like I said, most firms offer a wide range of Practice Areas, however, there are two things to be mindful of:

1. not all firms offer all of their practice areas as options during your training contract. Be sure to check exactly what seat options the firm offers as this is the work that you will be able to choose from as a trainee. If you are really adamant on completing a seat in Regulatory, then you should ensure this is offered as an option; and

2. there are a number of law firms that offer six seats, opposed to the usual four seats that most others present. If you are really unsure of what area of law you are wanting to qualify into, then this is a fantastic option to consider. It does mean that you spend less time in those seats, although it gives you a wider pool to choose from when you are deciding where you wish to qualify.

There you have it. My tips on how to refine your search and find the right firm for you. I hope that this is helpful if you are looking for firms in which you want to apply to this coming session.

Until next time...