Wow! After an injury that has written me off work for a short while and for the first time in a long time rendered me looking for things to do, I was looking for a creative outlet of some kind and remembered my old blog. I am pleased to say I qualified at the end of last year after a training contract I thoroughly enjoyed working in crime. I am reminded I had a self-imposed qualification deadline of 26 which I then accepted may not happen. Life is full of surprises – I turn 27 in a couple of weeks! (Just a reminder you can apply to the SRA for a 6 months reduction based on previous experience. Please note I qualified through the LPC route, and many people going forward in the UK will be doing the new SQE route.)
I can see in my last post at age 24 I had defied my parents, handed out CVs on my street, and took a job in a laundrette to allow me time to do applications and interviews instead of working in roles/areas of law I did not enjoy on low pay. That I did do – in my last post I had just got a vacancy in family law, which was closer to my interests, which ended when the pandemic began. Whilst between legal jobs for a month or two before that began, I improved my application and interview techniques and alongside the family role had found a job vacancy in crime (I say I, but my super mum had actually sent me the link!) which I had not seen myself doing, and thought I matched the job profile to be a legal advisor in Magistrates’ courts pretty well. Although I thought it was a long shot, I remember getting excited and rushing the application as the deadline was 4pm that same day. I got all the laundry done (if only it was my own…) and ploughed through that application, eventually getting invited to an interview and officially getting the job offer much further down the line.
I remember feeling so guilty at the time, trying to get one role whilst working in another, and then dreading the meeting where I handed in my notice. Top tip… whilst loyalty is a great quality, always remember that businesses are just that, and will put that before you should push come to shove. ALWAYS put yourself first as you just don’t know what could happen (none of us would have expected a global pandemic.)
I would call my training contract in crime a dream one, as I don’t know of any others that would allow you to do your training contract ‘seats’ in youth crime courts as well as the family courts. 2 years on and I am pleased to say I was right where I wanted to be. Until I broke my leg, that is, but life goes on!
The Musings of an Unamused, Semi-Hopeful Law Student 