Gaining some legal work experience is vital for anyone wanting to improve their chances of getting a training contract. A key reason for this is that the experience of studying and practising an area of law can often differ for people so the more real world experience they can get the better it is for them.

For example, some students may have found themselves become interested in two subjects in particular at university or law school, such as commercial law and criminal law. However, when they begin to research firms to apply to for a training contract they find that firms seem to practise one or the other and not both.

Therefore, they decide to make applications to both groups of firm. They may, however, be taking a risk if they do not also have some practical experience of the different areas of law.

The risk is that when they start a training contract with a law firm that only then do they discover that they do not like the practical application of that type of law in the same way they liked it as a study option.

This highlights the importance for students to get some practical experience with different types of firms.

The person in the above mentioned example would have been better advised to spend time on law placements at different law firms specialising in criminal law and commercial law separately. By getting some work experience they would have reduced the risk of making a mistake by having much more information to base their decisions on where to apply to for their training contract.

Work experience can be found in all shapes and sizes from large formal vacation schemes to voluntary work with charities.

It is important to look into the various work experience possibilities not only in the area you live to study but also where you might be living during the university or law school holidays if different.

Once you have done the research you should then put together a plan of who you are going to apply to, and when. This will help ensure you get experience in the areas you are most interested in but also to ensure you get a broad range of experience to inform your decisions down the line.

To find out more about law work experience visit: http://www.traineesolicitorsurgery.co.uk. You will also obtain more advice about how to obtain a law training contract.

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