Legal apprenticeship: any tips on trying to find a trainee solicitor job

hope the fe1s went well for you

damned postman....no signs of fry's or mops
did maples do all their ringing of friday or are they going to continue to do so this week? any ideas?
 
i got what i expected so i'm happy enough. have only 2 more left to do.

i don't know about maples and their ringing. i haven't heard a peep from them. they emailed my last week with a query but since that nothing.
 
I haven't heard anything from Maples either (wonderful!). MOPs and WFry are really taking their time here!!

Is anyone applying to all the other firms in Dublin (or rest of Ireland)??? Or is it too early?
 
i applied to 15 in total, all in dublin...apart from rdj glynn...have no intention of applying anywhere else for the time being as i dont think i would have much of a chance getting in due to current climate/utter lack of connections..
 
I presume that some places aren't taking on trainees this year given that they're not all keeping the last lot on.
 
congrats with the fe1s

i should really get back to study, have an exam in 2 hours (so demotivated....whats the point in trying to do well when its hard to even get an interview??)
 
LDGantly said:
congrats with the fe1s

i should really get back to study, have an exam in 2 hours (so demotivated....whats the point in trying to do well when its hard to even get an interview??)
Click to expand...

Thanks and best of luck with the exam. Get motivated to do well. It's a matter of pride and doing yourself justice. You'll need those good results eventually so chin up!
 
Has anyone heard back from Arthur Cox regarding positions yet? Would love to know one way or another.
 
Hi, i finished uni in 2002 BBLS at UCD and am studying for FE-1's at the moment. I have a young baby and was recently made redundant so am thinking about not going back to work for a while and staying at home with her and studying.
I dont have an legal experience but think its important i get some now especially with all the competition for apprenticeships.
My question is, would it be worthwhile for me to seek one day a week work experience in a solicitors office. I dont particularly want to go back working full time and have to put the baby into creche and also it will leave me no time for studying.
Obviously its doubtful anyone would take me on and pay me for one day so i would do it unpaid. Would this be a wise move or a waste of time and also do you think it would be difficult to get?
I plan on sitting 5 in March and 3 (or more !!) in Sept.
Thanks.
 
Thrifty1 said:
Would this be a wise move or a waste of time and also do you think it would be difficult to get?
I plan on sitting 5 in March and 3 (or more !!) in Sept.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have all the experience in teh world, good exam results (not fantastic!) all the fe1's done and still don't have an ap'ship. Experience is all well and good but i've found it's gone against me as i've done civil paralegal work and corporate firms don't care about it, and i've done corporate paralegal work and small firms won't look at me as they think i am (in my own mind) settling as why else would I get paralegal work in a top 4 firm and then look for an ap'ship in a small, general practice - so they don't hire me as they think my experience insinuates that I would not be happy in their firm.

As you can see - i'm slightly disgruntled by getting all the relevant experience and it somewhat back-firing on me!! For the sake of getting it, not getting paid, paying for a creche.. hmmm perhaps you could seek work from a barrister, perhaps do typing at home for one or something.
 
I still think experience is important, I have good results (1H) and six months legal experience. I don't think I would have gotten any interviews only for the experience. Although it is probably hard enough to get now in this climate, even unpaid.. Maybe part-time legal secretary wouldn't be a bad option. Would you consider doing four FE1's in March rather than five?! No point putting yourself under too much pressure. I got my results this morning, sat and passed four, but I had considered doing 5/6, in hindsight I think I would have failed if I had.
 
The only thing with not having experience - i've seen an amount (if not an majority) of people still in college (not even having their fe1's) getting interviews with big firms. It is baffling but their grades must be out of this world! But the point is - they've no experience. Might not even have office work on their cv.

Perhaps I'm bitter as i've been gaining "valuable experience" now for TWO years and it's gone against me at times in interviews. So just want to make the point that it's not the be all and end all - particularly if you have office experience.
 
Irishlawgirl said:
The only thing with not having experience - i've seen an amount (if not an majority) of people still in college (not even having their fe1's) getting interviews with big firms. It is baffling but their grades must be out of this world!
Click to expand...

I'm still in college but my grades aren't out of this world. (I wish they were!) I don't think that experience matters much to be honest and although I haven't any I wouldn't see why a firm would look for someone with work experience when you're seeking to be trained by them anyways? Actually I think that if you're in college they don't expect it and vice versa

The applications are tricky no doubt and as far as I've heard it can be all down to luck in some respects. For instance, if you're application is in a pile with everyone else who has better grades or better extra-curricular activities or if you're the last application to be reviewed by someone who has already seen 100 others that day, you're chances aren't going to be good.
 
Hey everyone!

Anyone get any news from AC about the 2nd round interviews? Have offers been made?? On tinderhooks waiting :p
 
Thanks for the replies, Irishlawgirl, thats rough ,your sort of damned if you do and damned it you dont.
I had been working in business and encountered that problem, too much experience for small firms but just not quite enough for the bigger ones.

I dont mind working unpaid and paying for a childminder its only about €35 so affordable.

lawgrad - congrats on passing, i sat 4 2 years ago, passed contract and tort and but got 47% in constitutional so no exemptions. I think as im not working at the moment im better off doing as many as possible as i may be back sometime during the year so would have less time to study. Also going to try and fit in another baby this year !!!
I remember a fair bit from that sitting so im not under too much pressure.
 
Seroiusly where are the letters from Coxs and Mops???? Has anyone heard anything???? Also i'm planning on sitting 5 FE1s in April....does anyone have any tips????? Which exams are the easiest and which are the hardest???
 
Lalala85 said:
Also i'm planning on sitting 5 FE1s in April....does anyone have any tips????? Which exams are the easiest and which are the hardest???
Click to expand...

Im sitting constitutional, contract, criminal, property and equity.

I sat 4 a couple of years ago and passed tort and contract. In my mind company and tort are probably the most difficult and contract and criminal the easiest.
People seem to hate constitutional but i have just finished studying it from the Griffith manual and found it grand.
You would want to try and do the ones that overlap most together.

Do you have a law degree, are you doing a preparatory course?
 
Lalala85 said:
Seroiusly where are the letters from Coxs and Mops???? Has anyone heard anything???? Also i'm planning on sitting 5 FE1s in April....does anyone have any tips????? Which exams are the easiest and which are the hardest???
Click to expand...


Heard nothing from Cox re interviews - yet! :( !
 
Lalala85 said:
Seroiusly where are the letters from Coxs and Mops???? Has anyone heard anything???? Also i'm planning on sitting 5 FE1s in April....does anyone have any tips????? Which exams are the easiest and which are the hardest???
Click to expand...

Still waiting for Cox. God this is horrible. Regarding the Fe-1's, just got the results and that's them finished for good. I'd seriously recommend doing Contract, Equity, Criminal, and Property for the first four. Although EU seemed like the toughest paper it seemed to be marked the easiest so could be a possible fifth.

For me the worst two were definitely Constitutional and Tort with Company a distant third.

Hope this is some guidance. Just make sure and not spread yourself too thin by doing 6 or 7 as this can sometimes lead to people not getting that magical three number on their first attempt which is annoying due to repeats.
 
Not liking this silence!! Guessing no one has heard from A&L, MOP or Frys..! Or did someone hear from A&L or am I imagining it?? Will re-read last few posts!!

Also re Maples and Calder - haven't heard a bean! Anyone get more phonecalls (after 8 Dec)?? Or a PFO??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top