Article written by Sammar Masood, 3rd year law undergraduate at City, University of London.
For any law student, gaining practical legal work experience is a priority, but often hard to come by. Most universities run pro bono Legal Advice Clinics, where roles for students are advertised. Most students will sign up as a Student Advisor, which gives them an active part in preparing the advice that a supervising solicitor would offer to a client. There are many benefits of signing up to one of these clinics, benefits that will set you up not just for a legal career, but for any career a law graduate decides to pursue.
Confidence booster
While public speaking and advocacy activities such as mooting are the most well-known ways for law students to gain confidence, joining a legal advice clinic is another excellent option. You may be required to conduct interviews, initiate information gathering phone calls with clients, and meet with an experienced supervising solicitor on a regular basis to discuss your progress as a Student Advisor. For many law students, carrying out these tasks as a student and not a trainee solicitor is a very new experience and seems intimidating at first. However, by the end of your placement, if you feel comfortable initiating discussions or interviews with a client, conducting even a portion of a successful interview, and coherently communicating research to a highly experienced solicitor, you will be able to confidently approach similar tasks at an assessment centre for a law firm, partner interviews, and pupillage applications, hence maximising your chance of success.
More transferable skills
Transferable skills, also known as soft skills, are a concept that is regularly drilled into the heads of law students from day one. This is because, if you are successful in your training contract or pupillage application, you will be working in a professional, office environment where these abilities, in addition to your academic skills, will be required to succeed. Teamwork, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills are just a few of the transferable skills you can learn as a Student Advisor, and any graduate recruiter will tell you that they are clear indicators that you will be able to adjust to a working environment where being a good lawyer to work with is just as important as being a good lawyer.
Chance to directly connect with law firms
Almost every City law firm has a longstanding connection with a pro bono organisation. Silver Circle firm Herbert Smith Freehills has a lasting partnership with the Whitechapel Legal Advice Clinic. For those of you with an eye on US law firms, Reed Smith has a dedicated pro bono seat for its trainees. In training contract and vacation scheme applications, there is the inevitable question “Why this firm?”. Many students will base their response to this question on the possibility of participating in pro bono work. However, as many aspiring solicitors are aware, applicants who can explicitly link their reasons for wanting to join a firm to their practical experience are more likely to be successful in their application. Therefore, it makes sense that being able to back up your interest in undertaking pro bono work at a prestigious firm with a placement at a Student Legal Advice Clinic makes you appear more aligned with the firm’s values in the eyes of graduate recruitment and gives you an opportunity in interviews to demonstrate where you gained your transferable skills.
Networking opportunities
It is most likely that every Legal Advice Clinic will be run, supervised, or attended by senior, qualified solicitors, and barristers, some of whom may be partners at City firms. They will often be the one to give the relevant legal advice, that you helped compile, to a client. Trainee solicitors may also be involved, part of fulfilling their firm’s pro bono commitments. Having the opportunity to interact with trainees, partners and barristers is a great way for you to build your legal network, something which is conventionally achieved by attending open days or insight events. While open days and insight events are excellent ways to gain exposure to a specific firm, chamber or practice area, a Legal Advice Clinic allows expert lawyers to assess the quality of legal documents and drafting created by you, essentially determining how you would function as a trainee in their firm! This is a unique and memorable way, for both you and the supervising lawyer, to make your presence known in the legal world.
Overall, joining a Legal Advice Clinic at your university increases your employability and gives you a unique selling point in your legal career applications. If your university is advertising for student volunteers, do not miss the opportunity to try out the legal profession first-hand and potentially stand out in the eyes of experienced legal professionals.
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