Some trainee solicitors and law students are learning that the UK legal profession no longer offers the solid and reliable legal careers it once did. In fact, the Law Society of England and Wales has recently announced that it is to run a campaign warning students about the risks of pursuing a legal career.
Respected legal publication, The Lawyer, has stated that 7000 people completed the Legal Practice Course in 2008, whereas there are only 6000 training contract places available to graduates in 2009. Add to this the fact that many of the graduates will be competing for trainee solicitor jobs in commercial city law firms as opposed to high street firms and the competition for places is often much greater.
Furthermore, many firms are cutting the number of training contract places they are offering whilst they try to weather the current recession.
Some firms are even asking students to defer the training contract places they have already been offered which obviously reduces the number of contracts available for students in following years. The problem, therefore, may well get worse before it gets better.As well as highlighting the job shortages, the Law Society is also seeking to ensure that students are aware of the cost of a legal training. The cost of the Legal Practice Course averages around £10,000 and it is not uncommon for law students to finish their studies with debts of around £30,000 or more.
If this wasn't bad enough, the job market for newly qualified solicitors is equally unsettled. Young lawyers are often the first to go when a firm decides that job cuts are necessary. This creates a surplus of newly qualified solicitors in the market place and many have to take lesser positions such as paralegal or legal clerk and wait for the market to improve.
Coupled with the difficulties of the current job markets and the cost of legal education is the ongoing question of social mobility.
A recent report, commissioned by Alan Milburn, specifically targeted the legal profession with a request to address the question of students from poorer backgrounds being given a fair opportunity to enter the legal profession. A criticism from some quarters is that entry into the legal profession is not a level playing field and that those from better backgrounds have the advantage over those from poorer backgrounds.So, it's an uncertain time at the moment for many law students who are hoping to enter the legal profession. Of course, many will make it and will go on to have successful legal careers. However, the Law Society wants to engage with those who might not be as successful and ensure they are aware of the risks of pursing such a career.
For all those thinking about doing so, my advice would be to ensure they have fully researched the path they plan to follow and don't leave anything to chance. They should also get some legal work experience at an early stage in order to set themselves apart from the competition when it comes to applying for training contracts.