Suzanne A.
About me
| Suzanne A. | |
| History | |
| History | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Vanbrugh | |
| 2009 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Trainee Solicitor | |
| Department for Work and Pensions/Department of Health | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Legal services | |
| 2011 |
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A day in the life of a Trainee Solicitor in the United Kingdom
My career history
I have recently begun what I hope will be a long and fulfilling career in the Government Legal Service (GLS). After two years of the necessary postgraduate study, I began my training contract in September 2011. I expect to qualify as a solicitor in September 2013. All trainees in the GLS are based in central London.
Courses taken since graduation
Graduate Diploma in Law; Legal Practice Course
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I hope to remain in the GLS for the foreseeable future, working in advisory teams. While I enjoy working for DWP, I would like to experience work in other departments.
My advice to students considering work
Extra-curriculars shouldn't be a chore; they should be enjoyed and taken part in wholeheartedly. I took part in YSIS and later the Student Associate Scheme not because I wanted to become a teacher, but because I thought I would enjoy it. I did enjoy both schemes and got a lot out of both of them. I was able to talk about these experiences extensively in my interview for my job and demonstrated some commitment to the public sector, even though the job had nothing to do with teaching.
Even in this economy and with rising tuition fees, it is important to enjoy your time at university and to enjoy learning for learning's sake. There is time for that alongside time spent worrying about careers.
My advice about working in my industry
Graduate entry into the legal profession is highly competitive at the moment, and the necessary postgraduate study can be very expensive. It is important to be aware of this.
However, it can lead to a rewarding and intellectually stimulating career - depending where you end up.
What I do
Trainee solicitors in the GLS are given lots of responsibility early on. In some ways we are thrown in at the deep end, but at the same time there is lots of support. It also means that there is exposure to interesting and challenging work from day one.
I will be changing 'seats' (i.e. teams) every six months - I am currently in my second seat. My first seat was an advisory team. Much of my work was advising on the lawfulness of various policies. This involves legal research, constructing legal arguments, liaising with clients. I was also able to draft a statutory instrument - a form of legislation - which is work unique to the GLS.
I am currently in a commercial law team. This is more similar to the work of private practice solicitors, but there are still issues that are specific to the public sector, such as public procurement and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Degree skills:
It's a bit of a cliché, but a History degree truly does teach you transferable skills. My job requires me to quickly consume large chunks of information and then to form it into a coherent and sensible argument. Research, analysis of evidence and argument, strong communication skills - these are all skills I need now that I developed at university.
Extracurricular skills:
I chaired the Real Ale Society which gave me more confidence socially and improved my organisational skills. Believe it or not, I talked about this in my interview. Whether it helped me or not, I have no idea, but it certainly didn't stop me from getting the job.
What I like most
I enjoy the intellectual stimulation - I have been able to work on a number of highly novel, interesting, and complicated legal problems. This is a job for people who are genuinely interested in law and government work.
What I like least
Being the public sector, it is entirely free of perks (unless you count the pension, of course).
What would I change? I wouldn't mind a higher salary.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Suzanne’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Suzanne a message to find out more about their career journey.