Interesting legal argument here: His legal team argued that publishing them would “highly likely lead him to commit suicide”.

Do defendants ever buy a thank you gift for their barrister at the point of acquittal? If so, what sort of gifts do people get them?

Career question, not a request for legal advice.

TL;DR: Senior tech leader in UK with a decade of privacy/security governance work, considering 2-3 years out to qualify as a solicitor (conversion + SQE). Is the qualification worth it for someone already doing the work?

Background: 27 years in software engineering, the last 17 or so heading into and working in CTO/CIO-level roles. For at least a decade I've worked closely with customers' legal counsel and privacy counsel, and I've run the governance side myself: data protection, AI governance, infosec and the blue-team/GRC side of cybersecurity. Non-law BA and for what it's worth, about to turn 50.

Where I am: financially stable, so I can afford to step back for a few years. I'm looking at a law conversion plus SQE prep (BPP is on my list), then QWE. Privacy, cybersecurity and contract work are the parts of my job I enjoy most. Software engineering is still fun, but there's only so much of it before it gets repetitive, and AI is taking over more of it every year.

The goal: qualify, then eventually build a practice around privacy and cybersecurity. I'd be happy at a firm, in-house, or on my own.

What I'd love to hear from practising solicitors:

1. What does being qualified add over being a consultant or DPO-type adviser? Privilege, credibility, sign-off, something else?

2. Would firms realistically take on a career changer for QWE? What have you seen work or fail?

3. Is a full conversion worth the cost, or is cheaper SQE prep enough for someone with my background?

4. What am I underestimating: the QWE stage, the pay drop, the day-to-day work?

Also - I'm genuinely open to "don't bother." I'd rather hear it now : )

I (F26) am on my second week of my training contract at a small high street firm, and my seats are in criminal and family. It’s still very early days and I’m yet to properly get stuck into the detailed work, but for the life of me I am SO anxious about everything right now. I feel like I know absolutely nothing!!

I completed the LPC in 2024, and obviously studied criminal and family, but I’ve practically forgotten everything from then (and from my LLB!) it feels like anyway. Prior to my TC, I was a legal assistant / paralegal in a niche civil litigation team so I feel as though my legal brain is more up to geared towards that at the moment.

I listen to how the other trainees (who have been there around a year) talk so confidently amongst themselves and to clients and stakeholders, and I genuinely feel like a layperson listening in🥲.

I’ll soon be attending the police station to shadow my colleagues during interviews. The thought of eventually doing it myself terrifies me. I’m worried that I’ll advise incorrectly or not know what to say, think or do. I feel like a fraud lol, but I am hoping this feeling will pass and in a few months time things will seem much easier.

I’d be grateful for any advice, particularly from anyone who has experience with police station attendances, but also just generally. Does it get easier, is learning on the job how you’re expected to learn, and will that pesky imposter syndrome ever go away!?

Thank you!!

Saw this in r/biglaw. The office is a stone’s throw away from where I am. Really hope you’re all doing okay, all things considered, and that everything pans out alright.

Hi everyone. I’m about a month into my TC at a national firm having paralegalled for them a few years’ prior.

As a paralegal, I mainly did recovery work for insurance clients and really enjoyed the case handling and investigation side of things, to the point where I ended up considering a career in insurance/loss adjusting instead. However, I was then successful in getting my TC offer and accepted it knowing how difficult TCs are to come by. Fast forward a year, I have just started my TC four days a week and studying for the SQE one day a week. I’m not enjoying my first seat for various reasons.

I’m also finding the SQE extremely challenging to balance alongside work and I’m constantly reading about how hard these next two years are going to be study-wise. To be honest, I don’t believe in myself that I can pass the SQE as I’m already struggling to keep up with the reading and workshops and feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content that I’m going to have to remember for the exams.

Overall, I’m feeling pretty miserable in my current situation, and I keep thinking about ‘what if’ I just switched to insurance/loss adjusting and spent the next two years building a career in that instead of studying towards the SQE when I don’t feel confident I’m going to be able to pass it.

Would it be foolish to give up the TC at this point, or is it worth doing if I genuinely think I would be happier in an alternative career?

Hi guys, I recently graduated in July of this year with a 2:1 from a RG uni and I've been looking for roles to build legal experience. But I know that the job market in this state is not good, but I've still been trying. I think I've been somewhat fortunate in getting 8 interviews in the past month, but I've consistently failed as I didn't have any experience, despite the roles being graduate focused.

Can someone who was in a similar position to me have any potential ideas to get over this? I don't want to waste too much more time.

Hiya, I’m an NQ working in litigation and I’m trying to build my experience with advocacy (other than my SQE exam and a few shadowing here and there, I have no experience).

My firm is great and all for me just doing my own hearings but there’s little traditional structure due to the volume of work and so I’ve reached out to colleagues in different teams to shadow their trials so that I can gain some more exposure. However I appreciate that shadowing only teaches you so much and I feel way too unprepared to just go into my own hearing at this stage. I’d also appreciate any tips on how to make the most of the shadowing.

Does anyone have any advice on approaching hearings? I understand that hearings will change depending on the type of hearing I.e. allocation, directions, trial etc but what does that mean practically?

I’m AuDHD so I think I’m struggling to understand the practical elements of the hearing - what I can ask for, how much information to share at what hearing (e.g. I shouldn’t submit witness statements for the allocation hearing) and any strategies revolving around settlement/ hearing.

Any tips would be so greatly appreciated.

Hi! I’m currently finishing my last year of academy and I’m hoping to secure a place in university for law, specifically scot’s law with english law alongside it. I thought about doing international law too, but quite frankly couldn’t be bothered and didn’t believe I had the financial stability to move to another country for a year, haha.

Of course I have all the time in the world to consider what career path I would like to take, and my preferences may change the longer I study law, but I’d like to hear from the professionals themselves about what their career entails, and what parts they like/dislike about it? The reasoning behind choosing that path and how you got to studying law would be useful too!

Thank you :)

so for context, im 17 in my first year of a-levels (law, politics, english lit), and im doing EPQ for enrichment (on to what extent we should sacrifice civil liberties for counter terrorism, but i might change it to something more relevant? possibly).

i don't have any lawyers in my family as i'm lower class, but my absolute dream job is in law as a barrister. i can't see myself doing anything else other than maybe politics, but i equally can't see myself enjoying that on par with law. i'm doing well in law a-level, like one of the best in my class so far, and it feels extremely promising. i plan to go to University of Nottingham for a law degree (i know it's only 11th for law, but it's the best one for me to commute to). in terms of area, i'd like to do civil litigation, something to do with negligence or personal injury, i'm not sure yet, though. NOT CRIMINAL

If anyone has any career advice, what i could be doing now/in the future, work experience, literally anything? (i dont exactly know if this is the right subreddit for this question, so if not, i'd appreciate a redirection)

I’m Emma 👋 I’m an in-house lawyer and in my spare time, I run the Inclusie Club to help aspiring legal professionals find diverse routes into the legal profession.

I’m building a free job board to help you find different legal work experience opportunities, placement years, paralegal and entry-level legal roles, training contracts and more.

I’d love to know what features are most important to you about the job board. So far I’ve got

✨ Searchable by location

✨ Searchable by opportunity type

✨ Clear whether prior legal experience is required

✨ Provide some interesting alternatives to legal careers

I’d love to know what else you’d like to see or what else we can build?

You can view the resources we already provide free and sign up to the Inclusie Club at www.inclusieclub.co.uk. Our members will be the first to get access to the job board when it’s live!

Thanks 🙏

Hi there

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience/advice re qualifying as a solicitor while working in a risk and compliance role.

I have 5+ years experience in risk and compliance, but I am seeing more roles that require you to be qualified - all for things I can competently do. I am wondering if it is worth attempting to qualify for the longevity of my career

My biggest concern is QWE while working in compliance - any advice would be greatly appreciated

An Evening with Linklaters in London, taking place on Thursday 29th October 2026.  - did anyone receive an offer to attend?

I have completed my LLB, I did start my LPC but never finished due to health issues and I have now gone past the 5 year mark. I have appealed and was denied twice.

I am looking for a paralegal role with SQE so I can qualify and honestly enjoy my job. I am wanting to go into family, public, human rights law. But my background was mainly m&a and dr.

I have been working in conveyancing for multiple years now and am at a firm with no progression or support for staff and I’m basically on less than minimum wage for a job where I cannot qualify and honestly is chipping away at my soul everyday.

I am now 30 and feel like I’m starting over and am so depleted at the moment. Do you have any tips or advice? I have applied for a few jobs and have been rejected. I understand the field is now very saturated but I would be happy to accept a paralegal role with at least minimum wage if that means I get progression or qualify.

Hi guys, I'm a peultimate-year currently applying to vac schemes and I recently saw my uni's careers counselor for law. She told me that I should omit certain work experiences in my application, such as my part-time tutoring job because these are 'professional' big-corporate companies and these experiences 'weren't exactly at this level'. Since this goes against the general conventional advice (from at least what I've heard) that you should include a range of experiences, I'm just wondering what's everyone's take on this. Thanks!

I am an overseas solicitor and will need to arrange for the printing, binding, and delivery of a bundle to an Arbitrator based in London. Just looking for suggestions of suitable companies to engage considering the short turn around and confidentiality requirements.

Turned out I accidentally signed up for a case on UK Lore

pls and thx

Juniors (0 - 5 years PQE) in my team at my firm, including me, are subject to heavy supervision. I'm talking anything to an external contact more complicated than a holding email is subject to a partner signing off, including innocuous stuff like BD emails. A colleague with several years PQE recently handed in their notice partly because the supervision was so overbearing.

However, because of general lack of capacity in the overall team it has gotten to a point where it is making it difficult to get things out promptly and I am starting to get some heat on my ability to turnover work for other teams at the speed at which they need it.

Wanted to see if this seems normal, whether my firm is just incredibly risk averse and what other experiences are as to when supervision started to taper off.

No I am not a brand affiliate, I am just a regular applicant who paid for premiums of both TCLA & Commercial Law Academy and wanted to give my honest review for candidates who might consider them (as there are not many reviews out there)

TCLA

PROs: -has a WhatsApp chat for members where you can ping their ambassadors (who are future trainees) to ask for specific help with your applications, I found that feature particularly helpful -They have custom practice tests (SJT/WG etc) built to mimic those of specific firms (i.e., first stage of Hogan Lovells) -You can get instant AI feedback for your video interview responses, maybe it is not your thing but I liked it a lot

CONs: -firm profiles are not very helpful honestly, super vanilla -They have application guides for some firms with more specific guidance, which is great, but they did not update said guides after some firms changed their application processes so they are not as useful as they used to be -£50/month can be quite challenging if you are a student (hence why I got mine after I graduated) -their pricing per application review is crazyyyy I can’t believe people are actually paying that

Commercial Law Academy

PRO(s) -Jake is just great, man. I love attending his webinars -They have the best & most detailed application bank that I have seen -Like TCLA, they have their own video interview feedback thing, and it is nice -Pricing is great, very good value for £20/month

CON(s) - As good as the application bank is, their firm profiles are quite shit honestly. Very surface-level, often outdated and not helpful - I personally didn’t find the courses that helpful. It might be good if you are a beginner or a career changer but it is too surface-level if you are a seasoned applicant (honestly Jake’s books are better if you are in your second or later cycle) -They don’t offer coaching/application reviews anymore so if you are after that it won’t help you

The TLDR is, do you need these services? I honestly don’t know. I know many people who got TCs without them, and many people who used them as they land TC offers. I will personally continue to pay for both as I think I am getting good value, but it is personally your call to make

I hope this was helpful!

hi everyone!

i am currently in year 13. my future plans include doing law as a solicitor. however, i am an international student who relocated from asia last year, i have an ILR with a dependent visa. i researched universities i’d like to attend to pursue law. however, the tuition fees for overseas students are £17k above. which i can’t afford because a) i can’t take student loans b) my parents are working-class with incomes that barely helps us survive

my parents are insistent in me going to uni. however, with the costs, i think not. so i looked into solicitor apprenticeships. i live in london so there’s many options

BUT, the requirements to be eligible is to have 5-7 GCSEs above. i only have 2 - the core subjects. math and english language as my sixth form required me to finish it. i emailed one of the firms that offered a solicitor apprenticeship, and they told me i have to pass a ‘BPP Admissions Test’

i’m not sure what it is as there’s not a lot about it on the internet

but my main concern is: how competitive are solicitor apprenticeships?

i know universities are very competitive as it’s all my school talks about. but apprenticeships aren’t often discussed. how and what do you need to do to be competitive?
i plan on taking a gap year before applying for uni OR apprenticeships, so i’ll have time to prepare my application. any tips and advice?

thank you so much!

Hi everyone,
I’m 24 and recently graduated from the University of Birmingham with a 2:1 in LLB Law. I achieved AAA at A-level and predominantly A/A* grades at GCSE.
I’m currently studying for the SQE and planning to sit SQE1 in January 2027, which I’m self-funding. I’m also applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, mainly at City and US firms. I’d really appreciate some honest opinions on how competitive my profile is.

My experience so far:

Completed a vacation scheme at Gateley. I wasn’t offered a training contract, although only one person from my entire scheme received an offer.
Completed legal work experience at Ward Hadaway, rotating through Social Housing, Real Estate and Corporate.

Completed an internship at Talbots Law, gaining experience across several practice areas.
Undertook work experience with HM Courts & Tribunals Service, including observing hearings and assisting with court administration.

Attended insight events and open days with firms including Weil, Latham & Watkins, Paul Hastings and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. These were competitive, application-based opportunities rather than events with open registration, so I had to apply and be selected to attend.

Selected for various other competitive law firm insight opportunities.

Worked as a self-employed private tutor throughout university.

Have several years of experience working in an automotive business, dealing with clients, administration and commercial operations.

Run my own car salvage business alongside my studies, which has helped me develop commercial awareness, negotiation skills, financial decision-making and an understanding of business operations.

I’ve also had significant personal circumstances during university, which affected some of my academic results, although I still graduated with a 2:1.

My current application cycle:

I’m aiming to apply to approximately 30 firms this recruitment cycle, focusing on tailored applications.
I’ve recently received rejections from Travers Smith and Paul, Weiss after completing their online assessments. I’ve managed to progress through initial application stages at some firms, but haven’t yet secured an interview this cycle.

I’m starting to feel quite discouraged, particularly because I’ve put a lot of effort into building my legal experience and attending firm events. I’m also investing my own money into qualifying through the SQE route, so I’m keen to understand whether I’m approaching the recruitment process in the right way.

A few questions:

Based on my academics and experience, would you consider me a competitive candidate for City or US firms?

How much weight do firms actually place on previous vacation schemes, internships and competitive, application-based open days?

Is my experience sufficient, or is there something significant missing from my profile?

Has anyone with a similar background successfully secured a training contract?

Would applying to around 30 firms give me a reasonable chance of securing at least one offer?

Would self-funding and potentially passing SQE1 before securing a TC strengthen my applications?

I’d really appreciate honest and constructive advice, particularly from current trainees, solicitors or anyone who has recently been through the recruitment process.
Thank you!

I just joined as an in-house Paralegal in a tech company coming from a private practice background… any tips?

My previous experience was mainly in litigation, with my own caseload and client contact, so I’m used to managing matters, drafting legal documents and working within a law firm environment.

I’m already noticing how different in-house work is, particularly when it comes to commercial contracts, internal processes, systems and working with different teams across the business.

I’m still in my first week, so I appreciate that there’s a lot to learn and that it will take time to get up to speed. I think the biggest adjustment so far is getting to grips with how everything works internally, rather than the legal side itself.

Any tips that could help? Thank you!!!!