LPC without training contract

[joelwinter]

Hi there, I'm new to this. Just finished my law degree (2.1) and finally decided that i do actually want to be a lawyer. The issue is i don't have a TC. I have only just started to accumulate work experience at a law firm. I am due to start the corporate LPC with the College of Law this September but have thus far not applied to any corporate city firms (and obviously deadlines are all but gone now). So...

Do any firms (corporate city specifically) offer TC a year after interview - or are all 2 or 3 years (if so, where can you find out?)?

Is it a mistake to start my LPC without having applied for any this year (I hear the LPC is only valid for 4 years)?

Am i looking like someone with no direction leaving it all this late?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Joel

[Ganymede]

Hi,

You can start the LPC without a TC, I know that when I was at CoL Chester most people started without one.

The problem you might have is that all the big corporate city firms recruit 2 years in advance so you may have to wait a year after the LPC (assuming you do it full time) before you start.

Whoever told you the LPC is only valid for 4 years is lying, there is no limit that I'm aware of.

You have a 2:1 and some legal experience so you have a good chance of getting a TC, keep at it.

[insufficient experience]

By even thinking about a training contract before you have started the LPC you are ahead of 80% of your fellow students.

Check www.lawcareers.net for some corporate training contracts beginning in 2009.

[Pen73669]

If you don't do the LPC then your law degree runs out in 7 yrs. So if after 8 yrs you decided to do the LPC you would need to do the GDL aswell. Once you have done your LPC it does not (as far as am aware) run out.

I didn't have a TC when I started the LPC. Although I didn't want to work for a big city firm so I guess it didn't matter so much. When I was on the LPC I did a vac scheme at Eversheds and they still had places available for one year after I finished the LPC - but only 1 or 2! You can always have a yr out paralegalling after the LPC and before your training contract starts.

[sumoking]

You should always try to have a TC in place prior to starting the LPC.

There is some random myth that it will all be okay and work out fine and you can get a 'high street' tc with 2 weeks to go on your course.

That said

There is no reason not to apply to the big city firms now with a view to starting in 2/3 years. You can paralegal in the meantime or go travelling should the urge to be a random hippie take you.

Apply for everything you can. All that matters is good lpc grades and a tc. nothing else. friends, family and religion are the 3 demons you must slay to acheive this (thank you Mr Burns)

[volunteer]

I went to CoL York and out of 10 of my friends only 2 had TCs when we started at the end only 1 didn't and they got job as paralegal with view to TC so its not uncommon.

[Chris101]

Firstly - nearly all City firms recruit 2 years in advance - you've missed the deadlines now so your looking at Sept 2011.

With that in mind why rush into the LPC now when you have two years to play with. I would defer and spend the year gaining experience and applying for vac schemes. If your a strong enough candidate and you apply to a decent number of places then you should get an offer and, hey presto, sponsorship through the LPC. You'd save, with a maintainance grant, over ?16k!

Oh and another thing - amoungst City firms its quite rare to get a TC whilst on the LPC or after, despite what others might say. Before I get jumped on, this is coming from HR people I have met.

Good luck