When to apply for vacation placements in law firms

Find out how a legal vacation scheme will help you get a graduate job as a solicitor and use our term-by-term planner to apply at the right time.

Due to the competitive nature of the legal profession, firms are relying more and more on vacation schemes as part of the wider recruitment process for training contracts.

Vacation placements are formal periods of work experience within a law firm, lasting between one and three weeks, with the added bonus of a pay cheque or paid expenses. Most firms offer vacation placements to second-year law students and final-year non-law students, but there are some exceptions to this. Vacation placements allow recruiters to see potential trainees in action over the course of a few weeks.

How your legal vacation placement will help you get a job

Firms can interview vacation placement students after the event for training contract positions. But even if you don’t get offered a training contract with the firm, the experience you take away is invaluable and highly regarded by other recruiters, so never think of it as a wasted experience.

What to do when to get a law vacation placement

Use our planner to help work out when you should start applying and what to do if you don't manage to secure a placement.

Before you apply, give some thought to which type of firm would suit you. Even at this stage, the kind of work you'll be involved in will depend on where you're based. Research will help you target your applications.

Autumn term

  • Research which firms offer vacation placements. Check out the A–Z firm profiles in TARGETjobs Law as well as individual firms’ websites for information on requirements and application procedures.
  • Attend careers service events about the legal profession.
  • Draft a CV and get it checked by a careers adviser. Make reference to any legal experience or skills transferable to a legal environment.
  • Attend law fairs (Oct to Feb) and talk with recruiters. See 'Making the most of law fairs' for top tips on how to impress.

Christmas break and spring term

  • Apply for summer vacation placements. The earliest and most popular closing date seems to be 31 January (apart from a few magic circle firms, who want to hear from you by 15 January) . If you miss that, a few firms accept applications in February and March.
  • Investigate the possibility of attending open days.
  • Look at building up your work experience portfolio. See 'Are you work experienced?' for ideas.

Summer term

  • Apply for vacation placements with smaller firms.
  • Buckle down and work hard for your exams as academic background is an important selection criteria.

Summer

  • Vacation placement time! If you haven’t had any luck in securing one, try some last-minute phone calls or start enquiring about Christmas placements. And don’t forget to relax and enjoy your summer!

 

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