
Explore all graduate advice and guidance on targetjobs

How your work experience and interests make your law application stand out
Three trainee solicitors at Osborne Clarke share the extracurricular activities that helped them to impress their law firm and get a training contract.


Law work experience: vacation schemes, mini-pupillages, pro bono and more
Gaining law-related work experience is a crucial first step on your journey to becoming a solicitor or a barrister – and there is more than one way to secure it. We outline all of your options from formal vacation schemes and mini-pupillages to voluntary work and mooting.

Five minutes with… Shaen Catherwood, barrister and head of pupillage at Devereux
Shaen Catherwood, barrister and head of pupillage at Devereux, provides his insights into how to stand out during the pupillage application and interview process.

Five minutes with... Rosemary Budden, barrister and pupillage committee member at Queen Elizabeth Building (QEB)
Don’t be apologetic for your non-legal work experience, advises Rosemary Budden. Most extracurricular activities will provide you with impressive skills relevant to a career at the Bar.

Five minutes with... Rachel Young, barrister and pupillage panel member at Ropewalk Chambers
Rachel Young, barrister and pupillage panel member at Ropewalk Chambers, gives her insider advice on how to tackle pupillage interviews and the experience you'll need to impress on an application.

Five minutes with… Lucy Garrett QC, barrister and pupillage committee member at Keating Chambers
Lucy Garrett QC, a pupillage committee member and barrister in commercial construction law, shares her insights on preparing the best pupillage application form, how to tackle interviews at the commercial bar and what you should do with your time at the pupillage fair.

Dynamic Clifford Chance is transforming the legal internship experience
Find out how this global and award-winning law firm is breaking down barriers to a legal career and seeking out brilliant interns and trainees, regardless of background.


Choosing a training contract with a law firm outside London
When deciding whether to apply for a regional or City training contract, consider the different firms' culture, clients and areas of legal practice rather than whether they are labelled as regional, national or global law firms.

PEAT 1: the qualification you'll need to practise law in Scotland
Darren Kerr, outreach and engagement manager at the Law Society of Scotland, talks targetjobs through the diploma in professional legal practice (DPLP) − the qualification that all aspiring solicitors and advocates in Scotland need to take.

Five minutes with... Samantha Hope, graduate recruitment manager at Shoosmiths
Samantha studied law at De Montfort University, including a year out working in HR in the medical industry. Combining her experiences, she is now the graduate recruitment manager at national law firm Shoosmiths.

Choosing the right training contract for your graduate career in law
All the factors to consider when choosing which law firm to join as a trainee solicitor.


What is employment law? A guide for aspiring barrister pupils
Employment barristers engage with a variety of advisory and advocacy work that has a direct impact on people’s lives.