law graduate opportunities

Hi @younglawyer,

I wonder if you could volunteer in a community legal centre to get some experience and meet some contacts?

Otherwise, maybe you could ask your friends, who have managed to find jobs, if they hear of any openings coming up, on the legal grape-vine?

When I worked in a profession (not the legal profession) I always seemed to find jobs through friends. It seems employers always ask the staff that they like to recommend friends of theirs for new positions.

I wouldn't worry too much about your grades. As long as you passed everything and graduated, then you should be fine. You might need to re-do your resume if you are not getting any interviews. Make your good points a feature of your C.V. and try to gloss over the grades, unless they are really asking for them.

Did you have work experience that you enjoyed while you were studying? Then make this a feature of your C.V. Let the reader know what you are passionate about.

Maybe even include a really nice, professional black and white pic of yourself on your resume to make it more personable.

Rather than looking for jobs, have you tried targeting the law firms that you'd like to work for and sending in your C.V. regardless of whether they are advertising for staff or not? This looks really pro-active to employers.

Good luck, @younglawyer.

(By the way, I have been very successful in getting jobs; just no good at keeping them!!)

Hi @younglawyer,

The job market for law grads is really, really tough... and unfortunately, grades do matter in formal application processes. Most of the people I've known with less-than-great grades, who've managed to get a grad position, have done so through contacts or by entering as a paralegal or volunteer.

Have you done College of Law? i.e. Are you admitted? If not, volunteering at CLCs for your practical component can be useful for that and also as a foot in the door/contact for RP work. What type of practice are you most interested in?

I have been applying for every legal position including paralegal and legal secretary work but they all want someone who has a few years (often 5+ years) experience doing that work, which is not me. I don't know how much longer I can go in my current job without having a complete breakdown so I hope I find something soon.

@younglawyer, yeah it's hard when you can't volunteer - I was the same when I graduated.

Some CLC's have evening and Saturday clinics so it might still be worth checking those out if you can fit it around your work hours. Also, have you tried court work? Not associateships but clerking and more junior positions?

I totally feel for you. It's brutal.