‘How can I escape the TC application hamster wheel?’

Try paralegalling or even becoming a legal assistant at a high street firm first, if you are good they should pick up on it and offer you a path to qualification.

If you want to ever get a training contract you need to get out of the supermarket ASAP and get some legal experience.

I was offered my training contract before 2008 when they were still in good supply, but even then it was tricky to go from Uni to a TC without anything to bridge the gap.

The goal is to stand out on paper, and the first element of that is getting the work experience. Sometimes even you need experience to get experience, so my advice would by to try and get a day, a week, whatever, at a local high street practice, at a law centre, pro bono etc, anything you can to demonstrate commitment. That will help you to apply for the vac schemes at commercial law firms.

Second limb, stop applying for loads. Have a look at your background and experience and identify the top 5 where you have a chance. If you grew up in the regions, or studied in the regions, and didn’t go to a wizzy uni, then don’t apply to London etc. If you studied Medical law, apply to a firm that specialises in healthcare etc. then spend at least a week on each application, making it as detailed and tailored as possible.

I was a recruiting partner at an international firm, and we could spot the copy and paste jobs from a mile off. Of the 2500 application we used to receive, 80% were poor and unspecific, binned straight away whether they academics were stellar or not. A really good application probably gives you a 1 in 3 chance of the vac scheme. Once you are on the vac scheme you are probably 1 in 2for a TC.

So don’t try to leap into any old TC, but draw a path from where you are now to where you have the best chance of landing, and fill in the gaps to get you there.

Good luck!

Try offshore – you can gain equally great experience and near tax free money.

Have you tried registering with social mobility organisations that are catered towards individuals like yourself coming from an underrepresented background, including: Aspiring Solicitors, SEO-London, Rare Recruitment, Grow Mentoring, BrightNetwork, 10,000BlackInterns (if Black), 10,000AbleInterns (if neurodiverse) etc.

I would highly recommend if you haven’t already, as they offer exclusive in-person events, such as work experience, open days at city law firms, workshop sessions, mock assessment centre sessions, seminars, webinars, etc.

These opportunities give you a chance to diversify your portfolio and increase your employability as you will have much more practical experience to add into your application.

These organisations also provide you with a plethora of resources, which will give you an edge to boost your commercial awareness.

Paralegalling is the age-old advice but it still rings true, the experience you get as a para is great value (depending on the place of course) and could even lead to a TC (depending the policy of the place). I would suggest you get in touch with the reputable recruitment agencies to explore your options. The in-house paralegal agencies like Flex are also good ways to get paralegal opportunities on short to long term contracts, which are good ways to get your foot in the door. I did this years ago and it massively contributed not only to getting my TC but also to doing a good job as a trainee since the tasks you do as a trainee are very similar to the tasks you do as a paralegal.

The question is why law where there are numerous other opportunities that would offer you the same degree of professional satisfaction? I have been looking for a way out since my TC (now 10 PQE)

Lots of people saying go secure a paralegal job and then you’ll get a TC.. that’s honestly the worst advice ever; if a firm gets you for a paralegal wage (i.e nothing) they will be very reluctant to wilfully get you up on the pay ladder; in the rare occasion they do- you’ll be “proving” yourself for quite a few years. You will undoubtedly get experience this way, but TC is definitely not guaranteed at all. Having said that, you’ll be able to use that experience to your advantage when applying further.
Truth is, without having the LPC and possibly LLM under your belt you will find it very hard. Firms don’t want to fork our 10k+ for your further studies, they just want the finished product. As for applying to over 100 firms, I agree with those who’ve said quality is far better than quantity. Knowing your audience is important as well, if you’re applying to the top 50-100 firms then you’ll never get it unless your CV is “exceptional” in some other way. Go for your medium, even small, local firms, those that are far more inclined to look at you as a human being rather than a profit making robot. One last thing, DO NOT limit yourself to just “I want to do commercial law”, most firms want someone flexible and someone who will agree to work in whatever field they tell you to. They’ll all say they take your wishes into account but really they couldn’t care less. It’s all about the business and its needs=what generates most MONEY at any given time!
Personally though, I would seriously consider whether you really want to practice in law (I know it’s a difficult thing to decide when you’ve not even seen it yet); take it from the few comments above-A LOT of people are quitting law, A LOT! There are many reasons for that. Good luck!