Law converter looks for advice
In our latest Career Conundrums submission, a non-law finalist is seeking guidance on whether taking a gap year before starting the PGDL could harm their chances of securing a training contract.
“Hello! I’m a non-law finalist planning to take a year out before starting the PGDL. I’m worried this may disadvantage me in the training contract applications that I make during that year. Could you let me know whether a gap year before the PGDL is generally viewed negatively by firms, and what I should do during that year to make my applications stronger? (For context, I’m hoping to use the year productively through work experience/paid work/volunteering, but I want to make sure this isn’t something that would make it a lot harder for me to get a TC.)”
If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.
If you use the gap year for what you’re saying you will, it will help not hinder.
When you are approaching the end, you will absolutely not be thinking “I wish I hadn’t taken that gap year”. Get a grip and go. Work will always be here.
Not at all! A lot of people need to take gap years to fund their post graduate courses anyway so firms won’t hold this against you. If anything, gaining some more skills (e.g. spending time learning languages, courses on AI) and getting work experience will put you in a better position for applications that if you went straight to PGDL.
No, it won’t hinder you at all. Indeed at my firm (MC) it typically counts in a candidate’s favour – even if you were working in a shop / pub / supermarket for a year to save cash, it teaches you valuable skills like a routine of getting up to go to work on time every day (yes, seriously!), dealing with customers, dealing with colleagues. You’d be surprised how much juice you can squeeze out of those types of things at interview if you just think about it. I would much rather have a trainee that has worked for a year in Tesco than someone who has never had a job.
Life is short. Youth (20s and early 30s) is even shorter. Use it to have fun. The trade off that corporate law firms offer (your youth for big money) can be worth it for some. But if you can delay it, delay it and make sure you have fun doing so. Don’t trouble yourself so much with the worthy stuff, you’ll pay plenty of tax in the future to make up for it.
My non law graduate son had one before uni and one after graduation. Still secured a sponsored pgdl/sqe with a US law firm. So no, it doesn’t stop you getting a TC. He did however work (in hospitality) and travel during both, picking up transferable skills along the way!
As a senior associate of a top firm my view is that while a gap year can be meaningful on a personal level that experience isn’t valued at a top firm and will lead to questions regarding your dedication to the legal profession.
Take the gap year, it’ll make you a more rounded and better person. Try to do some travel as part of it – that will help broaden the mind.
I was recently awarded three training contracts (two magic circle firms and a sliver circle). I took a gap year, studied philosophy at undergrad and postgrad, then spent 5 years in the Army..
I would therefore disagree that taking a gap year hurts your chances on the grounds that it undermines your commitment to law. From my experience, top firms are not looking for people for whom commercial law is their only unconditional interest and commitment. They are looking for capable, agile, and commercially focused thinkers who can work in motivated teams to deliver for top clients. Yes, you need to show that you are interested in law and their firm, but this is entirely consistent with having other, non-legal experiences in your life. These firms are so competitive that there is significant value in having a unique profile rather than being another carbon copy of a law student pursuing a TC directly from uni (although of course this can be great!).
Focus on building skills and a personal narrative that can convince partners that they should add YOU to their team sheet. A gap year can be great for that if used wisely, but is neither necessary nor sufficient for getting a TC.