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‘Can I secure a training contract with a 2:2 from Cambridge and mitigating circumstances?’

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By Legal Cheek on

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Targeting Magic and Silver Circle firms


In our latest Career Conundrum, an aspiring lawyer wants to know whether their 2:2 from Cambridge — with mitigating circumstances — is enough to help them secure a training contract at a top City law firm.

“Hi Legal Cheek. I am in the process of applying for Vacation Schemes and want to ask your readers what they think my chances are of securing a training contract at a Magic Circle or Silver Circle law firm in London. I studied a non-law degree at Cambridge and achieved a 2:2. During my first year and a half, I experienced serious health issues that affected my performance. Do law firms genuinely take mitigating circumstances into account, or am I basically screwed?”

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38 Comments

Stephen

Is it possible to get a TC? It will be difficult but possible.

Is it possible to get a MC or SC TC? Close to impossible.

MC firms get about 5,000 applicants each year and almost all of them will have stellar academics and extracurriculars. Only about 1% of them will get it, so if you don’t even have a 2:1 when 99% of applicants will, don’t even bother, irrespective of health issues.

However, I think people forget that is a huge world of law firms outside of the MC/SC that will offer great opportunities and training. It’s not the be-all-and-end-all. I find the fixation with it from a lot of students tiresome.

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(43)(12)

Andy

This – agreed. Not impossible, but very very difficult. Unless you can get in front of the HR / recruitment team to explain the extenuating circumstances, a 2:2 will get filtered out by magic circle firms.

Put in an application to one sure, but consider National and some Regional firms as they can provide great opportunities / work. If you can secure a TC and qualify, you can then apply to a magic circle firm if it remains of interest.

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(24)(1)

LegalBeagle

It sounds to me like an excuse for worse than hoped for academic results, and also indicates poor decision making.

If the individual had serious health issues that I have inferred occurred after they won a place at a Cambridge college they ought to have deferred. They could then have concentrated on recovery, returned to university and would not then have needed to trot out this tired excuse for mediocre performance.

The fact they didn’t do that is baffling.

In any event the mitigating circumstances they rely on to excuse their comparative mediocrity only influenced part of their degree course and they have no excuse thereafter.

I think the discrete content of the original question betrays more about the author of it than they perhaps thought or intended.

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(6)(76)

Rage bait or a genuine lack of empathy and emotional IQ?

I am undecided..

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(18)(1)

1st Time Account

I have first hand experience of a university experience which went completely awry due to the death of another student. At some point in your own life something really bad will likely happen – maybe you were lucky and it didn’t affect your academics but this is a very low EQ response.

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(12)(0)

Oz Barrister

All true, but your job as a lawyer is to put the client first. Each of us will lose people, have relationship breakups , and have health issues. You need to be able to still put the client first. It is a tough profession. If you sought diffuse consideration for Ill-health and still only achieved a 2:2, you will need to examine your career options and face up to the fact that does not suggest great legal intellect. Sorry.

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(0)(7)

Person with a life and hobbies

What a horrible and conceded response. If you really think that your job is more important than your wellbeing or the wellbeing of others you’re a pretty sad husk of a person.

Theresa

Don’t bother with a TC. Go work in-house and do something you are really passionate about for 2 years and do the SQE and you will qualify, as well as getting great experience.

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(4)(2)

fed up of wokeism

be realistic.

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(7)(33)

Long Hung Dung, LLB LLM

No chance you’re getting a whiff of anything decent.

You might get a parablozzer role at some pungent high street bucketshop, though.

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(6)(29)

Bang Ding Ow

I love to play with my long hung dong too, it’s the best.

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(0)(5)

Seen this question a million times

You won’t get anywhere with those firms in the current market, no. Forget it. 2.2 is really bad nowadays, regardless of circs.

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(12)(25)

Emma

Back in the day when you didn’t have HR lefties running grad rec and the partners knew that a 2:2 was worth more than a First from a non-Russell group you would have had a chance. If you have any DEI characteristics definitely play them up and concoct the biggest sob story you can. Even say you’re bisexual if you’re straight – no-one can say you’re not.

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(24)(65)

Ash

Do true. DEI has destroyed the standards of service everywhere these days.

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(8)(24)

HEME

You need to be reported to SRA…

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(9)(3)

HEME

Are you in the legal field? If yes, tour comments breach the SRA code of conduct and need to be reported.

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(8)(3)

7PQEr

The harsh but realistic answer is your chances are low. Even though you went to Cambridge, the market is perpetually competitive and a 2:2 rightfully puts you towards the back of the queue compared to grads from other elite unis who got 1sts and 2:1s (especially those who have gotten some legal work experience). That being said, you should consider being more open minded and applying to firms outside of the MC/SC bubble

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(27)(3)

Friendly advisor

This depends on the law firm specifically. For example, Slaughters are unlikely to take anyone with a 2:2, but other firms might take a different approach. I would say that your other grades might make a difference (pre-degree) and the specifics of the mitigating circumstances. It’s definitely not the end of the road, but be intentional with where you apply so you are not wasting time and energy into firms who won’t look at your application. I would contact graduate recruitment before applying with your specific circumstances so that you can gauge the likelihood of them taking your application seriously.

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(15)(3)

Reality check

The issue here is that the circumstances only impacted the first 18 months of the degree and the final 18 months are likely to have been weighted more heavily for the final grade.

Going be the limited information in this situation, it sounds like the individual probably didn’t do well in their final year either when the circumstances weren’t impacting their studies.

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(21)(2)

Yeah but

Obviously if the first almost two years of the degree were impacted it would have been much harder to do well in third year — lack of foundations and all

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(2)(0)

Tab

The writer went to Cambridge, so only the final-year exams count for the “final grade” (as with Oxford).

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(1)(1)

Quack Doctor

You’re not screwed.

Some firms will be better than others. I would expect – but don’t actually know – that magic circle firms will generally mind a bit more as they place more emphasis on academics full stop.

However, many silver circle firms will be much less fussed and will progress your application, at which point grades don’t really matter anyway.

A few things I would say:

1) The rest of your CV will need to be decent. This sort of goes without saying, but will be especially important here.

2) It’s helpful if you can point to contrast between your normal performance and health-impacted performance. Draw attention to a good before-during-after type narrative if you have one (which I assume you must).

3) Bill having pushed through and still achieved what you have as a serious challenge that you’re proud to have been able to overcome.

4) Hammer home in the application that the health issue chapter is closed (this is fact specific and may or may not be self-evident). You shouldn’t need to do this really, but what firms actually care about is that you will be able to perform.

5) If you’re worried or if you’re laser focused on going to a top top firm, consider a masters (if circumstances allow) and devote yourself to absolutely smashing it. That would then leave you in a position where you don’t need to convince people (no matter how subtlety the question is posed) that you’re a good egg who fell on hard times through no fault of your own. Having got into Cambridge doesn’t hurt there either, tbh.

Good luck. Speaking with experience, you’ll be fine.

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(25)(4)

Passingby@law

I got a 2.2 and I’m currently working in a big us law firm! I did go to a Russell group uni and I got mitigating circumstances myself. Honestly, I’d suggest really pushing yourself to get a lot of work experience. Before securing my tc, I worked in most mc and 2 us law firms to get the attention away from my grades. As long as you can show you can showcase your skills and knowledge in the legal field, most firms really don’t care apart from S&M 😅.

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(46)(1)

toxic bastard

Yay DEI yay!

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(5)(26)

2Birds1Cup

Gotta even out the nepotism somehow!

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(5)(0)

Oh yea boi

Lmao tell us another porkie plz, give the plebs some false hope

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(1)(2)

Barry Norman

Apply for a Paralegal position. Your academic record won’t put you at the top of the training contract hire list but it should be attractive to firms looking to hire paralegals. This has been the path to a TC for a few people that I know.

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(23)(0)

Saras

Some recruit paralegals, expect them to do work of solicitors with wages for paralegals.

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(2)(0)

17PQE mid-level Associate

Good luck. And Godspeed.

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(9)(0)

Anonymous

I got a 2:2 too at HK uni but never let it get in the way. Working for a top US firm now.

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(11)(3)

Klaxon

Thx fresher. Now back to next week’s seminar prep.

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(4)(8)

Mao ZeDong

Plot twist: their dad owns the law firm.

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(1)(2)

Oz barrister

Or mum?

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(0)(1)

You are in with a chance

Cannot believe the responses above – unless they are from people competing for TC vacancies looking t limit their competition from Oxbridge graduates.

IMO.

No, you are not screwed.

You have a Cambridge education and a 2.2 degree from one of their colleges. Sorry to everyone who didn’t go to Oxbridge, but plenty of employers will see an Oxbridge 2.2 as equal to or better than a non-Oxbridge 2.1. The quality of education, tradition, reputation still counts for so much.

Mitigating circumstances – if you have any, probably worth mentioning. Don’t make this the focus of your application, but do mention it so they can explore this further if they want.

Lots of people with 2.2 non Oxbridge have made their way into law. A 2.2 with some solid experience counts for so much more than a 2.1 or 1 elsewhere with zero experience of legal work. Make some applications this year but focus on getting legal experience alongside, it will supercharge the quality of your application. Yes, there will be some firms who won’t entertain a non-2.1 application, but these are the snobby, stuck in the dark ages HR guarded firms, so you’re best avoiding them anyway. Plenty of sensible firms – do some research and target those who don’t have an automatic IT screen out for 2.2s.

It will still be tough, getting TC is always tough, but yes i think you have a chance. Good luck.

Research. Target. Experience. Apply. Win.

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(8)(2)

City Lawyer

If your desired route into the solicitor profession is traditional city TC, then quit while you’re ahead.

But you can still have a great career as a solicitor. Use the new SQE model to your advantage. I qualified in the early days of Equivalent Means and now I’m around 7PQE (two at a large city firm), and on par salary wise and knowledge wise as my peers that qualified on the traditional path. My grades are a thing of the past. Truly. Just move forward and build your profile as best possible and make the most of every opportunity.

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(2)(0)

Aaron Stocks

I’m sorry there are so many posters who really don’t have a clue.

You are asking the wrong Q.

What should you do?

You should defer applying this year. You should get a high 2:1 or 1st next year, prove your 2:2 was a one off event and then apply.

Plan to take a year off doing something you enjoy funded by some hard work not your parents.

Firms want resilient, driven people who are bright. One year’s exam results can be irrelevant. It’s your peak performance which is most important. And, given what I have read above, focus on getting advice from people who really know what they are talking about.

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(1)(0)

2nd Time Poster

I had something similar happen and managed to get a TC at a top US law firm after spending 2 years as a paralegal. I would expect your chances through direct applications not knowing anyone in the firms is very low. Focus on work experience and building some relationships – you will also find out whether you really want this career as I think many students have very little idea what they are getting themselves into.

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(3)(0)

MC boss

Frankly, I would hire ANY graduates from Oxbridge. They are better built for the profession.

One should appreciate that a 2:2 from Oxbridge is far better than a first from ANY non-Oxbridge institutions.

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(4)(3)

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