Jo Carpanini, The University of Law programme lead, on avoiding generic applications, impressing at interview and building a legal career in the North
With training contract application season getting under way, and ahead of Legal Cheek Live in Manchester, Jo Carpanini has some advice for aspiring lawyers. As programme lead for dispute resolution and higher rights advocacy training at The University of Law (ULaw), she develops and delivers specialist programmes for aspiring and practising legal professionals, while continuing to teach advocacy, litigation and professional skills. Before moving into legal education, Jo spent many years as both a self-employed and employed barrister in civil litigation and dispute resolution. Now, she shares her insights with Legal Cheek Careers.
Starting with the paper stage, Jo has plenty to say about common pitfalls. “One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is trying to sound like what they think a lawyer should sound like, rather than being themselves.” Applications can be full of generic statements about leadership, teamwork and communication. “The statements might sound great, but there is no evidence to support or back them up,” she says. The strongest applications, by contrast, are “personal, reflective, and clearly tailored” to the particular organisation, and Jo encourages students to focus on showing who they are rather than telling.
Then there are the “silly mistakes”, such as spelling errors or reusing one application for lots of different firms and forgetting to change the name or practice area, which Jo calls “an immediate no-no from a recruiter or early careers department”.
Feedback is the closest thing to a magic bullet. “Very few strong applications emerge perfectly on the first draft,” Jo says, adding that students sometimes underestimate how useful it is to seek it. On the Bar Practice Course, she asked members of the profession she had met at networking opportunities to glance over an application. ULaw students and alumni can take a draft to the Careers & Employability Service, which offers application and interview workshops, employer events, live panel events, networking opportunities, downloadable PDF guides and one-to-one guidance.
Turning to location, there is plenty of demand for legal jobs in London, but should students look elsewhere? “Absolutely.” Jo grew up in Burnley in Lancashire and says: “I love the North, the people, the northern pride, and the countryside.” There are practical benefits too, with cheaper property prices, shorter commutes and the countryside less than an hour away, which creates “a greater opportunity to strike a work-life balance that works for you”.
Students, Jo says, can sometimes “fall into the trap of assuming legal success is synonymous with working in London”. While London is a fantastic legal market, there are thriving regional legal centres in the North handling sophisticated, high-value, complex legal matters. Students should think carefully about the type of work they want to do, the culture they are looking for and where they want to build their lives, she says.
On practice areas, Jo describes the Northwest as one of the UK’s most significant legal markets. From her dispute resolution background, commercial litigation, insurance litigation and dispute resolution work stand out as particularly strong across the region, while Manchester has also become a major centre for corporate, real estate, employment and commercial advisory work. Many national and international firms now have substantial operations or head offices in the city. “The Northwest has established itself as a legal destination in its own right, rather than simply an alternative to London.”
Applicants eyeing regional firms should be ready to explain themselves. “Regional firms often want to understand why a candidate is genuinely interested in that location and market, particularly if relocating from the South.” You needn’t have been born or educated in the region, Jo says, but it helps to explain why it appeals and how you see yourself building a career there. Show some personality and interests outside work, and avoid treating a regional application as a fallback in case London doesn’t work out.
“Firms invest heavily in training candidates and want to recruit people who are continually invested in the business and clients, rather than candidates who might be a flight risk,” she says.
For those who land an interview, Jo advises thorough research, so you can ask informed questions, but not to the point that every answer sounds scripted. Her own successful pupillage interview was a case in point. The panel asked whether Jo’s surname, ‘Carpanini’ was Italian. After explaining that their grandparents were Sicilian, she made a “completely off-the-cuff joke”, saying there would be a horse’s head in the panel’s bed if they didn’t give her the pupillage.
“Now, I am not suggesting candidates threaten or make mafia jokes to an interview panel.” Looking back, though, Jo says “it showed personality and authenticity”, even if it came from nerves. “It settled the interview, they laughed, and little did I know the head of the panel was half Italian.”
The lesson? “What I often remind students is that interviews are conversations, not performances.” It is fine not to know an answer, because clients and courts expect honesty, and saying you don’t know and explaining how you would find out “builds trust and shows genuine integrity”. Interviewers, Jo adds, are far more interested in how a candidate thinks than whether they know every answer. She also urges students to apply for vacation schemes, which help you understand the realities of practice and discount areas that don’t suit (planning law, in her case).
As the conversation turns to networking, Jo says her perspective changed when she realised it is simply “a series of conversations with human beings who are there to help you”. Focus on curiosity rather than trying to impress, and ask professionals about their work, caseload or department splits rather than reciting your grades.
LinkedIn is also useful. “LinkedIn is an underrated tool to raise your profile.” Post about events you attend, connect with the people you met and don’t be afraid to ask for advice or an application review, as “most people are happy to help”. She also recommends following regional groups such as the Manchester Trainee Solicitors Group.
For anyone losing motivation after repeated rejections, Jo offers reassurance. “Most lawyers experience setbacks; it took me years of applications before I secured pupillage.” Each rejection taught her something and helped build resilience. “Reaching the interview stage proves your paper application is strong enough, so you can then focus on refining interview skills.” The advice is to seek feedback, reflect honestly, stay determined and keep moving forward.
Asked for one piece of advice this application season, Jo returns to where she began. “Be yourself. Candidates spend so much time trying to become who they think recruiters want that they forget to show who they actually are.” And the final word?
“Authenticity, curiosity, and integrity will take you much further than pretending to know everything,” she says. “Be yourself from day one, and that will stand you in good stead.”
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