Beyond the Office: Exploring Non-Traditional Legal Work Experience Opportunities in the UK

Jun 29, 2023

Written By Elizabeth Beesley

The legal industry is a competitive one. Yet, although many explore traditional legal work experience concentrated on office-based private practice, many disregard non-traditional legal work experience which are of equal value, and can even help set you apart when looking to make the first impression on employers. Here, we will talk you through these different opportunities.

Finding opportunities at university

If you’re at university, the first step of finding non-traditional legal work experience would be to check what opportunities they offer. Each university offers unique opportunities, whether this be related to their law societies, their debating and mooting opportunities, or their brand ambassador programmes.

Exploring your university’s law societies may seem obvious, however very few students actually commit to them throughout their time at university. These are excellent at providing networking events, mentoring, commercial awareness competitions and employability assistance. This gives you the opportunity to connect with other aspiring legal professionals, meet legal recruiters, and gain a deeper understanding of the legal careers that may be of interest to you.

Debating and mooting societies are particularly relevant to those aspiring to become barristers, and provides a constructive space in which to practise your oral advocacy skills and test your ability to argue the question of law. Tasks usually include conducting legal research, preparing written submissions, and delivering oral presentations.

If you are interested in a particular firm, another form of non-traditional legal work experience is becoming part of your university’s brand ambassador programme. This can entail promoting that particular firm on your university campus via social media, or alternatively, planning and hosting social events. Not only does this help develop skills in preparation for future applications, but it also demonstrates a strong commitment to that firm, something which will impress them when they review your application.

In-house legal internships

Many opportunities offered by your university can provide a unique insight into the internal working of an in-house legal function, as is the case with Aspiring Solicitors, who collaborates with Barclays to host a one-week experience week in Canary Wharf. These internships can be an excellent way to get a unique experience of being at the other end of legal processes outside of private practice, something which law firms value highly and are likely to be impressed by.

The main reason being that you will have to think commercially from day one and will develop a comprehensive understanding of the business for which you are working. In turn, this helps you develop as a business leader as well as a lawyer, as the legal advice you will be providing is more tailored to your employer’s commercial goals.

Legal virtual internships

As a relatively new form of legal work experience, this can be rewarding to have in your application arsenal. As this can be completed alongside your studies or other commitments, this is a flexible, cost-effective way to gain valuable legal work experience with City firm companies, whilst developing competencies that will kickstart a successful career. This is all done without incurring travel and living costs, especially in the current climate of economic instability.

The virtual internship platform, Forage, is a prime example, which affirms that you will be 71% more likely to be hired by completing one of their internship programmes. Typical roles may include legal assistant, legal researcher, in-house legal internship, commercial executive, and business developer. Upon completion, you will be presented with model answers to allow time for feedback reflection, as well as a certificate which can be linked to your CV or LinkedIn.

Pro bono

Undertaking pro bono work will be an asset to your CV. Not only does pro bono work provide you with an opportunity to gain hands-on legal responsibility, it also demonstrates a dedication to social welfare, taking on cases with a wider social impact, and using law to its most positive end. This is something which many firms aspire towards when undertaking their own pro bono work.

Non-legal work experience

A large misconception is that all legal work experience must be legal. Indeed, gaining relevant legal work experience can boost your resume, however, we shouldn’t forget the interdisciplinary nature of law. In fact, many firms widely recognise the importance of non-legal work experience and the invaluable and transferable skills it can bring- such as well-roundedness, enthusiasm, confidence, and creativity.

To elaborate, working in a fast-paced customer facing environment in the retail sector can be great practice for understanding the importance of representing brand values, as well as meeting and dealing with the requests and demands of people from all walks of life.

Furthermore, having to manage frustrated or impatient customers can equip you with the ability to approach contentious issues in an office in a level-headed manner and achieve client satisfaction within a short time frame, thus helping you evolve into an efficient worker. Moreover, having to deal with sales and meeting targets is an excellent example of your potential to excel at business development.

Nowadays, being a lawyer means much more than just mastering the law: it also entails understanding a client’s commercial risks and opportunities ‘from the inside’ of that sector. Therefore, acquiring some part-time work experience unrelated to law can add huge value not only to securing a training contract, but also to the legal advice you give once qualified. Clients will feel secure in the knowledge that you are able to view a legal matter from their commercial standpoint – a strong foundation for building trust and giving pragmatic advice.

Therefore, although many of us leap at the opportunity of securing a training contract or a place on a vacation scheme, there are other ways to express a tangible interest in the legal career.

Legal Work Experience