The Brief
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Category Archives: Qualification
I’ll soon be an NQ lawyer, should I have a job backup plan?
The end is in sight! You’ve completed your degree, perhaps the GDL, the LPC and now two years as a trainee. You’re about to become a solicitor, but first, you need to find out if you’re being retained. It’s a tense and nerve-racking time. That’s
Road Digging: An Associate’s Tale
It’s June 2008 on a hazy summer day in the Strand, London. Tourists are flocking and the pigeons from Trafalgar Square have been kicked out by Ken, so are watching from afar as the road worker starts up his pneumatic hammer. Bang! A jolt of
Should you accept a job offer whilst holding out for another?
I’m currently working with an impressive NQ solicitor. They’ve several years of experience working in-house, which they acquired prior to securing their training contract with a well-known retailer. In addition, they’ve fantastic academics and a great personality. Over the last couple of months I’ve worked
When should I start applying for a newly qualified (NQ) solicitor job?
You’ve given two years of your life to your training firm, relentlessly portrayed the best version of yourself, put in the effort and the hours (and sometimes tears), yet there’s no guarantee of a job at the end of it. It seems so unfair, but
BCL Legal holds its annual NQ seminar in conjunction with the Newcastle JLD
Earlier last month BCL Legal held its annual NQ seminar in conjunction with the Newcastle JLD at Bealim House in Newcastle City Centre. Not only was this a hugely successful event, it was also held in a gin bar. What more do you need?! First
Routes to qualification
As a student it’s always a big decision to make on which is the right route for you to take in order to qualify. I know it can be a minefield of uncertainty and so I’ve put together a few things which might help you
The NQ season is ready to go….
We’re rapidly approaching that time of year when second year trainee solicitors turn their attentions in earnest to their post-qualified careers, thinking about which practice area/s they want to qualify into, whether they want to stay in the same city or move, what kind of
Which area of law should I qualify into?
When you first decided to pursue a career in law, you probably wouldn’t have thought as far down the line as which specific area of law you wanted to qualify into (as an ex-solicitor I know I didn’t!). It was probably enough to focus on
When should you start exploring the market leading up to qualification?
If you’re now in the second year of your training contract then you may have already started thinking about exploring the market. As always timing is important with these things and you may not be too sure about when to commence your job search. Hopefully
The long walk to qualification
It seems such a long road to qualification and reaping the fruits of your labour. GCSEs, A Levels, LL.Bs, LPCs, training contracts….years of academia before the money starts rolling in. The road to becoming a solicitor can be long and arduous. Trainee solicitor salaries have
How portable is your personal following?
Once you have reached a certain level of qualification, if you have ever considered a new job, you are more than likely going to have come up against positions that require you to ‘bring a following’. Firms often expect this at a certain level of
Its decision time for NQ’s
As we role into June the vast majority of September qualifiers will now know if they are staying or leaving their training firm. At BCL Legal we have already placed a number of candidates into roles for September. Several have moved the end of their
