With many UK law firms freezing graduate recruitment for the next 12 months, despite the increasing masses of law graduates year on year, there are undoubtedly fewer vacancies for trainee solicitors which can mean only one thing – the competition for training contracts is more fierce than has ever been the case.

In light of the current economic climate, more and more law firms are under threat seeing a 61% increase over the last year in the number of law firms facing financial distress, recruitment drives across the UK have reached a much feared standstill.

Further, with many practices having huge increases in job applications there are fewer vacancies available than ever before and resultingly, things are beginning to look rather uncertain.

This, together with figures from a recent survey showing how 43% of law firms have been forced to make redundancies, it is clear that trainee solicitors will be facing an extremely tough year.

The search for training contracts continues…

It is not surprising that law graduates are left feeling disheartened in the search for training contracts with rejection after rejection customary in their daily routine.

The expensive process to get to this stage means that students will have forked out tens of thousands of pounds for courses and with fees set to rise tremendously next year, law graduates will certainly need that something extra to make them stand out from the crowd.

Clearly, attaining a good degree classification and completing the LPC is simply not enough anymore, if graduates want to be successful they need to really push the boundaries.

Possible solutions to finding a training contract…

Whilst the picture may be one of haziness for many students in the search for the much sought after training contract, one way to tackle current budgetary constraints is for students to apply for voluntary work experience wherever and whenever possible.

Not only will this help students to show off their key skills and attributes to potential employers in the hope of eventually securing a training contract, this will work to clarify so many unanswered questions which for undergraduates at the early stages of study, without practical experience there is no possible way of knowing – Is this career for me? Am I suited to this type of firm? Can I see myself working here?

Further, Dan Watkins director of Contact Law has advised that for trainee solicitors ‘to improve their prospects of picking up a training contract, applicants may be wise to focus on firms which specialise in legal areas that have seen steady growth over the past two years.’

By researching business expansion, employers in flourishing law firms will be more inclined to recruit graduates and on the flip side, this type of work environment will be much more active and exciting to be a part of.

 This has certainly been the case for personal injury specialists Duncan Gibbins Solicitors who have grown rapidly over the last year with recruitment at the crux of the company’s development.

This has meant that a variety of trainee positions have been filled with the view to future training contracts and with proposals to recruit more legal assistants in the coming months, for many, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!

So, although tough times lie ahead, let’s not over analyse the bad but focus on the positives – be prepared and don’t give up!