Career Clinic: New year, new career?

Keep at it

Really? Hit by reality on the LPC?!

My first thought is don't worry. The LPC puts a lot of people off; fortunately, being a trainee is (generally) a lot more interesting. On that basis alone, I would at least try out your TC before you ditch a career in law - the LPC is not in any way representative.

Secondly - you would be stark raving mad to walk away from a guaranteed (and relatively well-paid job) into the worst graduate recruitment market in years. Unless you have a firm offer of something else on the table, you may well end up unemployed for some time, which is never going to improve your CV.

Finally - the "lawyer" stamp is not particularly useful outside law (unless you are a very senior lawyer...); however, having had a couple of years of decent work experience is infinitely better than being an unemployed quitter. So yes, a completed TC will at least make your CV more credible.

In short - quitting now would mean making the wrong decision for the wrong reasons. Sticking with it may not seem like a bed of roses, but you would be mad not to.

Assistant X -07 Jan 2010 | 11:24

Run!

Assuming you've done some intensive soul-searching to be sure this is really how you feel, not just cold feet, then good for you - many people work for years in the law before realising it never was right for them.
Don't go through with the TC, let the firm offer it to someone else who really wants to do this as a career.
The 'label' is only important if you were ever thinking of moving in-house or similar after training. And whatever you choose, doing the TC only to then move to something else will smack of 'failed lawyer' so when the time comes you'll find yourself sucked into doing one year's PQE, then another, and you'll end up four years behind.
Figure out now what you really want to do with your life, what would make work more like play, then figure out how to get it, then go get it. Good luck!

Ted -07 Jan 2010 | 11:24

Recruiter's perspective

My goodness what a time to have doubts, this is a beauty.

If you know without a shadow of a doubt that don’t want to be a lawyer then don’t do the training contract, obviously! Firstly, life’s too short to waste two years doing a job that makes you feel “physically sick”. Finish the LPC and move on. Secondly, given the current climate surely you should be kind enough to allow someone else the chance of securing the training contract, someone who actually wants to work in the law. Stop worrying about what your CV might look like - you’re young enough to do something else without any difficulty, assuming you’re not a total wet blanket? Just decide what you want and get on with it.

Wynder -07 Jan 2010 | 11:34

And do what?

Yeah, the LPC is dull and boring, and there are lots of irritating over-competitive people. Over-competitive about things that don't matter for the main. And that is sadly representative of some (but crucially not all) of your training contract. I have fond memories of proofreading some bundles with a colleague who raced me and then showed off about to our superiors about how many more lever arch files he'd reviewed than me, yes I miss you too Guy van TinySchlong...

But... unless and until you work out what you are actually going to do, keep going with the law. Once you've worked out what it is, and how you're going to explain the change to the recruiter in question, apply. When you have a job, exit from law. Not before. Don't fall into the post-university trap of arrogance (this befell a number of my contemporaries at OxbridgeDurhstol, some of whom then spent a number of years aspiring to pay basic rate tax). It is not always as simple as applying, turning up and giving some nice chat every time (even if that was how you got your TC). Sometimes, you may have to experience rejection... don't forget too, some jobs are (even) worse than the law.

Of course, if you don't know what you want to do yet, then the Easter hols are a great time to go for a week or two in an ashram to gather your thoughts. Good luck with your quest.

Stupot -07 Jan 2010 | 12:11

The lawyer tag is worth a small amount but in all honesty isn't worth that much. But being labelled a quitter who doesn't look before he leaps (ie SIGNING A TRAINING CONTRACT WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT IT INVOLVES) is an actual negative - most employers in the corporate private sector will see that as a big black mark (people in the arts and media may not care as much). So I would say the best thing to do if you want to play it safe is complete the LPC, do the training contract making the best of it, fighting for the seats that disinterest you the least, and probably get something like a year (at least six months) under your belt before heading off for careers new. You will learn how to work as a professional and be paid a decent bit as well as have time to work out what sort of thing you DO want to do. This also leaves the door open to you potentially liking a practice area. I don't know what type of firm you have a contract with but no-one likes the LPC so don't judge a profession based on a short vocational course one has to take before doing the job. How do you feel inside law firms?

Having said all this, if you know you will be utterly miserable at a law firm or you are sure you know what it is you want to do with your life, don't put yourself through the misery of spending most of your time doing something you hate.

Life is too short. Certainly too short to make yourself unhappy over a job.

Magic Circle Associate -07 Jan 2010 | 15:50

Get out now.

Ignore people saying that you are moving into a difficult job market, we are absolutely spoiled nowadays.

It is so easy to ignore your gut instinct and get stuck in law because the money is good. But at what expense?

I'd give anything to have left midway through my training contract (but don't do it until you get another job, any job).

Good luck. Law is not for everyone but happiness at work should be.

Stuckinlaw -07 Jan 2010 | 16:25

Timing

This is just not the right time to make an objective decision on your future. The LPC is simply a horrific means to an end - like an assault course you have to complete before you can call yourself a 'professional'. Like most qualifications, it is not representative of 'real life' and is not a pleasant experience; feeling sick is entirely normal!

My advice is that you are almost there, stick at it, complete your training contract and qualify into what is still one of the most respected professions in the world. Whatever you decide to do, no one can ever take that away from you. That is the time to decide whether you want to stay in the profession or do something else, not now. In the context of a possible 40+ year career, what is two years spent finding out what it's really all about and hopefully having some fun along the way?

OldTimer -07 Jan 2010 | 17:17

Like the Olympics

A very difficult predicament. I would suggest you apply some perspective to the situation. You never really know whether you will enjoy being a lawyer until you're doing the job every day and a typical training contract, on the whole, does provide you with a useful set of skills and experience (even if it doesn't feel like it at the time!).

A colleague once mentioned a sporting analogy which may also be of some use to your situation - not following through at this stage is like qualifying for the Olympic 100 metres final and choosing not to run in the final. Not everyone gets such an opportunity and you never know when you might live to regret not following through. All the time and effort working towards qualifying as a solicitor mean that the best advice to you is to recommend that you take your time over any decision and are slow to walk away from the opportunity to qualify as a lawyer (leave upon qualification if you are unhappy). I would finally point out that some may look at your resume and the fact that you will have seemed to have pursued a career in the law (i.e. law degree/pgdl and LPC) and yet not fully qualified as a failing.

Trainee -07 Jan 2010 | 17:46

Been there

If you know what you want to do and have a driving passion to do it - go do it and don't look back.

If you do not know what you want to do, stick with the TC. The experience will be useful in just about anything you do (or don't do) in life later.

Anon -08 Jan 2010 | 09:47

Follow your gut

I agree with a lot of the comments above. If you have any idea of what you would prefer to do then do it now and don't put yourself through the TC if you honestly believe you will hate it. Don't worry about everyone that says you will be labelled a 'quitter' - you can always write off the LPC and tell future employers that you took a gap year.

Having said that, if you don't have a burning passion to do anything else at the moment there seems no real harm in continuing with your TC and then deciding on qualification whether you want to continue as a lawyer. Good luck.

Anon -08 Jan 2010 | 10:20

Finish, take a year

I'd suggest there is little point bailing on the LPC now - you've done half of it, so you may as well finish it.

If you've got a TC lined up, ask your firm if you can defer for a year. They'll probably say yes. Make up something worthwhile if that's needed to convince them.

In that year, try out what you think you might want to do, and if you then don't want to do the TC, don't!

Moleman -08 Jan 2010 | 17:09

Are you sure about that?

@ Anon (Follow Your Gut),

You said: "...you can always write off the LPC and tell future employers that you took a gap year."

Yep, everyone knows that the one sure path to career success is to lie to your future employer on your CV and/or in interview. As lawyers, we all know that all sorts of trouble can result from such actions.

In any case, one lie leads to another.

Interviewer: "So what did you do in your gap year then?"

Spud: "[insert more and more porkies here]"

Bad, bad idea. If he's going to quit the TC, then he should wait until he has something else lined up, and when applying and interviewing, he should tell the truth about what he has done/is doing and why he is doing it. The alternative is to enter a new job which will also make him feel "physically sick", but this time out of fear that the pack of lies he told when applying for the post will be rumbled.

Proposition Joe -08 Jan 2010 | 17:39

Not a real insight in practice

If you are doing your LPC at the College of Law or BPP etc, I assume that the work and the teaching means are the real killer to your interest in this industry. I know friends and practising solicitors finding the depth of the LPC unrealistic and how unrepresentative the LPC is in terms of the practice. After all, the LPC is just a bridge to your practice. So often, even if you can splendidly learn the course, you still have no real taste of the real work.

In short, keep it up. The practice of law is often clouded by the LPC's learning.

(I, like yourself, totally hate the LPC, but the fruit will taste nice surely, especially if you have a TC...)

passenger -10 Jan 2010 | 20:51

Gut is right

I remember feeling this way (not quite sick, but certainly unsure) though for me it was the TC where I really felt a misfit. I stuck at it, but have spent the 11 years since with one foot in the profession and one foot out - long story! The point is you should follow you gut instincts, but you must also use your rational head - don't junk anything until you have an alternative way of making a living! It is a respected qualification and it will help you in the job market (though not universally). If you decide not to do the TC, you can quite truthfully on your CV label the LPC 'Diploma in Law', which is quite impressive. Don't get a post-grad qualification and then pretend you haven't got it!

James -11 Jan 2010 | 11:11

Go with your instinct

I'm in exactly the same position as you; however, I have lined up my alternative career. My advice is to try and do the same but if you can't, or just haven't found it yet, then just start your TC and earn some money. As for the LPC, I felt exactly the same, but it was my miserable and burnt-out friends who went into the law for the wrong reasons (as I would have done) who convinced me not to make the leap. Sounds obvious, but you have to be enthusiastic about what you do.

Anon -12 Jan 2010 | 01:06

Yes, quit your TC...

Maybe your firm will give it to me. Seriously, do people like you actually do any research into your career choice? Or do you just pick a job out of a hat? Don't know why Career Clinic keeps printing complaints from law students that the LPC is making them reconsider their career. That you're dumb enough to seriously consider pissing away a job in these sort of economic conditions raises serious questions about your suitability to work in the business world in my humble opinion. Do I sound bitter? Hell yes I am.

GimmeaTC -12 Jan 2010 | 16:23