Sophie Reid

Do your research. There are a few things you can do to gen up on the firms you’re interested in joining:

• learn about the areas of law they service;
• read their blog posts and watch any videos they have;
• figure out if there are seminars or events that you can attend;
• have a look at legal guides such as Chambers and Partners, and Legal 500, for rankings and insights

Think about you and your lifestyle. Are you looking to work in a hybrid role or would you rather be in the office? Do you want a firm that is sociable with one another? How often do you want to attend external events? Would you prefer a big city, a small rural or a firm that’s in between the two?

Location, location, location. Where do they have offices located (centrally, rurally, nationally, internationally). This is important when considering if you would need to commute or move closer to the office. If they have offices internationally, does their traineeship programme allow you opportunity to go abroad?

The size of the firm. Bigger firms are more likely (but not always) to have regular training plans and many solicitors of differing seniority. At smaller firms, you’re more likely to learn ‘on the job’ and have a great level of responsibility very early on.

Do they offer summer schemes or work experience. The most invaluable way to gain insight and experience in to whether the firm will be the right fit for you. The opportunity to become involved in the work they do and the way they operate, even if only for a couple of weeks, is a sure way to figure this out.

Would you like to rotate seats or are you dead set on an area. If you aren’t sure which area of law you want to practise, look for firms that service multiple areas and make sure you ask whether you rotate seats during your traineeship. If you are focused on one particular area, apply to firms that only service this area or service a smaller number.

Attend the law fairs. Work your way around each stall and ask as many questions as you can. More often than not there will be first or second year trainees in attendance – ask them the nitty gritty questions; they’ll be honest!

Sophie Reid is a trainee at Aberdein Considine