Tamaryn

Hi there

I am currently applying for my student visa to complete my legal studies in Queensland, Bond Uni. I am at the stage where I can either complete my studies here, in the UK, or complete them out there and hope that I can get a firm to sponsor me out there. I have read your threads and wondered if any of you had any experience of trying to get a legal job out there. I can't seem to get any response from the agencies to get a lay of the land. I'm hoping that some of you may be able to give me some hints and tips on what it's like out there.

I have 5 years experience as a paraleagal/fee earner in employment law and will be undertaking studies to gain my practice certificate out there.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. I am not sure if i will be wasting my time and money or whether the prospects are ok out there? I am just not sure if I am doing the right thing due to the current climate but desperate to get out there and give it a shot as I hate being here.

johnnyx0

OH works for one of the big firms and they've made some redundancies lately but nothing catastrophic. Like alot of the other big firms in Melbourne they're cutting their costs now (and trimming the dead wood) so they'll "be better placed when business does pick up again in six months or so."

New business is slow, but lots going on in the Insolvency department at the moment..... I think they'll always be work in law firms one way or another.

mt_123

I'm afraid I know no more about the legal market than you but I'm interested as to how you are doing your studies as I am in a similar boat. I've nearly finished doing the CPE and the plan was to do the LPC here but, considering the number of exams I'd probably have to do to requalify over there, I'm thinking of doing the four-year course 'graduate conversion' course over there. Have you done a law degree here?

Tamaryn

I did my LLB law degree here but like you I haven't done the LPC. I sent my degree results to the University to be assessed as to what I would need to do in order to practice over there. They did a report which listed around 6.5 additional subjects I have to complete before I can gain my practice certificate. The course I will be doing is a non degree award course specifically doing the subjects they set out in the report. The contents of the report have been approved by the solicitors board so once completed they have signed off that I would be able to practice.
I would get your qualifications assessed first and see what you would need to do to before signing up for a 4 year course.
They also do the PLT (Practical legal training course) which is the same as our LPC but cheaper (which isn't hard really considering the atsronomical cost of it these days!!). This is the route I am seeking to take, unless of course i can find someone to sponsor me which would be preferable as I would much learn on the job than in a classroom. Hope that helps you a bit more.

Tamaryn

Thanks for the response. It's nice to get a bit of feedback from someone whose there. I guess its a pretty similar picture to where we are here. Like you said there all getting rid of the deadwood. I think I'm just at that stage where you begin to realise what your letting yourself in for and panicking that I may get out there and end up with no job and no money and have to come back to wet old blighty.
Thanks for the positive advice.
Tammy

mt_123

Hi, thanks for that. 6.5 subjects is pretty good compared to what a lot of other people seem to have to do. Will it take you a year to do them? I guess it will probably be quicker, cheaper and more fun than to do the LPC and a training contract here! Do you think you can get a visa to work there once you're finished though? They don't seem to be particularly kind to lawyers in that regard. My problem is slightly different in that I have dual citizenship but I think it will take me ages to requalify there once I finish my training contract here, so I'm quite tempted to abandon my studies here and start from scratch over there with whatever exemptions I could get for doing the CPE.

Tamaryn

It will take 8 months to do the 6.5 subjects. I would not be eligible for a visa unless I get a job and someone to sponsor me to stay. I'm going to be positive and say that someone will fall for my charm and intelligence and employ me. I am a firm believer in that if you work hard at something it will happen and I am confident that I have the skills and experience that they will be looking for. I just have to try my best and see what happens. It can't be any worse than being here with the never ending round of training contract applications and rejections. I have always wanted to go to Oz and I have great friends there. I just cant wait to go and see what happens. Solicitors have been on the skilled occupation list for the last ten years so they obviously need people with those skills. I have 5 years leagl work experience and post grad legal qualifications too so I am hoping that this will assist me in securing a place. However, it sounds as though you have a little more experience than me with regards to how they treat lawyers out there. I would be interested in hearing about your experiences.
I think the system in England is getting ridiculous with regards to qualifying. It has become so expensive and there are so many people applying for training contracts it can take years to get on the ladder. I love the law but it is sometimes sole destroying to keep getting rejection after rejection.
As you said it will surely be much more fun completing my studies out there than here and you never know what may happen.

mt_123

I obviously haven't looked into visas but I just had a vague impression that they were harder to get for solicitors than for something like an accountant. But it sounds like you'll be looking for someone to sponsor you as soon as you get there so hopefully you'll have no problems. Plus having five years experience on the job must be a major advantage. I think it's a really good plan actually. Once you have a practising certificate there, it's pretty much a formality being admitted in England and Wales isn't it? You wouldn't have to do a training contract or loads more exams if for some reason you wanted to work over here?

You're right about the system being deeply flawed here. I wouldn't have started my course if I didn't have a training contract as they seem to be in short supply even though there's allegedly a shortage of newly qualifieds and the LPC and PSC are going to make me have to live a fairly frugal lifestyle for the next couple of years!

Petals

There are a lot of law graduates in Australia remember reading in a Law Inst journal a few years ago that there were more students in Australia studying law than all the solicitors presently employed and of course they all want a job.

Once you have completed the degree Articles are required for a year before being admitted to practice. This is always a stumbling block for Aussi graduates getting the Articles or paying to do them.

Here is an excerpt of the training required after degree:

* Articled clerkship: start to finish essential resources

After completing a law degree graduates are required to complete a practical education requirement before being admitted to practise. Historically, the most common way of gaining practical education in law has been through an articled clerkship:

" * An articled clerkship/traineeship is the equivalent of a 12-month apprenticeship
* Graduates work as an 'articled clerk'/'trainee' under the supervision of a fully qualified solicitor
* Places for ACs/Trainees are very limited and demand generally outstrips availability
* Law firms look to recruit graduates with a well-rounded balance of academic results, work experience, community and volunteer work and social interests.
* Graduates may be admitted to practice after completing their articles/traineeship year "