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| Advice for Law Students & Grads |
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Challenges facing law graduates Where do I begin? Eric Levenstein, director at leading law firm Werksmans Attorneys, provides some pointers when it comes to the challenges facing young attorneys seeking articles. Generally speaking, students at university do not see or appreciate what lies beyond their final legal exams. Often, competent, ambitious and excellent young lawyers are unaware that most law firms in South Africa start looking for articled clerks well before the successful candidates enter their final year at law school. In addition, many of the top law firms choose the bulk of candidate attorneys they take on, based on their performance during the vacation programmes they run for students. These are generally open to students in their penultimate year of study. This means that all candidates should start considering where to do their articles at least two years before they actually graduate from law school. The best advice to law students, then, is: don't leave it too late! What are law firms looking for? Although students might think that if they get top marks, securing articles will be easy; this is not necessarily the case. Many law firms are not only looking for good marks, but also for applicants who are practical, enthusiastic, ambitious, diligent and most importantly, have initiative and get involved, from a very early point, in the firm's practice. There are limited places and it is important that students understand that even the best applicants might not get articles. Confusion reigns supreme! Deciding where one should apply can become quite confusing. There are many good law firms offering excellent training and comprehensive graduate programmes. But law firms are very different. Students need to choose a law firm with a corporate culture that best suits them and one where they will feel comfortable enough to invest two years serving articles. Another aspect to consider is the type of work a particular law firm specialises in. Many firms only do corporate and commercial law; others only do litigation; there are some that specialise in motor vehicle accidents, administration of trusts and family law. A candidate that is interested in criminal law might find, to his or her dismay, that the particular firm at which he or she secures articles does not practise criminal law. It is therefore important to research the various law firms on the internet to understand what each firm does and offers candidates. An understanding of a firm’s culture and areas of speciality will help candidates to find those that best suit their personalities while matching their interests. Seeking guidance from lecturers; lawyers that are currently working at law firms; and older students who have already secured articles is another good way of doing this. Interviews ... be prepared! Interviews are extremely intimidating and many candidates do not know what to expect. Having said that, the general approach, attitude, demeanour and the kind of questions the candidate should ask of the interviewers are key. Extensive preparation, down to attempting to establish who will be on the interview panel and gaining an understanding of the kind of questions that might be asked at the interview can make the process a lot easier. The best advice one can give is to be relaxed, be yourself, and most importantly, be enthusiastic about the prospect of joining that particular law firm. Hitting the ground running Lastly, do not be intimidated by stories of young candidates spending their entire articles making photocopies and doing deliveries. In most cases there is a portion of time spent on these activities, but depending on the law firm and the manner in which they train candidate attorneys, all young lawyers should expect to be properly trained in various aspects of law; be provided opportunities to interact with clients and counsel; and generally receive a rewarding two years of training. This article was submitted by Clare O'Donovan for Werksmans Attorneys. |