There aren’t many positive headlines in UK plc at the moment, but the country’s legal sector is contributing more than its share of good cheer. In fact, despite the parlous state of the economy, the number of practicing solicitors hit a record high at the end of 2011, according to figures released by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

To be precise, at the end of November 2011, there were 125,473 PC-holders; a rise of 462 on the previous month and of over 4,500 on the same date in 2010. The total number on the roll now stands at 163,108.

Perhaps even more pertinently for those seeking a career in law in 2012, Deloitte’s Business Survey noted in December 2011 that incomes for firms in the legal sector were rising sharply – a reasonably reliable indicator of a growing jobs market and an encouraging sign for anyone looking to grow and develop a career in law.

Against this cautiously optimistic backdrop, we asked Steve McNally of Equality Law (www.equalitylaw.co.uk) to give an overview of who is recruiting across the sector in 2012.

“All the usual suspects will be recruiting in 2012, from the ‘Magic Circle’ and solicitors with national networks, across to those firms who are regional specialists – and don’t forget the smaller single location firms. In fact, right now, there are over 1,000 firms publicly advertising their training contracts to graduates, as well as more than 200 Barrister sets offering pupilage. It doesn’t stop there, obviously – there still remains a large number of Workplacement Schemes and Paralegal positions available, so the legal fraternity must be one of the few sectors that can look forward to this year with a comparative confidence and optimism.”

“However, I think we must caveat this encouraging big picture by stressing that competition for places remains as high as ever, which is why people coming into the legal profession must remember that law has many different avenues, not all of which are right for everyone. So candidates must be careful to choose the path that’s right for them. This sector is populated by an immense variety of firms and barrister sets, each of which can differ quite widely, not just in terms of location and clientbase, but also working culture and, of course, legal specialism.”

Wider opportunities Inevitably the main focus in 2012 will be on finding work in law firms and barristers’ chambers for school and undergraduate students. Big name firms such as Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Eversheds, Herbert Smith, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Simmons & Simmons, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Ashurt and Winston & Strawn LLP are all actively recruiting – and present a good starting place from which to ‘work down’ if you’re a prospective candidate.

More diverse candidates Interestingly – and slightly outside the ‘mainstream’ search for jobs - there’s been a growing movement in the legal profession to create a more diverse workforce. For 2012, this has led to a large number of diversity projects and access schemes, designed to ensure that law is a possible career for every member of society. Three of the more notable programmes – and law firm participants - are detailed below.

Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) This refreshingly innovative charity seeks to place high-achieving A-level students from low income backgrounds in placements with major private and public sector institutions. Geoffrey Vos QC, chairman of the group, says the SMF tries to "find ways of bridging the gap between clever students from poor backgrounds becoming interested in achieving a high-level career, and actually getting into that high-level career". Sponsors include top law firms such as Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters.

Black Lawyers’ Directory (BLD) BLD was formed in 2006 to promote diversity within the legal profession and provide a forum for networking. It currently has two initiatives for young people within its Legal Gateway Scheme. Law and non-law undergraduates benefit from the Legal Launch Pad programme. The selected students attend various training sessions that include mock interviews and at least one week's work experience at a sponsoring organisation. Sponsors of the Legal Gateway Programme include: A&O, Beachcroft, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, No5 Chambers, Olswang, Shoosmiths, Slaughter and May and White & Case. The selected students attend various training sessions that include mock interviews and at least one week’s work experience at a sponsoring organisation.

Opening Doors, Breaking down Barriers In April 2011 a government-initiated, social mobility initiative entitled "Opening Doors, Breaking down Barriers" was announced. Allen & Overy was the first firm to sign up to it, promising to offer internships (or work placement places) to young people from deprived backgrounds.

Despite the economic outlook, there’s still great opportunity to carve a career in the legal profession – though as previously noted the competition for places is, as ever, fierce. Yes, law is changing and arguably faces more change than it has seen for centuries – but it continues to be one of the UK’s largest employers in terms of the professional services. Whether 2012 takes us to a natural optimum of numbers that can be employed in this particular decade remains to be seen.

According to the Guardian, the last quarter of 2011 saw increased pessimism among the legal profession. The slowdown in the markets generally will continue into the first half of 2012 and transactional work will be patchy at best. What does this mean for the world of graduate recruitment? The long lead time of 18-24 months to recruit graduates means that trainee numbers will be broadly steady throughout the course of 2012.

Read the full article on the Guardian website.

Photo by Daniel Catt

Take a look at some of the best Legal Week Career Clinic dilemmas from 2011. It was a year that saw heated debate over office bullying, working in an all-female team, turning down a magic circle job and secret pregnancies.

For more information visit the Legal Week website.

Photo by Susan Barrett Price

According to the Arab Journal; Lisa A. Alfaro joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in 1995 after receiving her JD from Stanford Law School. Now she is partner in charge of the firm’s São Paulo office in Brazil, and she co-chairs the Latin America practice group. She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and she is licensed in California and New York.

But there is one thing Alfaro can’t do: engage in any kind of local law practice in Brazil.

For more information go to the Arab Journal website.

Picture by Sean MacEntee.

According to Legal Week, more paid part-time judicial roles will be made available to allow for flexibility with family commitments and increase the number of women in the judiciary, according to new proposals laid out by Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.

For more information go to the Legal Week website.

Picture by Quinn Dombrowski

This month brought sorely needed and warmly welcome news for the graduate recruitment sector as a whole. According to new research published by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, graduate unemployment has fallen for the first time since the onset of the recession - but it still remains uncomfortably high, with the pace of recovery slow.

HECSU’s annual ‘What Do Graduates Do?’ report, which charts the destinations of full and part-time graduates six months after leaving university, reveals that graduate unemployment has declined from 8.9% to 8.5%.

But what about the Legal profession, traditionally one of the most ‘robust’ sectors and apparently immune from economic woes? Isn’t this a relatively recession-proof perennial harvester of good talent - and what can be expected in 2012?

We asked Steve McNally of Equality Law to give an overview of who is recruiting across the sector in 2012.

“It’s fair to say that in comparative terms, the legal world has held up well as a recruiter of talent post-2008 ‘meltdown’. Certainly, all the usual suspects, from the ‘Magic Circle’ to national networks, regional specialists and single-location firms are recruiting in some shape and form in the coming year. Look at specialist recruitment sites and there are over 1,000 firms nationwide currently offering training contracts to graduates, as well as 200+ Barrister sets offering pupillage. Add to that the large raft of work placement schemes and paralegal positions - and it’s clear that there is a great deal of opportunity on the horizon in 2012.”

“That said, competition for places remains as high as ever, which is why people coming into the legal profession must remember that it’s a many-sided entity; they must choose the path that’s right for them. This sector is populated by an immense variety of firms and barrister sets, each of which can differ quite widely, not just in terms of location and client base, but also working culture and, of course, legal specialism.”

Wider Access & Diversity
For some time there’s been a growing movement in the legal profession to create a more diverse workforce. For 2012, this has led to a large number of diversity projects and access schemes, designed to ensure that law is a possible career for every member of society. Inevitably the main focus has been on finding work experience in law firms and barristers’ chambers for school and undergraduate students. All of the firms and barristers mentioned are actively recruiting graduates in 2012, as well as offering wider access and opportunities through the following schemes:

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO)
SEO offers high quality mentoring and finds summer internships for outstanding penultimate year undergraduates from ethnic minority groups currently under-represented in the City. Big name firms such as Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Eversheds, Herbert Smith, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Simmons & Simmons, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Ashurt and Winston & Strawn LLP sponsor the scheme, which also covers banks, professional services and technology and programming. The non-profit organisation has an impressive success rate: more than 80% of SEO interns eventually secure a full-time position with a sponsoring firm. Corporate law interns have access to senior partners at all sponsoring firms, can complete multiple placements, receive more than 60 hours of training and will be allocated a personal mentor.

Social Mobility Foundation (SMF)
This ambitiously broad, innovative charity seeks to place high-achieving A-level students from low income backgrounds in placements with major private and public sector institutions. Geoffrey Vos QC, chairman of the group, says the SMF tries to "find ways of bridging the gap between clever students from poor background becoming interested in achieving a high-level career, and actually getting into that high-level career". Sponsors include top law firms such as Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters.

Black Lawyers’ Directory (BLD)
BLD was formed in 2006 to promote diversity within the legal profession and provide a forum for networking. BLD currently has two initiatives for young people within its Legal Gateway Scheme. Law and non-law undergraduates benefit from the Legal Launch Pad programme. The selected students attend various training sessions that include mock interviews and at least one week's work experience at a sponsoring organisation. Sponsors of the Legal Gateway Programme include: A&O, Beachcroft, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, No5 Chambers, Olswang, Shoosmiths, Slaughter and May and White & Case. The selected students attend various training sessions that include mock interviews and at least one week’s work experience at a sponsoring organisation.

“Opening Doors, Breaking down Barriers.”
In April 2011 a government-initiated, social mobility initiative entitled "Opening Doors, Breaking down Barriers" was announced. Allen & Overy was the first firm to sign up to it, promising to offer internships (or work placement places) to young people from deprived backgrounds.

With all of these schemes in place and the strong number of available vacancies on simplylawjobs.com, it seems that in 2012, the legal sector will be a very exciting place indeed.

Picture by umjanedoan

Law graduate jobs are the crucial first step in starting your law career and graduate legal jobs can sometimes be tricky to find but this guide is here to help you find jobs in law and start your career. Graduate legal jobs can be in high demand but there are some things that can be done to improve your chances, read on to find out more. Finding Graduate Legal Jobs

• The first thing you need to do before looking for law graduate jobs is decide on which area of law you wish to specialise as this will have an effect on your search for jobs in law. You need to write an excellent CV that really catches the employer’s eye when searching for graduate legal jobs; make sure you fully emphasize your skills and what you can bring to jobs in law.

• Graduate legal jobs are in short supply and an excellent way of making yourself more desirable to suppliers of jobs in law is to undertake as much work experience as you can during your university studies as this will give you an extra edge over other people looking for law graduate jobs.

• It may sound obvious but make sure you do your absolute best during your studies to get the best grade possible as this will make a difference. It is also a good idea to stay in touch with lecturers as these people may be able to help you find jobs in law. Starting your search for graduate legal jobs before you leave university is a very good idea.

• When applying for graduate legal jobs, you will also need to write a cover letter and this is very important as it is the first chance that employers will get to make up their mind. Make sure that your cover letter emphasizes your skills and qualities and what you can bring to these jobs in law.

• Those looking for graduate legal jobs need to be motivated and willing to work hard. All jobs in law need the individual to be able to work as part of a team and on their own as well as being excellent and communicating with people.

• Searching in as many places as you can for law graduate jobs will be advantageous and you can search for lots of graduate legal jobs here on Simply Law Jobs. The average salary for law graduate jobs can vary but will be in the region of £13k-£18k per year.

Legal trainee jobs are essential to people who are looking to progress their law career and there is only so much that can be taught through qualifications; real world experience has to take over at some point and legal trainee jobs are the best way to gain this experience. If you want to know more about legal trainee jobs, read on. Legal Trainee Jobs Info

• To branch out on your own in legal jobs you need some sort of experience and it is actually a requirement to gain the relevant qualifications that you undertake legal trainee jobs for a specified amount of time. If you are interested in barrister legal jobs, this will be in the form of a 1 year pupillage, solicitor legal jobs require 2 years of working and to be a legal executive, you will require 5 years of experience.

• To get legal trainee jobs you will need to have all the correct qualifications including a degree in a relevant subject (most likely law) and things such as the LPC for solicitors and the BVC for barrister legal jobs. Depending on your intended specialism, you need to be start looking for potential legal practices to start your trainee legal job.

• Legal trainee jobs will require you to shadow a barrister, solicitor or legal executive and generally assist in any way. You will attend meetings with clients, help prepare cases and undertake general administrative tasks. The experienced learned in trainee legal jobs is invaluable and as you progress in this legal job, you will take on more responsibilities.

• Legal trainee jobs can be in extremely high demand and providers of these legal jobs will look for people who have performed well in their studies, are motivated and prepared to work hard, have good communicative skills, have a smart appearance and most importantly, are willing to learn.

• There are things that can be done to set yourself apart from the crowd when applying for trainee legal jobs; undertaking work experience whilst at university is an excellent way of getting ahead and gaining that extra edge.

You can search for legal trainee jobs here on Simply Law Jobs.

Legal secretary jobs can entail a whole range of different responsibilities. These jobs in law are in place to provide administrative and secretarial support to legal professionals. A law job like this can be extremely interesting and varied. See the following legal jobs description for more information about this role. Duties of Legal Secretary Jobs •    Typing letters, legal documents and reports up •    Answering calls and dealing with post •    Transcribing •    Arranging appointments, travel and functions •    Keeping records and accounts •    Proofreading legal letters and documents •    Going to court cases, meetings with clients and police stations to take notes Legal Job Description – Working Environment Standard office hours are generally worked in these jobs in law, with some part-time work available too. The work is largely based in a law firm. This law job involves desk work and a lot is done on a computer. Legal Secretary Jobs – Skills Required •    Typing and computer skills •    Good organisation •    Excellent English language •    Accuracy •    Attention to detail •    Interest in law Salary This law job can start on a fairly average wage of around £13,000. However, with progression and years of experience you could find yourself earning up to £37,000 per year.

Jobs in law can be fairly varied and do not all require years of costly training. The role of the court usher is an extremely important one as this person has duties to maintain the smooth running of a case among other responsibilities. Working in numerous types of cases and circumstances, this law job is in place to ensure that all people involved in a hearing are in the right places at the correct times. See the following legal job description for more information on the court usher role. Usher Law Job Responsibilities •    The duties of this position generally include: •    Ensuring the courtroom is prepared for a hearing •    Duties at reception •    Calling witnesses and defendants into court •    Administering oaths •    Swearing in jurors •    Labelling evidence and then handing them to the jury or judge •    Communicating messages between lawyers and court clerk •    Keeping public areas disciplined and under control •    Clerical duties •    Ensuring that nobody approaches the jury •    Clearing up court and chambers Legal Job Description – Court Usher Working Environment The hours for these jobs in law are usually between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, these hours could be extended depending on the case and you could even be required to stay in a hotel with jurors. The work takes place in courtrooms, offices and reception desks. Dark clothes and gowns are worn in court. An usher can earn between £12,700 and £15,400 per year. Usher Law Job Skills Required •    To successfully work in a job like this the candidate must: •    Be confident and firm in all situations •    Speak clearly and loudly •    Be accurate •    Be interested in the law Entry There are no specific qualifications needed for this law job. However, A-C grades in GCSEs are normally required. Training takes place on the job and can last for about a year. Promotions are possible to become a supervising usher or other higher jobs in law.