Thinking about a career in law naturally raises some big questions: what makes a good lawyer, and how do you actually become one? While certain qualifications and personal skills are essential, there’s another crucial piece of the puzzle — gaining practical experience.
Law work experience doesn’t just help you understand the practicalities of the legal sector — it also strengthens your applications to law schools, training contracts, or pupillage. From simple shadowing opportunities in Year 10 to competitive vacation schemes for university students, every work experience matters.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different types of law work experience, why it matters, explain who each opportunity is best suited for, and give you practical tips on how to find and make the most of them.
Why Law Work Experience Matters
Law is a competitive field, and strong grades alone aren’t enough to secure a place at university or progress towards a training contract or pupillage. Work experience helps you stand out by showing that you understand the profession, have explored your options, and started building relevant skills.
While practical experience is mandatory to qualify as a barrister or a chartered legal executive, qualifying as a solicitor can be more flexible. That said, entering the profession with experience already under your belt gives you a strong advantage and can open up more opportunities after graduation.
Here are some of the key reasons why law work experience is so valuable:
Strengthens Your University Application
Universities look for candidates who can demonstrate genuine interest and commitment. In addition to wider reading, real-world experience can make your personal statement and interview answers really stand out. That being said, simply listing what you did isn’t enough. Instead, reflect on what you learned, what challenged you, and how the experience confirmed/shaped your ambitions in law. Keeping a short reflective journal during your placement will make it much easier to draw on these insights when it comes to writing or interviewing.
Develops Key Skills
Gaining work experience early gives you the chance to develop key skills that competent lawyers are known for. From clear communication and teamwork to research and problem-solving, these abilities take time and practice to master. The more varied your experiences, the stronger and more confident you’ll become in using them.
Builds Your Professional Network
Work experience puts you in direct contact with lawyers, barristers, and other legal professionals. These connections can offer guidance, share insider knowledge, and even lead to future opportunities. Building your network early not only boosts your confidence but also gives you a head start in navigating the legal profession.
Helps You Explore Different Law Paths
Law offers more than one route, and the paths of solicitor and barrister can feel very different in practice. Work experience lets you see what each role involves day to day, so you can make a more informed decision about which direction suits your skills, interests, and ambitions.
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Types of Law Work Experience Opportunities
Law work experience comes in many forms — from shadowing and virtual programmes to structured internships and vacation schemes, each type offers its own benefits and is suited to different stages of your legal journey. The key is to keep an open mind and explore a variety of opportunities, as every experience will give you new insights and skills.
Here’s a closer look at some of the available options:
Court Visits & Shadowing
One of the simplest ways to gain early exposure to the legal world is by visiting your local court or shadowing a legal professional. Court visits allow you to see how hearings are conducted, observe barristers in action, and understand how the justice system works in practice. You can find scheduled cases on the Crown or County Court’s website, or by contacting the court staff.
Shadowing a solicitor or barrister gives you a closer look at the day-to-day responsibilities of legal professionals, from client meetings to case preparation. These opportunities are often short and informal, making them ideal for school students who are just starting to explore law. Shadowing opportunities can be found through your family and friends circle or by contacting small local law firms directly.
Law Insight Days
Law insight days are short workshops or open days, usually lasting one day, designed to give students a taste of life inside a law firm or chambers. They often include office tours, talks from lawyers, skills workshops, and the chance to ask questions about the profession.
These opportunities are particularly popular with Year 12 and Year 13 students who are beginning to think about university applications. They’re also useful for first-year undergraduates who want to explore career paths early on.
Insight days may be competitive, but they’re an excellent way to show interest in law, gain first-hand exposure to the working environment, and start building your CV. They can also help you make a positive impression on firms you might apply to later for internships or vacation schemes.
Volunteering & Pro Bono Work
Not all valuable law experience comes from big firms or structured schemes. Volunteering allows you to contribute to your community while developing skills that are highly relevant to a legal career. For school students, this could mean helping at local organisations. University students and graduates can get involved in law clinics, legal charities, or pro bono projects run by their universities, where they assist real clients under supervision.
Pro bono work, in particular, involves providing free legal support to people who might otherwise be unable to access it. Opportunities can often be found through organisations such as Citizens Advice or the Free Representation Unit (FRU).
Virtual Law Work Experience and Job Simulations
Virtual law work experience offers a flexible way to gain insight into the legal profession from anywhere. These online programmes often include interactive tasks, case studies, and guided modules designed by law firms or organisations, giving participants a realistic view of what legal work involves.
Virtual placements are ideal for school students who may not have local access to law firms, as well as university students and graduates looking to supplement their experience. They can also help you develop key skills such as legal research, drafting, and problem-solving, which are highly valued by universities and employers alike.
Some popular platforms offering virtual experiences and job simulations include Forage and law firm-specific programmes. Completing these experiences can strengthen your CV, personal statement, and interview performance while allowing you to explore different areas of law.
Vacation Schemes
Vacation schemes are structured work placements offered by law firms, usually lasting two to four weeks, and are a key route to securing a training contract. They give students a chance to experience the day-to-day work of a solicitor, including client meetings, legal research, and drafting documents, while also participating in networking and social events within the firm.
These schemes are typically aimed at university students in their penultimate year, although some firms may offer opportunities for first-year students to gain early exposure. They are competitive, so strong applications and careful preparation are essential.
Completing a vacation scheme not only helps you understand the realities of a legal career but also allows you to demonstrate your skills, commitment, and enthusiasm to potential employers. Many firms use performance during a scheme as a key factor when deciding who to offer a training contract.
Law Internships
Law internships are longer-term placements, usually lasting a few weeks to several months, that give students and graduates hands-on experience within a law firm, in-house legal team, or legal organisation. They provide a deeper insight into legal work than shorter placements, allowing you to contribute to real cases, conduct research, draft documents, and gain practical skills under supervision.
Internships are ideal for university students looking to enhance their CVs and explore different areas of law before committing to a specific career path. Graduates who haven’t yet secured a training contract can also benefit from internships to gain experience and make valuable professional connections.
By completing a law internship, you not only develop practical skills but also demonstrate commitment and initiative – qualities that are highly regarded by employers.
Mini-Pupillages
Mini-pupillages are short placements, usually lasting one to five days, that give aspiring barristers the opportunity to shadow barristers in chambers. During a mini-pupillage, you might observe hearings, attend client meetings, and see how barristers prepare and present cases.
These placements are especially valuable for law students and graduates considering a career at the Bar, as they provide first-hand insight into the day-to-day life of a barrister and help you understand whether this path suits you. Completing multiple mini-pupillages can also strengthen applications for full pupillages, giving you practical experience and evidence of commitment.
Landing a mini-pupillage can be highly competitive, so your chances improve if you can clearly demonstrate that becoming a barrister is your chosen career path and explain why it suits your skills and interests.
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is a compulsory requirement for anyone qualifying as a solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route. You need to complete two years’ worth of experience, which can be gained in up to four different organisations.
Unlike traditional training contracts, QWE is highly flexible and can include a wide range of roles — such as paralegal work, volunteering at a law clinic, pro bono projects, or even placements in law firms. This flexibility allows students to tailor their experience to their interests while still meeting the criteria set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Logging QWE as you go, rather than leaving it until after graduation, can help ease the transition into your legal career.
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Tips for Making The Most of Your Law Work Experience
Work experience in law is all about broadening your skills, exploring career paths, and showing real commitment to law. Here are some of our expert tips to maximise your opportunities:
Take Part in Debating and Mooting
While these don’t technically count as formal work experience, debating and mooting can give you invaluable practice in core legal skills. Debating helps sharpen your public speaking, logical reasoning, and ability to think on your feet.
Mooting — a simulated court hearing where you argue a legal problem before a judge — develops your advocacy and legal research skills. Both activities are offered by the majority of universities and help demonstrate initiative.
Join Law Societies
Most universities (and even some schools) run law societies, which offer networking opportunities, guest lectures, workshops, and access to competitions like moots or mock trials. Being an active member not only shows commitment but also helps you connect with peers and professionals who can support your journey into law.
Seek Variety in Experience
It’s easy to focus only on traditional opportunities like internships or vacation schemes, but variety is what sets candidates apart. Combine formal placements with volunteering, insight days, and pro bono projects to get a more rounded understanding of the legal profession. A diverse portfolio of experiences allows you to discover what area of law suits you best and makes applications and interviews much more compelling.
Reflect and Connect
Take time to reflect on what you learned. Record examples of skills developed, challenges faced, and insights gained. Then, connect the dots between these experiences to show a clear progression in your journey toward law.
Conclusion
Law work experience comes in many different shapes and sizes — from short court visits to competitive vacation schemes and internships. Each opportunity adds something valuable, whether it’s developing practical skills, building confidence, or helping you discover which legal career path is right for you. The key is to start early, explore a variety of options, and reflect on what you’ve learned so you can demonstrate genuine commitment in your applications and interviews.
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FAQs
1. Do I need work experience to study law at university?
Not strictly – most universities don’t require it. However, having law-related work experience (even informal shadowing or volunteering) to talk about in your personal statement and during your interviews shows commitment to the subject and can potentially give you a competitive edge over other applicants who don’t have any.
2. How can I get law work experience with no connections?
Start small: contact local firms, courts, or Citizens Advice centres directly. Many law firms also advertise insight days and virtual experiences online. Don’t underestimate the value of debating, mooting, or volunteering, which are often more accessible.
3. When should I start applying for vacation schemes or internships?
Vacation schemes are usually aimed at penultimate-year university students, with applications opening around autumn. However, some firms run insight days or first-year schemes, so it’s worth checking opportunities as early as your first year.
4. How many mini-pupillages should I do?
There’s no set number, but completing several mini-pupillages (at least 3–4 across different chambers) can demonstrate serious commitment to a career at the Bar and help you compare practice areas.
5. Does virtual law work experience actually count?
Yes – virtual law programmes won’t replace in-person placements, but they still develop useful skills and look good on applications. They also show initiative and a proactive approach to learning about the profession.
