A decision made...

So I guess I haven’t done well in keeping by blawg up-to-date recently. For that, I apologise. Basically I have had a lot on my plate. Big decisions to make; different legal experiences to complete; and, of course, lots of enjoyable summer reading to do.

Regular readers of my blog will recall that I was a late applicant for a place on the BVC. For a long time, I simply believed that I wanted to be a commercial solicitor and blindly went about trying to secure a training contract. This Summer I did a vacation scheme at an international commercial law firm. I also completed my first mini-pupillage. I finally decided to take a year out. My intention is to commence the BVC in September 2009. I am not completely sure what I will do in the meantime. I will endeavour to complete more mini-pupillages. I should probably find some gainful employment somewhere which could either be a useful addition to my C.V. or, more likely, helpful in paying the BVC fees.

This was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make. Looking back now, I feel there was a period whilst at university where I should have been more forward-thinking like many of my peers. When you consider how much law students at the same institution talk amongst themselves about their future career plans, it is quite shocking how I have been able to delay giving even a small amount of thought to what I want to do after university. I ask you to forget though, dearest blogreader, how late I came to the party and instead to rejoice in the fact that I turned up at all.

I should add a note of appreciation for some of the other bloggers whose blogs have been useful in helping me come to this decision. Through reading your blogs and understanding the difficult journey to becoming a barrister has been very, very helpful. Its not just the particular details of what it is you are doing and how you feel about it that has been helpful, it’s the fact that you chose to pursue a career in a profession that is notoriously difficult to enter into. As someone who blindly accepted a potential legal career as a commercial solicitor because of the obvious perks and supposedly glamorous lifestyle, I do value the determination and passion that someone who is looking for a career as a barrister needs. Beyond any other means, it has been through reading many of your blogs (especially those listed down the side of this blog) that I begun to understand this.

Actual experience of the different sides of the profession has been very helpful too. In short, I absolutely hated the two week vacation placement that I did at a commercial law firm. In contrast, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the time that I spent on a mini-pupillage. I loved every minute of the time I spent at chambers and in different courts I visited. At the end of the vacation scheme I was on, a fellow student asked me:

“So, Lackie, what was your favourite part of the scheme?”
I thought about some of the fantastic individuals I had met at the firm: the partners and associates who did their best to involve me in the deals they were working on and the trainee solicitors who went out of their way to ensure that I enjoyed the two weeks I spent at the firm.
After thinking for a while, I replied:
“Well, I thought visiting a Court on Monday to observe that commercial case and have a chat with a Judge in his chambers was the highlight. How about yourself?”

What can I say? I told the truth and really that was when I realised that I’d finally found something I felt good pursuing. A career as a barrister, that is.

Celebrating Success

I was on a train today. Don't worry, I had a table in front of me and so was able to continue working on my dissertation on my laptop. Sat opposite me was a woman (Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile); aged somewhere between mid-late twenties, I would say. What did manage to divert my attention away from working on my dissertation was a series of conversations that she had on her mobile. Thankfully, none of them began: "Oh, hello darling, I've just gotten on the train, I'll be home soon". I really don't understand why people have to make such phone calls all the time. I mean: if its a journey that you make quite frequently (usually to-and-from the place of work) what is the point? Such conversations are only necessary when things aren't going to plan: "Hello Darling, I'm afraid I didn't get off work till late. You're going to have to pick up the kids; feed them; clean them; read to them". These conversations I completely understand.

Anyway, Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile had been at a job interview and was offered the job! Her first conversation was to, what I presume was her back-up option. "Oh Hello, this is Miss Puffy-cheeks speaking. I'm just calling to let you know that I will not be attending the interview I have scheduled with you....because I've just had an interview now and been offered the job". Now, I would have thought Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile would have chosen a slightly different choice of words with her back-up prospective employer. Such as: "My name is Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile, I recently applied to your firm for __________ position. I am just calling to let you know that I am no longer interested in pursuing this position and would like my application to be withdrawn".

By the way, this was a conversation that I think most of the carriage was listening too. Everybody was sharing in the excitement: looking up from reading their newspapers/books etc - especially when it first became clear that Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile was so ecstatic because she had been successful at a job interview. There were, however, only two people who were close to her: me and another guy (who was, I would say, in his mid-forties but was working his way through what seemed like a Mathematics examination paper). So, I thought to myself (and I think the 45-year-old mathematician must have thought this too) should I too congratulate Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile when she hangs up the phone? May be I could even determine which sector she worked in - annoyingly, this was difficult to tell.

There was no time for that, however. Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile ended that conversation and then began the next one.

Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile's next phone call was to her Grandmother, bless. Grandma Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile (if it is to be assumed that her good looks were inherited. I can never tell but it didn't look like she had a lot/any make-up on (not even, surprisingly, lipstick; though her pretty puffy-cheeks was plenty snoggable)). Turns out Grandma Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile was recently in hospital for an operation of some sort. Nuff said. Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile inquired about her health post-operation and then gave the big news.

So, the point of detailing this brief encounter between myself (a Lacklustre Lawyer) and Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile was because I got wondering about my own successes and how I went about disclosing them to my family and friends. In particular, I was thinking that if I was in the same position as Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile, would I also have these very public conversations on the journey back home? Truth be told: I don't think I would. I'd be more secretive. Especially, if my success ran the same course that passing my driving test did. For that one, after I passed, I didn't tell anyone I had passed. No one. I had, however, told everyone about each of the times I failed (quite numerous). My thinking was: one day they will ask me "Have you passed your test yet, Lacklustre Driver?" And I could say: "Oh yes; of course I have. Errr, it was a while back now. Let me think.....no I can't remember its been too long now".

Listening to Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile on the train, I can't help but think that I wish I was more public and open about my successes (as strangely I am with my failures). Its just with standards so high - in part set by myself - I just don't feel I take in just how much I have accomplished sometimes. Instead, I am always wanting more and more and more. I turn my attention to the next challenge and then drive myself insane going after that. Thing is and Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile brought this to my attention, its always good to enjoy successes when you can, so you don't have to when you can't.

Broadly thinking: perhaps my ambition to pursue a career at the Bar is a direct result of not wanting to just be another solicitor. I don't doubt that all solicitors are not the same; my point is: perhaps I am interested in the game (pursuing a pupillage/tenancy) rather than the cause itself (representing and doing good for clients). There is an established adage that expresses that feeling better but, for the life of me, I can't think of it.

Anyway, Miss Puffy-cheeks with a nice smile, where ever you are: Congratulations on the job offer and thanks for the lesson.

The Race against Time

As is to be expected in the final week of my Easter holidays, I am steadily labouring away at revision of various topics and subjects and working to complete my dissertation on time.

The dissertation is worth quite a substantial part of this year's marks but I'm really trying to ensure that I am adequately prepared for my exams too. It is difficult; but this will all be made easier when the dissertation deadline passes, I've recovered from celebrating what will be a short-lived achievement and I'll be able to give exam preparation the attention it deserves.

Having decided to apply for the BVC, I am having to fill in all sorts of forms at considerable speed. This, whilst simultaneously having to perform all sorts of calculations of risk, benefits and money that come with such an important decision. To give you a taster:

- Now that any opportunity of securing a scholarship has passed, do I feel comfortable funding the BVC myself?
- How sure am I that I will enjoy the BVC?
- Which BVC provider and location is my first choice? What are its ratings and reputation like? (Can't seem to find this information anywhere)
- How sure am I that I will do well on the BVC?
- What are my chances of securing pupillage?
- How many pupillage application cycles before I say 'enough is enough'?
- Just how old will I be before I start working? Do I feel comfortable with that?
- What if, after doing well on the Vacation schemes in the Summer, I find myself comforted by the job security that becoming a solicitor involves and accept a training contract offer instead? As I will have two years before the training contract commences will I be able to: (i) complete the BVC (ii) have a shot at securing pupillage (iii) realise that its not going to happen and quickly do the QLTT before commencing a training contract?

I'm planning on submitting my BVC application as soon as possible really - this week I intended. In addition to answering these questions, I will also, as I mentioned in a previous post, have to consider my final degree classification and my mini-pupillage experience. So really I'm not having to make the final decision as soon as I think but its hard not thinking these things anyway!

My Career Dilemma

As I am coming towards the end of my Easter holidays - only one week left now - I am thinking about the things that I haven't crossed off my to-do list yet. Revision and the dissertation seem to be going steady; not too slow, not too fast either. With my dissertation deadline only a few weeks away now, I imagine that I will be concentrating my efforts on it, just to make sure that it is of the highest standard possible.

So now, I am turning my attention to considering what I will be doing in September and beyond. In my to-do list, I raised the question: LPC? BVC? LLM?

As I am considering what to do in September, I can safely cross LLM off my list. LLM applications for, I think, all universities needed to have been submitted right at the beginning of this year. This is not to say that I won't be doing an LLM in the future - just not in the near future. Ideally, this would have been the best option for two reasons. I am interested in studying for an LLM and it perhaps would have been advantageous to do it hot-on-the-heels of my undergraduate course. Secondly, and more importantly, it would have provided an extra year in which to plan ahead and consider which career route I wanted to take.

Well I am still very much interested in a career at the Bar and from what I can tell, I can still submit an application for entry onto the BVC in September through the pooling option. The deadline for applying through the pooling system is mid-July. Before that though, I need to have joined an Inn. I have been looking at the course content of the BVC and it seems far more appreciable than the LPC.

Speaking of the LPC, I have gotten offers from some providers to commence the LPC in September. I still have time - enough time, I think - to decide whether its really what I want to do before the offers get withdrawn.

So in all, a rather unsatisfactory position. I've said right now that I want to consider, as best as possible, whether pursuing a career at the Bar is for me but I don't think that is going to be possible over these holidays. I thought there were two important considerations that I still needed to consider. Firstly, and most importantly, my final degree classification. Secondly, my mini-pupillage experience to be completed over the Summer. That is not the case though, as the dates of my mini-pupillage are after the final pooling deadline for admission onto the BVC.

Accordingly, at least for the purposes of a 2008 application, the most important thing that I have to go on - on whether the Bar is really for me - is my degree classification. Now, my thoughts on this are a bit more finalised. From what I can tell, academic grades are an important part of selection for pupillages etc. A high 2.I or a 1st overall might therefore swing me in favour of applying for the BVC. A mid 2.I or a low 2.I might prevent me from doing so.

All of the above reasoning is done through thinking in the short-term and perhaps this is wrong. What I mean is, right now, I am not thinking about my chances of securing pupillage which is what I imagine most people applying for the BVC are doing. My real current concern is that I won't enjoy the LPC and if I was to do it I'd continuously be looking back and thinking: should I have done the BVC instead? I have looked at the course content for both and I have to say the BVC interests me so much more. I'd really like the opportunity to find out just how good I am at advocacy, negotiation and writing etc.

Whist the deadline for admission onto the BVC might still be a while away, I guess its preferable to submit the application as soon as possible because it is the 'pooling' period through which I will now be applying. I actually can't understand the reason why places have not been filled up already - did that many applicants in the first round decide not to enrol on the BVC?

Anyway, I would be very interested in hearing any thoughts and ideas anyone may have regarding my position. Especially if someone has spotted a mistake in what I am saying!

The Apprentice: Solicitors 2, Barristers 0

As someone who has wondered what it would be like for a lawyer to appear on the BBC's 'Apprentice' and has pondered on how long they would last in the boardroom with Sir Alan Sugar (SAS), last night's start to the latest series was very interesting indeed for me.

What made it even better for me, was the fact that he was a trainee barrister! Hurrah for another source of information from which I will be able to decide whether I want to pursue a career as a barrister!

At the begninning of the show after SAS set the task, I immediately thought: the mens team was going to lose. I thought the women would be better prepared to deal with fish and that they would be better sales assistants. And so it dawned: it was becoming increasingly likely that young barrister Nicholas would have to be involved in a confrontation with SAS in the boardroom. Yes! An opportunity to see him use his strong arguing and negotiating skills and, dare I say, perhaps the odd reference to a court convention on dealing with cases.

Well, we got something very different and unforseen, didn't we?

On the positive side:

- after young Nicholas was fired, he made that reference to the fact that if he was defending himslef in court, he would have applied to the court to have the case struck out on the basis that there was no case to answer Yeeesss!

- in a rather hap-hazard fashion, he tried to rely on precedent, didn't he?!
'Sir Alan [Your Lordship], are you aware of the case: Shilpa Shetty v. Big Brother & Jade Goody [2007]? As your Lordship will be able to observe, the claimant in that case was successful in claiming racial harassment against the reality TV show 'Big Brother' and another contestant in it. This can be likened to the present case in which the claimant who is considerably more clever than the yourself and of course his fellow contestants (your Lordship will appreciate my almost perfect academic record - forget anomalous 'B' in GCSE French, the teacher sucked) is similarly being discriminated againist, comprendez?

On the negative side:

- he had the people skills of a stuffed animal

- you can tell that this was a person who has spent a huge part of his life trying to be someone that he isn't

- he uses his, otherwise highly commendable, academic achievements to disguise the fact that he knows and can do considerably less than he says he knows and can do

You know, I'm not entirely convinced that this guy is a trainee barrister. I think he is a con-artist. Quite literally! His website suggests that he is a very talented artist. I think he faked his C.V. to get on the Apprentice and was hoping for a crash-and-burn exit so that he could attract more people to his art exhibitions when they would subsequently try searching for him on the internet.

Anyway, that makes it Solicitors 1 Barristers 0, so far. A Nicholas own-goal if you will.

The best negotiating that I saw last night was when half of the men's team visited a solicitor firm and tried to sell fish there. I thought the solicitor was very good at being clear of the price that we was willing to purchase the fish at. And I loved how he just grabbed hold of his oppoent's hand and started fiercely pumping it whilst telling him the terms of their agreement: '£50, do you hear me? £50 for the whole lot! Not £120. Not £100. Just £50! Do we have a deal? GOOD!'

So there we have it: Solicitors 2 Barristers 0.