Newly qualifieds flying the nest

The retention rate of trainees is a key factor for students in deciding which firm to apply to for a training contract. For the larger firms, retention rates are publicised across the legal media. As retention rates for autumn qualifiers start to trickle in, it would be insightful to describe the qualification process in today’s climate and look beyond the headline retention figures.

The process of qualifying from a trainee to a newly qualified solicitor (NQ) is a daunting concept for any trainee. There is plenty of guidance available for a training contract application, from how to complete an application form to how to perform well at an assessment day. In respect of the qualification process to NQ, guidance is sparse. Each firm has its own process, which can vary significantly, particularly if you are competing against another trainee for a role.

Further, it is likely to be the first time in your career that you engage recruitment firms rather than making applications directly to law firms, which in itself brings certain challenges.

Moreover, as a trainee it is inevitable that you form a bond, almost a camaraderie, with your fellow trainees. The qualification process may demand that you go into direct competition with a fellow trainee for a specific role, causing that camaraderie to splinter.

Whether you are offered an NQ role at the firm you trained with can depend on a number of elements outside a trainee’s control. The timing of your qualification, the budget allocation for the department you would like to qualify into, and the qualification levels of the people in that department can all play a role, and this is not an exhaustive list of elements by any means.

However well a trainee has performed during their training contract, it is sometimes not economically feasible to offer a role to a trainee in a department that is simply not busy. Equally, is it fair on the trainee to enter a role where they will be sitting and twiddling their thumbs?

The qualification process can be a stressful period for some; there is no safety net of ‘I can apply next year’, as there is when applying for training contracts. For those that want to stay at the firm they trained with, being offered an NQ role feels like a weight off one’s shoulders (particularly if the offer is made early on).

Others may take the risk that a role in their favoured area of law is worth seeking and it is not worth settling for anything else. I admire those trainees who, after years of studying, training, and sacrifice, have the courage of their convictions and fly the nest of their training contract provider. SJ

Natasza Slater is a trainee at Howard Kennedy