Quarter of aspiring lawyers 'would have considered apprentice route'

Almost a quarter of aspiring lawyers would have considered taking a non-university route into the profession, a survey has revealed today. Over 1,000 law students and graduates took part in The Aspiring Lawyer Survey.

When applying to law firms location was listed as the most important factor, with 87 per cent of respondents to the survey choosing it as the top consideration.

Salary played a less important role in firm application, according to the 1,023 respondents, who ranked it the fourth most important consideration. Practice areas came second (85.67 per cent) and firm reputation came ahead of salary at third (85.67 per cent).

When asked how they research potential job opportunities, respondents listed Google as their top resource, with 65 per cent choosing it above their university careers service (32.9 per cent) or law fairs (40.7 per cent).

While only 5 per cent listed Twitter as a source for information, when asked how law firms could improve their reach to the best graduates some suggested presence on social media sites and trainee blogs.

Early outreach was another suggestion, in the form of summer schools or courses for A-level students. Over half of law students (51.2 per cent) said they start researching law firms as early as during their first year.

Law firm brand awareness was mixed among respondents. When asked if they could name five firms off the top of their heads, Magic Circle firms were the most frequently named; Allen & Overy were named 314 times, ahead of Clifford Chance, Slaughter & May and Linklaters. Eversheds however was also identified regularly by students at 143 mentions, just seven less than Freshfields.

The survey was conducted by AllAboutLaw.co.uk in partnership with Thomson Reuters. The online panel was completed by users between February and March 2013. 60 per cent were undergraduate law students, 22 per cent were postgraduate law students, while the remaining 18 per cent had completed other degrees.