During my training contract in 2019 I had brought to my attention a firm’s job advert for two paralegals.
The requirements for these full-time positions in the City of London included being ready to travel nationally and having completed the Legal Practice Course. The salary? £12,000.
I brought up this below-minimum-wage job with what was then the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division executive committee (now the Junior Solicitors Network (JSN) and the national Junior Lawyers Division (JLD)).
The JLD chair took action and I am glad to say that the ad was taken down – at least one desperate aspiring lawyer was spared an exploitative employer. Since then, I have not seen below-minimum-wage jobs advertised on that legal jobs directory.
On a side note, the website of the firm in question was laughably bad. The first and last sentences on its home page said: ‘Whether you are looking for a leading firm of lawyers to advise and fight your corner from scratch, or you seek a top firm… we have both the seasoned experience and authoritative expertise to get you the best possible outcome for your case.’
So far, so predictable. The egregious part was the small print: ‘Terms such as “best” and “top” and “leading” are used for [search engine optimisation] purposes, and we make no express or implied representation that we are the “top”, “best” or “leading” lawyers in any area of law”.’
The firm in question no longer exists, but the incident is a reminder of the issues that aspiring and junior solicitors can face when progressing through the legal profession. On this occasion, it came from a firm that seemed to know less about ‘express and implied representation’ than most law graduates.
More than a few bad actors
However, it would be a mistake to think that poor behaviour is limited to a few bad actors who set up their own firms.
This was one junior lawyer’s experience some years ago at a large national firm: ‘I was interviewing for a promotion in a law firm and was quite excited by a field of law I had never really considered. I applied for the role in the expectation that it would be a step to a training contract. I was prepared, got an interview, and sat down with the partner who asked me what my goals were in my career. Naturally, I told him I wanted to qualify.
‘I was then completely taken aback when he said that he didn’t want that, he wanted someone who was going to stick around long-term and help him out. He did not want to deal with the staff turnover.
‘I therefore didn’t get the job. I was quite shocked that I was not supposed to have ambition in my career at 26 years old.’
It is fascinating what some people think is acceptable to say during an interview. In this case, the candidate bounced back and found a significantly more supportive employer.
For my part, I have been particularly pleased to support a junior solicitor who was being pressured by a partner to lie to clients. The case went to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, where the partner was sanctioned. I especially encourage those looking to change employers to check how many cases any prospective employer has had at the SDT and whether they involved mistreatment.
Examples from others active in supporting junior lawyers range from sexual harassment, to some law firms’ questionable requirement to work two full-time jobs in order to maintain the same billable hours targets while you are on an in-house secondment (yes firms, your clients’ in-house counsel do notice when your seconded employees are constantly yawning).
Situations I have not been involved in but am aware of include various forms of bullying in the workplace and, memorably, an HR manager who brought up a junior lawyer’s physical disability regarding whether they should be promoted, as opposed to what the firm could do to help the employee do their best possible work.
Fight not flight
There are six Law Society Council members for junior solicitors (0-6 years’ PQE). We are there to represent and promote your interests on the Law Society Council, but also, along with the JSN/JLD – which can be contacted via juniorlawyers@lawsociety.org.uk – we can signpost you to support.
I hope the above examples are helpful not only in explaining my motivation, but also to demonstrate the range of issues which people are getting help with, qualified or otherwise.
Martin Whitehorn is a Law Society Council member for junior solicitors (0-6 years’ PQE). All views expressed are personal and not made on behalf of the Law Society
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