Web site for trainees aims to speed up job-seeking process

Law students will no longer have to write endless applications for training contracts if a new Web site, pioneered by Manchester law firm Mark Goodwin & Co, is successful.The Web site, to be called www.traineesolicitors.com, will be of general educational use for law students and trainees, with hypertext links to other educational and research Web sites.

But the firm is also planning a search engine to enable those seeking training contracts to put their curriculum vitae on-line and discover what opportunities are available and where.Fred Rose, a legal executive at Mark Goodwin & Co and former estate agent, who is currently taking his Legal Practice Course examinations in Manchester, has been working on the development of the Web site.

Mr Rose said the idea came from complaints by students about how many application letters they sent, and how few of those letters received replies.It is hoped that firms who participate in the scheme will be hyper-linked to the Web site, and categorised by geographical area, size, areas of legal specialisation, and their minimum requirements for trainees.

This will enable students to search for training contracts by making reference to the same criteria.Jayne Smith, the partner responsible for recruitment at seven-partner generalist firm German & Soar in Nottingham, said she could understand how students became dispirited with receiving no replies.

However, she was unsure how much use the new Web site would be as a means of recruiting.

'We tend to recruit students from the local area, or those who have done some work experience with us,' she said.Simon Dartford, a student taking the Common Professional Examination at the College of Law in London, welcomed any move that saves time for students.

However, he said students might be concerned that, if an on-line application system took off, competition would become even fiercer.He added: 'Ultimately, even if you can send applications on-line, if an advantage can be derived from sending a hard copy letter in addition, students will continue to send out their own applications.'

Jeremy Fleming