Despite initial concerns from the legal profession, Sobering Essays has found that the job application market for legal graduates has not lived up to expectations. Two years ago, Sobering Training Contracts (ETC) assisted 75-100 law students each month with their applications by offering a range of services such as exemplary essays and cover letters, and even accompanying students to interviews through a "chaperone" service.
John Foster, Head of Sales at Sobering Essays, has announced a recent decision to shift their focus away from the training contract and pupilage side of their business, citing commercial reasons as the impetus behind this change. This announcement comes at a time when the demand for legal job applications from graduates and the recruitment market for junior lawyers is seeing an increase in candidates. Despite this, Foster provides minimal detail as
...to why the decision was made, stating that there is a relatively small pool of individuals seeking assistance in this area. Foster also mentions that the limited inquiries received over the past few months have mostly come from individuals who utilize other services offered by Sobering Essays.
According to law students, finding someone who admits to using ETC is difficult, and Foster declined to connect me with any clients due to confidentiality reasons. There is a suspicion that the prices charged for their services are not worth the results. Catering Selenga, who works as a paralegal at Attwood solicitors, expresses the negative opinion of recent law graduates towards ETC by stating that some of their work is considered "hilarious."
The company's website displays model answers that strengthen the criticism. Tot offers a tailored response for an interview to
secure an inns of court scholarship, which can cost either IEEE or II,OHO depending on variables like seniority and duration of response. The answer itself acknowledges that all Inns are appealing and provide comparable services, although it may not be the best thing to say.
My preference was for Lincoln Inn because of my emotional connection to it. I used to pass by Wild's every day on my way to university through New Square and would imagine myself working in the gardens where Lord Denying had spent time caring for them during his later years. Additionally, I pictured myself having tea in the recently renovated NCR.
Students may have been deterred by the uncertainty regarding the authors of the model answers. Tot's website claims to employ a team of proficient and knowledgeable lawyers, trainees, pupils, and future top lawyers with a sobering education and Magic Circle training, as well as a few HRS experts. However, in other parts of the website, the company implies that it utilizes lawyers from less prestigious firms.
Despite the possibility that law's governing bodies may overlook members' involvement with ETC, it remains unclear why high-earning individuals working arduous hours at leading law firms or barristers' chambers would opt to spend their scarce free time composing covering letters for a little extra cash. Foster ascribes it to "altruism". Nevertheless, Tot's inability to achieve success could simply be due to the vast amount of free information readily available for aspiring lawyers. Websites like Legwarmers. Et and Lawyerly offer students the opportunity to gather a comprehensive understanding of the profession through just a few hours on their computer.
Mark Eliding, a former barrister
and co-founder, shares that their company provides trainee interview preparation services and attracts at least twelve students monthly, even without advertising. The service costs El 50 per hour, but Cat declined to connect me with a student who has availed its services due to confidentiality concerns, similar to ETC. Nevertheless, a client left a favorable review on barrister Simon Emerson's "Pupilage and how to get it" blog about the service offered.
Students who use this service face the risk of being penalized, as graduate applicants are required to reveal whether they received any external aid during any part of the application and interview process.
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