Is there going to be a place for me?

To begin, my new plan of prioritisation is off to a shaky start. It turns out it takes A LOT of motivation to stick to a plan and not get sidetracked. My 'to do list' is still being ticked off, just not in the right order. I'll get there...eventually.

This week, I have been trying to track down a bit more work experience, motivated by the deadlines for a lot of the vacation placements. I contacted a fair few of my previous contacts for references and advice, who have all been extremely helpful! However, they have filled me with gloom and doom about the future for criminal defence lawyers.

I came away from this rather shaken up. Whilst I have certainly never considered it an easy task to find a place in criminal law, I had never thought of it being potentially impossible. Therefore, it provided me with a wake up call. I can't put all my eggs in one basket.

Before I get ahead of myself, I do actually have a long way to go before I choose my area in law. Nevertheless, it is daunting to feel that the reason you want to do law may not necessarily exist in the form it is today by the time I qualify - let alone it being a stable choice.

So, do I start to explore other areas of law or do I carry on submersing myself in criminal law, with the acceptance it may not have an entirely prosperous outcome? - I have come to the conclusion, the answer is to do a bit of both.

I want to do criminal law because I want to be part of the right side of the criminal justice system, not because I want to be Mrs Moneybags. If nobody has the funding to take me on by the time I qualify, I am certain there will be voluntary work I can take on, until I become experienced enough to become beneficial to a practice.

On the other hand, as I have already said, I still have two years (ish) to decide officially, which means lots of time to explore other areas. - I enjoyed family law, although that is going much the same way (if not worse) as practices in criminal law. - I have started looking at firms which specialise in areas of employment law, healthcare and supporting charities. As these sectors all still provide aspects which I find attractive in Criminal Law.

Therefore, I will continue to increase contacts and work experience (starting to explore other areas). I have recently applied to work for the Citizens Advice Bureau, which will be great experience and have my first 'on call' next week with YOS. Very excited!

So my conclusion is, carry on finding work experience and following my interest in criminal law but branch out and find experience in other areas which compliment the factors I look for.