I am Matt Oliver, an ex-solicitor and founder of the legal careers website Trainee Solicitor Surgery.
My own legal career started in an economic climate not dissimilar to today’s. I was applying for a training contract as the UK was just starting to come out of the early 1990’s recession. Many firms had reduced their training contract numbers resulting in an extremely competitive job market.
At first I struggled to have any success with my applications and looking back I can see why. The careers advice available to me was too generic and the applications I was submitting were just not good enough. It is now worrying to see that, over 17 years on, the situation has not really changed for many.
I did eventually manage to get a training contract at a medium-sized litigation firm in London called Edward Lewis (now disbanded). Upon qualification, I was then offered a job in the company/commercial department.
After 18 months as a qualified solicitor I decided to combine my passion for sport by becoming an in-house lawyer for Sky Sports (part of FTSE 100 company BSkyB). After 5 years, having working my way up to Sky Sports’ number two lawyer, my itchy feet took me to Australia. There, I worked as an in-house lawyer at a national pay-TV company in Sydney for 18 months before returning to the UK to pursue my own projects.
I now have various businesses in property, marketing and coaching but my proudest work is done helping aspiring lawyers secure legal work experience and training contracts.
As well as gaining a broad legal experience in my own career, I also spent time recruiting trainee solicitors and junior lawyers in the early stages of their careers. This experience, coupled with my own experience of job hunting, convinced me there was a need for some high quality legal careers advice targeted specifically to those in search of a training contract.
This eventually led me to the creation of the Trainee Solicitor Surgery website and blog and the subsequent launch of the Training Contract Success careers service.
I am author of the popular Ebooks “10 Insider Tips For Making Successful Training Contract Applications” and “21 Secrets to Successful Applications” and I have also written for various law careers websites such as All About Law. I am now recommended by many UK universities and I have helped many applicants succeed with their training contract and vacation scheme applications and interviews.
To have your CV, covering letter and/or application forms reviewed click here.
To find out more about interview and assessment centre coaching click here.
For any other advice about legal graduate recruitment book yourself a career consultation – click here.
