Work shadowing placement–Solicitor–Criminal law (London)

Hello,

As a prospective SQE candidate in London, and being equipped with an academic background in civil law coupled with the legal work experience that I have gained as both a legal advisor and a legal intern at an international company, and as a legal intern at an international business law firm and high-street law firms, I would now be highly interested in undertaking a work shadowing placement in criminal law. I strongly believe that such an approach allows for the opportunity to get acquainted with a spectrum of practice areas within which solicitors operate; after thoroughly enjoying the type of work dealing with diverse areas of law at an international company and law firms where I learnt considerably in many respects and which truly confirmed my wish to become a solicitor, I would be keen to broaden my horizons, hence my wish today to not only learn about an entirely new area of law that would also be more fulfilling and the right move for me in line with my expectations and my personality, but also to identify and develop the required skills for ultimately practising it.

In order to reach my career goal, and given my academic background from a civil law jurisdiction, I also aim to get a legal qualification as part of a law conversion course that includes an SQE preparation course. Although I am aware of the fact that a qualifying law degree or a law conversion course is no longer a regulatory requirement by the SRA, I believe that a law conversion course will also allow me to properly master the foundational legal knowledge in-depth.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that I am fully aware of the way to qualify as a solicitor through the SQE route. In this regard, I will, amongst other things, have to secure a training contract/undertake legal work placements under the QWE and I will obviously be doing so as per the formal process. However, in the meantime, I would welcome the opportunity to get an exposure to and appreciate the realities of the practice of criminal law as part of a work shadowing placement, as a first step. Work shadowing is not usually advertised, so I am also preparing speculative applications.

Finally, I would be delighted to provide my CV and further discuss my project.

Thank you for your consideration and your time.

Sincerely.