Non-law student Samantha Roberts on how work experience can make all the difference for those wondering if a legal career is for them.

As an undergraduate at St Andrews University – which doesn't have a law faculty – it can be intimidating slogging it out for training contracts and pupillages with law students from English universities. But, as I've found out, you're not really at a disadvantage, provided that you go out and get some work experience.

Marshalling

Being a barrister has always appealed to me, so the first work experience I arranged was a week marshalling for a judge in one of the Crown Courts in London. From my position at the judge's left hand side, I admit that I hardly got a realistic impression of the daily grind, but I did get to see a succession of brilliant performances by various barristers. Each time the judge retired from court, he would close the door behind me and ask, 'So, what do you think now?' Then he'd listen before, good-naturedly, pointing out a flaw in my reasoning.

The week of civil law marshalling I followed this up with was far less glamorous, but interesting nonetheless. I watched as marriages fell apart, people lost their homes and contracts were held and broken. Without any legal experience, it was the human aspect of cases that most struck me – even if I couldn't understand the law behind the facts, I could at least observe its presence in every aspect of social and private life.

Mini-pupillage

Next I did a mini-pupillage at a provincial set of barristers' chambers. By shadowing a barrister for a week, I learned practical things like the fact that lots of driving was required between regional courts, and that barristers do a lot of paperwork and research as well as fancy orations. Some barristers told me about a gendered 'glass-ceiling', while others claimed it never existed. Most said it was difficult to juggle family life and a career at the Bar. Most importantly, every barrister who said 'don't do it', added, 'but don't do anything else'. In other words, unstable and hard work it might be, but there's no substitute for doing what you love.

Law firm

I used my position as a member of St Andrews Law Society to visit law firms, primarily in London. I benefitted a lot from just wandering round the offices and chatting to trainees, associates and, on occasion, partners. There is absolutely no substitute for talking to people and seeing their work first-hand. Last-minute meetings abroad, for example, are only given real meaning when someone rushes out of a talk to grab their passport and go. The frequent late nights also only become apparent from talking to lawyers, and it becomes clear which training seats demand longer hours than others.

I'm still not sure which branch of the profession I want to go into, but now feel reasonably well-equipped to make an informed choice – and hopefully having a range of work experience on my CV will confirm to potential employers that I'm going into law with my eyes open.