Navigating the competitive legal job market can feel like a maze for law students, but Victor Yan revealed the insider tips and tricks that can help them stand out and catch the attention of top firms.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Victor Yan, a law student at UNSW and a former paralegal at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (HSFK), shared valuable insights and practical tips on how law students can strategically stand out from their peers and secure their first legal role.
In the same episode, he revealed how one carefully crafted, highly targeted cold email became the unexpected catalyst that helped him land a role at the global firm and urged first- and second-year students to start applying for paralegal roles early.
Yan highlighted that a strong academic record is a crucial starting point, acknowledging that WAM is a completely new skill set for law students, but one that can be mastered through consistent practice and dedication to their studies.
“The first one is obviously your law WAM, which, coming into law school, is a totally new skill set. It’s completely different to HSC English, but that just comes with practice,” he said.
“So working hard, attending university, peer tutoring sessions, watching law society academic skills development sessions, things like that, and building a good relationship with your lecturer.”
However, Yan highlighted a common dilemma many law students face: gaining work experience without prior experience, which can make it difficult to stand out in a crowded field of applications.
While this gap can feel daunting, he explained that students can tap into the wealth of opportunities at university – such as participating in mooting competitions or volunteering with their law society – to develop practical skills and bridge that experience effectively.
“Another key thing that a lot of people struggle with, or face, is how do I get work experience if I don’t have work experience? That’s the dilemma that everyone faces at one point. Luckily for law school, there are a lot of activities that can really bridge that gap,” he said.
“For example, mooting and skills competitions and case competitions are really a good way to get your foot in the door because they sort of simulate the skills that would be important in a paralegal, but in a safe and encouraging environment.
“Applying for volunteering roles at any university society doesn’t just have to be law; it shows your leadership, your organisational teamwork skills, and potentially trying to volunteer at a community legal centre.”
Once foundational skills and experience are in place, Yan emphasised the importance of searching strategically for positions rather than relying on common platforms like SEEK or LinkedIn, encouraging law students to focus their time on opportunities that align with their schedule and are tailored to student-friendly roles.
“The third step is starting to search smart, not hard. So, figuring out where you can find paralegal roles? Commonly, people migrate to SEEK, Indeed, and even LinkedIn. But what I found is that these job boards are more tailored towards full-time staff or people who are not studying part-time,” he said.
“So it’s quite difficult to find an employer that is accommodating to a law student who wants to work two to three days a week.
“So your best friend here would be your university job board, so that employers on that job board understand that you’re a student and they’re happy to accept someone who works two to three days a week.”
While strategic job searching is essential, Yan noted that pairing it with thoughtful cold outreach can be a game changer, allowing law students to rise above hundreds of competitors by taking a personalised, proactive approach to connecting with firms.
“Then, pairing that with searching smart is strategic cold outreach as well. My story shows, and a lot of other people have gotten roles as well [through that],” he said.
“Searching for law firms around you in your local area or law firms in a practice area that you’re interested in and just sending a tailored email as to why you want to work there is a really powerful way to also bypass the competitive application process if you were to be applying with 100 other applicants.”
