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Hello,
I graduated from a Tier-1 law school as a subject gold medallist. At the time I wanted to see what other paths were open to me before committing to one, so I spent the next few years outside the law. I joined a business as its first employee, worked at technology startups including unicorns, and experimented with ventures of my own.
My key achievements in that period include:
- 1. Helping scale the business to a few million dollars in revenue.
- 2. Teaching myself software development, well before AI tools made coding widely accessible.
While I completed several internships in law school, I only came to fully understand the value lawyers bring once I worked with them from the client side. Seeing their rigour, judgement and commercial impact up close has drawn me to practice.
This has been on my mind for some time. I recently received a well-compensated offer from a legal-tech company, and weighing it has made me realise that I want to commit to a career in legal practice, even if that means starting at an entry-level salary. Over the next few years, I want to build deep expertise in one practice area and become an adviser clients trust for both legal and commercial advice.
I would be grateful for views on the following:
1. 1. Would firms realistically consider me for an A0 or junior associate role, given that I have no practice experience and graduated a few years ago?
2. 2. Which practice areas or types of firms (tier-1 firms, mid-size firms, boutiques, or an in-house role first) are likely to be most receptive to a background like mine?
3. 3. What would strengthen my candidacy?
> I believe I could bring two things to a firm that a fresh graduate may not. First, commercial awareness from helping build a business from the ground up, which helps me understand what clients actually need. Second, deep technical fluency: I have built software myself and work extensively with AI tools, which are increasingly relevant to legal practice today.
I would value perspectives on how firms are likely to view this. I am happy to share more details or connect directly with anyone who is open to discussing this.