Solicitor, Scotland : Employers and vacancy sources

Two-thirds of solicitors work in law firms, though in-house work is a growth area. Currently one third of solicitors work in-house in central and local government, banks and other commercial organisations. Solicitors advise clients (individual and corporate) on legal aspects of their personal and business affairs and conduct legal business and negotiations on their behalf.

As of 2010, roughly 10,400 solicitors held current practising certificates from the Law Society of Scotland. They work across 1,200 law firms in sole practitioners, partner firms, local authorities, central government, public bodies and commerce.

Nearly all the law firms outside the main cities are small and if they recruit trainees at all, do so only on an occasional basis. At the other end of the scale are fewer than 20 city firms, who together typically provide more than a third of each year's traineeship vacancies. In between the two extremes are a significant number of small to medium-sized firms, who recruit trainees annually.

Outside private practice, solicitors are employed in Scotland in in-house law departments in oil companies, banks and other commercial organisations. In the public sector, they are employed in the prosecution of crime (in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) ) in courts; administration; the Government Legal Service for Scotland (GLSS) ; and in the legal services departments of local authorities.

Some opportunities for law graduates exist in the European Union. More information may be gained by contacting the international department of the Law Society of Scotland  or consulting the 'international relations' section of the Society's website.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Law Recruiter
• Scottish Law Gazette
• The Firm Magazine
• The Scottish Law Directory
• The Journal Online: The Online Journal of the Law Society of Scotland

Recruitment agencies do not handle traineeship opportunities. Traineeships are mostly advertised via law school notice boards, university careers services and firms' websites. Some public sector vacancies appear in relevant newspapers. Smaller firms recruit from speculative applications.

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