Although the trainee application system has its own idiosyncrasies in the US, it’s still tempting to peek at the situation there to see where we might be headed. Don’t worry, despite the dearth of bad news recently, its not all doom and gloom for legal recruitment.

It was initially reported that DLA and Bryan Cave had been disappointing a large proportion of their US applicants but on closer inspection, it appears as though these figures were exaggerated. More generally, US tabloid Above the Law does have this advice though: "the old understanding that you will get an offer so long as you do not pass out in a moist heap in front of the partners simply no longer applies."

ATL have been receiving a lot of information from their readers on no offers which they continue to follow up with the firms themselves. One thing that has become very clear is that there will be a lot of graduates hitting the recruiting circuit this autumn…

" In times like these you’d expect your office of career services to earn its paycheck. Sadly, that does not appear to be happening. No offered 3Ls have been frustrated by the lack of institutional support available at schools around the country.

But it is not like we are living through the Great Depression. There are still jobs out there for good students from good schools. This fall, 3Ls might need to think a little outside the box, but is there any doubt that full time employment awaits all who apply?

Staying on campus while potential employers come to you is a great perk associated with top flight legal education — a perk that is not at all representative of how most people find work.

Our advice is to be proactive in your job hunt."

How are people finding the training contract application trail over here? Are there an unprecedented amount of students without contracts? Are students getting the support they require from career services?

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