If you’re preparing for qualification — or have just landed your first legal role — you probably have a picture in your head of what the job will feel like.
Neatly organised files.
Clever legal arguments.
Well-paced days.
A clear sense of direction.
Gradual, structured training.
And then reality hits.
Suddenly you’re thrown into work you don’t fully understand, dealing with stakeholders who want answers you don’t have, and trying to look confident while silently Googling acronyms.
Here’s the truth no one tells you:
👉 Your first legal job will not feel how you imagined — and that’s completely normal.
Let’s talk about why.
1. You Will Feel Out of Your Depth — Constantly
It doesn’t mean you’re not smart.
It doesn’t mean you’re not capable.
It doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for the job.
The transition from studying to practising law is huge. In university or SQE prep, problems arrive neatly packaged. In real work, you get:
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incomplete information
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unclear objectives
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conflicting priorities
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time pressure
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stakeholders who want answers yesterday
You’re not expected to know everything.
You are expected to stay calm, ask good questions, and figure things out step by step.
Feeling out of your depth is literally part of the learning curve.
2. Most of Your Learning Won’t Come From Formal Training
You imagine a structured onboarding plan with detailed guidance, weekly 1:1s, and someone checking your work line by line.
The reality?
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Your manager is busy.
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Your team is stretched.
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Everyone assumes someone else is training you.
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You will be expected to learn by doing.
This isn’t bad — it’s actually how junior lawyers grow fastest.
But it does mean you have to:
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self-educate
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observe how others write, speak, negotiate
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keep your own “learning log”
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build your own templates
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use AI and resources to fill knowledge gaps
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be proactive in asking for feedback
No one will spoon-feed you.
That doesn’t mean you’re unsupported — just that you’re in a profession where independence develops early.
3. The Work Will Be Less ‘Legal’ Than You Expect
You think you’ll be drafting beautiful submissions and crafting complex clauses.
In reality, your first legal job involves:
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emails
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admin
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triage
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flagging issues
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reviewing docs for obvious risks
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explaining things in simple language
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asking clarification questions
It’s not glamorous, but it is legal work.
You are learning the fundamentals:
👉 how to communicate
👉 how to prioritise
👉 how to prevent problems
👉 how to support the business/firm
These “simple” tasks become the foundation of excellent legal judgement.
4. You Will Make Mistakes — And You Won’t Be Fired
Everyone makes mistakes. Literally everyone.
Even senior lawyers do.
Even GCs do.
Even QCs do.
The difference is that senior lawyers should:
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recover faster
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communicate clearly
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take responsibility
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fix the problem
Your first legal job will teach you this essential lesson:
👉 Mistakes don’t define you — your response does.
If you’re honest, proactive, and solution-oriented, you will earn trust faster than someone who never admits errors.
5. Asking Questions Is a Strength, Not a Weakness
New lawyers often stay quiet because they don’t want to look unprepared.
But guessing is far more dangerous than asking.
The best juniors are the ones who ask:
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“What’s the purpose of this document?”
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“Who is the decision maker?”
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“Is there an example I can look at?”
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“What’s the next step you’d like me to take?”
You’re not expected to know the answers.
You are expected to know what you don’t know.
6. Imposter Syndrome Is Practically a Job Requirement
Every junior feels like they slipped through the system.
Every junior thinks everyone else is smarter.
Every junior secretly panics the first time they get something wrong.
But here’s the reality:
👉 You only feel like an imposter because you’re growing faster than your confidence can keep up.
Give yourself time.
The competence arrives before the confidence — always.
Final Thoughts: Feeling Lost Is a Sign You’re Right Where You Should Be
Your first legal job isn’t supposed to feel smooth, controlled, or comfortable.
It’s supposed to feel confusing, overwhelming, and messy.
That’s how you become a lawyer.
You grow every time you:
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ask a question
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figure something out
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admit a mistake
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deliver something better than last week
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handle a situation that terrified you
The feeling of “I have no idea what I’m doing” eventually becomes:
“I can handle this.”
And then:
“I’m actually good at this.”
It happens slowly, then all at once.
So if your first legal job doesn’t feel like you imagined — don’t panic.
That means you’re learning.
That means you’re adapting.
That means you’re becoming a solicitor.
And that’s exactly how it’s meant to be.