Over the last few months I've received a number of emails from law graduates asking my view on unconventional ideas they've hatched in a bid to net training contracts and pupillages. Most involve some form of publicity stunt – which they hope will impress law firms so much that they'll bypass their usual HR procedures to offer them a job. In that respect, Lyndsey Jefferson's soon-to-be-embarked-upon tour of Scotland in search of a training contract is nothing new...
Still, I kind of like it. The tour's "from Wick to Wigtown" slogan is catchy. And Glasgow-based Jefferson's strategy of making contact with potential employers in advance via Twitter is a good one. So far, she has an impressive 48 meetings with lawyers lined up during the week-long road trip, which she departs upon next Monday.
The video which Jefferson has posted on YouTube explaining the rationale for the trip is also a good idea (even if the sound quality is poor, which is a shame).
The big question, of course, is will it work? And by that I mean not just land the Strathclyde law graduate some minimum wage paralegal gig that's worse than her current job working for a marketing agency, but get her an actual training contract.
If it does, expect a wave of copycat ventures on this side of the border. I'll be following Jefferson's progress on Twitter with interest.