Are you looking for candidate attorney vacancies or jobs for 2025 or 2026? Are you looking for a practical vocational training contract (PVT) as a candidate legal practitioner? Some people refer to it as legal articles.

We receive numerous applications from individuals seeking the position of candidate attorney in our firm. Depending on the time of the year, it can be as many as 10 in a week. We do look at all of them, but usually, within about 30 seconds, we have made up our mind. And usually, it is not to read any further. This is going to be a bit of a rant, but bear with me.

If you are an already admitted attorney and are interested in joining our team, please apply. We seek talented attorneys with knowledge and skills in our focus areas.

The problem with most candidate attorney applications

The problem is that the applications are not written with me, the reader, in mind. It is almost always clear that the applicant has not thought about me for one second. They have sent the same application to a hundred firms, hoping someone will accept. They have not thought about why we would have a mutually beneficial relationship.

We’re always looking for fantastic candidate attorneys.

By way of example, let me sketch the following scenario. Sam is sitting in a park. Alex walks up to Sam and says:

“You’ve never met me before. But I found your name on the Internet or in a directory.  I’m looking to enter into a relationship with someone like you for two years. I haven’t bothered to find out anything about you and, quite frankly, it doesn’t matter what type of person you are. I would really like to have a two-year relationship with you. I’m funny, clever, and a pleasure to have around – you’ll see. After the two-year relationship with you, I’ll be more attractive to other people, so I might not hang around. But, how about it?”

Do you think Alex has any chance? Clearly not. A relationship needs to be established between the two of them first. Alex has to make Sam believe that this relationship will add value to both of them. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if Alex had done some research and knew a bit about Sam before launching into the proposal. Some polite introductory conversation would also probably have been a good idea. Alex needs to show a bit of interest first before cutting straight to the chase as well as demonstrate why the relationship would benefit them both.

How would it go if Alex walked up to Sam and said, “I’m so inspired I’ve written a beautiful poem for you”.  Then it turns out AI wrote the poem? It is a similar feeling receiving cover letters that have been written by AI using the prompt. “Check out michalsons.com and craft a cover letter for me”.

Taking on a candidate attorney is a significant undertaking that comes with many obligations. And it is not something that I will do lightly.  It takes a huge investment of time. So, I’m afraid applicants need to do a lot more preparatory work, otherwise the answer is almost certainly going to be no.

What makes a good candidate attorney or candidate legal practitioner

These are the sorts of things that I’m looking for. A candidate who has:

  • written a CV that demonstrates the value they can add;
  • looked at many different firms, decided that ours is the best, and can give reasons why;
  • read our website backwards;
  • followed both me and the firm on social media (like LinkedIn) and maybe interacted with us;
  • read some of the books that we recommend;
  • explained in plain and understandable language why we will have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Yes, academic results are important. But more important are questions like:

  • Do you want to practise law differently?
  • Do you want to make a difference?
  • Do you identify with what we believe?
  • Can we work together?
  • Do you know what we do?
  • Are you interested in what we do? If not, you will get bored very quickly.
  • Can you demonstrate that you are trustworthy and have integrity?
  • Do you have good interpersonal skills and are you able to work as part of a team?
  • What skills do you have that can be applied in our firm?
  • What value can you add to our clients? Can you help them grow and avoid legal problems, difficulties, and disputes?
  • What is your race? We strive to empower previously disadvantaged people.

I’ll be interested if you can demonstrate these qualities and answer these questions. If you can’t, expect the same reaction that the man will get from the beautiful young lady in the bar.

Rant off.

Candidate attorney 2026 vacancies or candidate attorney job

If you are looking for candidate attorney vacancies 2026 and wish to apply for a position as a candidate attorney, please apply. You can also read more about the role of candidate attorneys in the legal profession.

Things you will NOT do at Michalsons as part of your practical vocational training

  • Photocopy documents.
  • Stand in the queue to do an administrative task.
  • Drive to deliver a document to someone.
  • Be treated as cheap labour.