To obtain a training contract (since 1 July 2014 a training contract is now formally known as 'period of recognised training'), a graduate must apply for an opening for such position at a law firm or in-house legal team. Law firms often recruit a year or two in advance of the start of planned employment, allowing non-law graduates to complete the academic prerequisites of the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course before starting their training contract. Some in-house legal teams prefer recruiting trainees ad-hoc or promoting existing legal assistants and paralegals that have proven themselves.