Blawgs – get an inside perspective on law December 15, 2009
Posted by helencurry in blogs, law.Tags: barrister, blawgs, bloggers, blogs, law, lawyer, UK
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I follow a number of blawgs purely out of general interest, but I thought I would share this selected* list of UK lawyer-authored blogs here too because I think they provide a great insight into the world of lawyers and their views on the latest hot topics (useful for interview preparation too…).
Charon QC – commentary and humour – http://charonqc.wordpress.com/
GeekLawyer – a barrister gossips & rants on intellectual property law, the legal system and civil liberties – http://blog.geeklawyer.org/
Head of Legal – to explain developments in law, and the law behind the news - http://www.headoflegal.com/
NearlyLegal – housing law news and comment – http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/
PSL Blog – commercial law from a professional support lawyer - http://www.pslblog.co.uk/
Pursuing pupillage
Android’s Reminiscences – Observations on the law and beyond – http://accedas-ad-curiam.blogspot.com/
Barmaid - BVC and all that – http://bar-maid.blogspot.com/
Pupillage and how to get it – http://pupillageandhowtogetit.wordpress.com/
* These blogs have been selected on the basis of what I personally find entertaining, as much as quality and currency. As such this list is unashamedly biassed. If you want to find more on a particular area of law you find interesting, then find other blogs by: using this directory at infolaw; browsing the Insite Law pages on Netvibes; or see the extensive blog links on the Nearly Legal blog.
Choosing a legal career – 6 ways to get work experience March 17, 2009
Posted by helencurry in law.Tags: barrister, experience, law, solicitor, work experience
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If you are considering a career in law, it is essential that you get work experience. You will need this both for applications to firms and chambers, and for your own benefit to make sure you are making the right choice (before you shell out for all that extra training…).
Today’s tips relate to work experience you can get prior to applying for vacation schemes and mini-pupillages.
6 top tips for getting work experience
- Use contacts in friends and family to get a week of work-shadowing.
- If you don’t have contacts (and many of us don’t), try to get paid or un-paid work as an administrator or receptionist in a police station, court, high-street solicitors’ firm, barristers’ chambers, or legal body such as the Legal Services Commission. Even if you are photocopying and getting coffee, you will have the opportunity to observe how people work, how they spend their time, how they handle clients, what legal resources they use and ask pertinent questions. Try visiting in person with your CV.
- Visit the courts – useful for both aspiring barristers and solicitors. Follow a case and you can talk about it in interview.
- Join your university Law Society for access to talks and debates.
- Check with your careers service to find out when legal firms are coming to talk on campus and have networking events. You might not feel confident at first, but if you keep on networking it does get easier! These conversational skills will help you sound professional and knowledgable when approaching firms in future.
- Voluntary work is available in legal, civil rights and social justice areas. Search for it using Directgov – select voluntary work, and search in your area for Legal Aid & Justice (you are more likely to find long term opportunities than one-off events). Opportunities include prison befriender, witness support and Citizen’s Advice Bureau work. See also Vinspired.com for opportunities tailored to 18-25 year olds, and try your university volunteering service or society.
Remember competition is very strong for legal careers:
Some top legal names calculate that they have 1000 applicants for 100 training contracts.
McAlpine, M. 2009. Law Uncovered. Trotman. p. 82.
And some say the recession is heightening this as well-qualified students who would have gone into finance, choose law instead as a ’safer’ route to high salaries.
What are you going to do to ensure you stand out?
For more information see:
McAlpine, M. 2009. Law Uncovered. Trotman.
LawCareers.net and Launchpad to Law 2009 (pdf)
Choosing a legal career – Law Uncovered March 16, 2009
Posted by tcginfo in law.Tags: barrister, books, law, legal career, solicitor, training
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If you are starting to explore the idea of a legal career, this book, Law Uncovered, will give you an excellent grounding. It takes you from the very basic ‘what is law?’ type questions, right the way through to funding further study and applying for training.
This 2nd edition was recently updated by SICS careers adviser Gill Sharp, who explains:
I have expanded the number of case studies to remind readers that there are all kinds of career patterns open to them. These real life stories also illustrate proven solutions to common dilemmas such as finding work experience or dealing with disappointing exam grades. There are numerous tips and nuggets of information scattered throughout the book: I wanted to make it a practical as well as a factual resource.
We have just got this book in at The Careers Group library, and Royal Holloway careers service also has a copy, so why not drop by and take a look.
Law careers for non-law undergraduates January 19, 2009
Posted by tcginfo in law.Tags: barrister, law, solicitor, training contract, vacation scheme
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We have a new guide in called Launchpad to Law 2009: A career in law with your degree, by LawCareers.net in association with The Law Society.
It is written for students in non-law subject areas who are considering a career in law. The guide begins with an introduction to what lawyers do, timelines for applications and descriptions of courses. However the bulk of the guide is devoted to profiles of lawyers who graduated from a range of subjects, from archaeology to zoology. This will give you an idea of where you fit in, which skills from your course are useful in law and worth promoting in your application, as well as hopefully convincing you that non-law graduates are perfectly welcome in law.
And the really good news is that it is available online in pdf form here.
I would also definitely recommend having a good look around the http://www.lawcareers.net/ website as it is full of useful information including:
- Vacation scheme deadlines for solicitors
- Diary of training contract deadlines for solicitors
- Pupillage search for barristers
- Immediate vacancies
They also have a weekly newsletter LC.N Weekly for people seeking a career in the law, which keeps you up-to-date with legal news, analysis of firms and upcoming events.
Law: getting a training contract, pupillage, vacation scheme November 19, 2008
Posted by tcginfo in law.Tags: barrister, law, pupillage, solicitor, training contract
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If you are interested in a career in law, it is a good time now to do some research and preparation. Vacation schemes for next summer tend to close around January/February, but the few winter schemes available are closing already. Similarly barristers who offer mini-pupillages in the summer are taking applications now, with closing dates around January/February.
Law firms will offer many of their training contracts/pupillages to students who completed vacation schemes with them, as they have already seen their work, so it is important to target employers which you genuinely would apply to for a training contract.
Books like the Pupillages Handbook published by gti, and The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook 2009 are a good place to start, explaining everything from application technique to interviews for both work placements and training contracts. Most importantly they contain an employers guide, giving an overview of lots of firms and their specialisms, so you can shortlist those that best match your interests.
You may then wish to cross-reference these with a book like The Lex 100 which gives an insider’s view of the work culture and experiences of trainees. See also http://www.lex100.com/.
And of course you must read the firm’s company website thoroughly. Make notes. Where does the company’s name come from? Have they merged with anyone? Who are their main competitors? Research is key to choosing the right firm for you, and convincing the firm that you know them well, and want them and them only!
For pupillages, an essential website to look for vacancies is the Online Pupillage Application System (OLPAS) http://www.pupillages.com/, which comprehensively lists all the pupillage vacancies available in the UK.
These books and websites provide a good starting point, but if you have any further questions or want help researching more specific areas like environmental law, leave us a comment and we will get back to you right away!
