How to get ahead over summer: four tips

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The great British summer has arrived.

The summer months are a great chance for you to get ahead in your legal career, while also making time to relax and enjoy your break from academia. There’s no need to dedicate every waking hour to building your commercial awareness, making applications or preparing for interviews, for example. That said, you should give yourself a head start and set aside enough time to practise the four pieces of advice we’ve outlined below.

Apply in good time

There’s no doubt you’ve heard this all before. Leaving your applications to the last minute is not good practice and will only lead to a more stressful application period. Getting your applications in early is crucial, not only because some recruiters will check them as they come in, but it also gives you time to prepare and review your application ahead of submitting.

Here are some of our tips to help you apply in good time:

• Conduct thorough research into each firm. This will make the writing process so much easier – having a good understanding of your shortlisted firms, the areas of law they specialise in, particular cases they might be working on and who their clients are will help you to write well-considered applications. You must have a reason for applying to a firm that’s more specific than just wanting to become a lawyer. This research will help you to identify these particular aspects of firms.   
• Stay organised. Use LawCareers.Net’s deadlines page to ensure you don’t miss a deadline and add your shortlisted firms’ deadlines to your MyCalendar.
• Get a friend or family member to check over your applications for any spelling or grammar mistakes. A fresh pair of eyes are likely to spot errors you might miss and can provide alternative ways to reword your experience.

Commercial awareness

Commercial awareness is one of the key skills that all law firm recruiters are looking for in their future lawyers. Being able to demonstrate yours will be critical to your success. So how can you start building yours this summer, while also making time for an Aperol Spritz in the sun?

Set yourself reminders to check LawCareers.Net’s weekly commercial news round-ups for insights into the past week’s stories. This will ensure you stay up to date with various ongoing news that could offer inspiration for your next interview. You should also be checking the Commercial awareness hub for advice on building yours, including case studies and tips on various techniques, such as SWOT and PESTLE. Plus, if you don’t already, read the Commercial Questions – these are weekly articles written by leading firms designed to get you thinking about commercial issues. Meanwhile, reading and analysing the law section of the Guardian and the Financial Times, for example, is another great way for students to stay connected with the business and legal worlds.

So, with your reading done and as you head out to get that Aperol Spritz, pop your headphones in and listen to the LawCareers.Net podcast as an alternative means of learning!

For the 15 podcasts we think all law students should listen to, read this LCN Says

Network

Over the past few years networking in person has felt like an anomaly. With face-to-face events recently picking up, keep your eyes peeled for various opportunities this summer. You can use LawCareers.Net’s Events page to find out more about upcoming opportunities in the legal sector.

It’s also worth checking your shortlisted firms’ websites to ensure you don’t miss anything.

If you managed to secure a vacation scheme this summer, make the most of the networking opportunities and be sure to follow up on any connections you make via LinkedIn, for example.  

Networking is quite a daunting process but LawCareers.Net has got your back. So, if you’re nervous about where to start, read our guide to networking for tips on how to prepare, how to network and how you can make the most of networking encounters.

Enjoy yourself

While there are lots more tips we could offer you, we want to leave you with one that is equally as important to the ones above: enjoy your summer!

Olivia Partridge is the content manager at LawCareers.Net. This article was originally written by Christianah Babajide (she/her), marketing executive at 7BR.