Law fairs

Law fairs offer an important opportunity to meet firms face to face or virtually.

They’re your chance to meet trainees, associates, partners and graduate recruiters to quiz them about their firms and get a sense of what they’re like.

These conversations are also a chance for you to make a good first impression. If you’re a non-law or first-year student, law fairs are a crucial place to start considering a career in law, and a great way to learn more about the profession and the options available to you.

Law fairs take place at most universities across the country in the autumn term, so look out for posters and careers service emails to find out about yours. If your university’s law fair is in person, it’ll take place in a large space like a sports hall or conference centre.

While the majority of law fairs are in person, some universities and education providers host virtual events too given that they provide greater accessibility for many prospective candidates. Regardless, students should make the most of the opportunities to network if you’re serious about a career in the legal profession.

At in-person law fairs, law firms bring large exhibition stands to grab your attention and quirky freebies to entice you – although an increased focus on sustainability has lowered the number of freebies available. At law fairs, everyone's a winner: you get to chat to recruiters and lawyers to find out what they really want in candidates and they get to take an initial look at you, all within a relatively informal environment. Sometimes you also get to speak to trainees from the firms to hear directly about their experiences and how they succeeded in the recruitment process. 

Watch this LCN video to help you prepare for, and make the most of, law fairs.

Meanwhile, here are two quick tips to maximise your chance of a successful virtual fair.

Why attend a law fair?

You can really benefit from attending a law fair if you do some preparation beforehand. Your interactions with lawyers and recruiters will be of more use if you’ve done some preliminary research into the firms attending. This will eliminate the need for you to ask basic questions and enable you to have more interesting conversations and make a much better impression.

Research

Before attending a law fair, research the firms that’ll be there and shortlist the ones you'd like to talk to.

If you’re unsure where to begin, read this page all about researching law firms.

Speak confidently to the people on the stand (recruiters and lawyers) and ask interesting questions about their firm – try to avoid obvious questions that you can answer by reading the firm’s brochure or website. The recruiter is likely to remember candidates who carry themselves well and ask well thought out questions.

If you'd just like some ideas of what you can speak to firms about, try preparing some questions on the:

• size of trainee intake and firm culture;
• types of client and range of business;
• locations (eg, London or the regions);
• future plans of the firm;
• recent cases or deals you’ve read about;
• style of training and range of experiences offered to trainees; and
• opportunities for trainees to go on secondment to overseas offices.

When you find out which law firms are going to be attending your fair, search for them on LCN and also check our Meet the Recruiter and Meet the Lawyer sections for relevant profiles containing potentially useful insights. 

Speak to law schools

The law schools providing the postgraduate courses you'll study after your degree also have a presence at law fairs. You might want to ask them about:

• the percentage of students who complete the postgrad courses but don't have a training contract/pupillage lined up;
• links with firms and chambers;
• whether you can defer the course to take a year out (if you're considering a gap year); and
• what Solicitors Qualifying Exam preparation courses they have on offer.

Keep an eye on the LCN Events page for upcoming law fairs and read our Feature ‘Law fairs: everything you need to know’ for more detailed information and advice.

For more on how to make the most of a law fair, listen to this episode of The LawCareers.Net Podcast, featuring tips from LCN and Shoosmiths.