First-year law students: First-year law students

In this episode we give you lots of tips of things to do in the first year of your law degree in order to launch your career. We spoke to Jane Wood, Course Leader and Principal Lecturer at Nottingham Law School, Maaya Sachdev, President of Warwick Law Society and Charis McGowan, Emerging Talent Coordinator at DWF.

How do I become a lawyer?

The Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law

Essential reading for those starting out

Feature

Year 12/13 and first-year opportunities: open days and insight schemes

Most trainee-hiring law firms run work experience schemes and events specifically for year 12/13 and first-year students. So, if you’re seriously considering becoming a solicitor, you’ll be doing yourself a big favour by getting involved at this early stage of your career – if not just to identify whether a career in the legal profession is for you. Use this list of law firms offering opportunities to year 12/13 and first-year university students to get you started!

Key questions

How can I get work experience in my first year of university?

"I’m a first-year student, how important is legal work experience and do you have any advice for securing some?"

What types of lawyer are there?

Solicitor, barrister and paralegal - find out about the different branches of the profession

When do I start looking for a job?

It's never too early to start thinking about your future career. Here are the main employer deadlines

Do first-year exams matter?

If they don't count towards my final degree, does this mean law firms won't see my exam results as important?

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Meet the Lawyer

David O'Donovan

David O'Donovan talks about the importance of work experience for training contract applications, his work in the renewable energy sector at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP and more in this Meet the Lawyer profile.

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Ellen Lambrix

Intellectual property

“I do a lot of work in the life sciences space for clients who are developing new therapies and products to treat disease.”

Meet the Recruiter

Amy McCarthy

Find out how you can ace your Akin vacation scheme application with advice from the firm’s graduate recruitment manager Amy McCarthy.

Vacation Scheme Insiders

Durham University

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The latest news

News

UK government to increase legal aid funding by 12%

On 19 December the UK government revealed plans to increase criminal legal aid rates for solicitors by a further 12% to improve access to justice. An initial 6% rise will follow a consultation in early 2025, with a further 6% committed by the end of parliament. This will result in a total boost of £92 million.

News

Barristers in Northern Ireland plan withdrawal from crown court

Criminal barristers in Northern Ireland plan to withdraw their services from all legally aided crown court cases between 6 and 31 January.

News

Junior barristers at top commercial chambers earn double salary of US firm NQs

Junior barristers at leading commercial chambers can earn up to £360,000 in their first year, according to new figures. This is double the earnings of newly qualified (NQ) solicitors at top US law firms in London.

Getting started

Your first-year university checklist

Here's a list of things you should be doing in your first year at university

Career paths

Take a look at our simple timetable of the different legal career paths

What you need to know

From vacation schemes to law fairs, here's what to focus on this year

Looking beyond exam season

Some inspiration for you over the summer!

Blog posts and other insights

LCN Says

Dimitar Dimitrov - How aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience

Dimitar Dimitrov

By focusing on the non-legal experience you already have and the transferable skills you’ve developed, you can demonstrate your potential and commitment to prospective employers.

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Toby Pitchers

Blog post

The future of modern recruitment and what it means for you

LCN Blogs The future of modern recruitment and what it means for you Toby Pitchers Many of you may have had a similar experience when it comes to the application process – sending application after application with no response. Training contracts, pupillages, paralegal or clerk work for far too many of us seem to be going the way of the dodo.

LCN Says

Olivia Partridge - Five tips for becoming a barrister

Olivia Partridge

There are many things you can do to help you on your way to becoming a barrister. Read LawCareers.Net’s five tips – whether you’re just getting started, have finished university or are thinking of a career change, take note of this advice and consider what you can put into action.

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The LawCareers.Net Podcast

From researching firms to building your commercial awareness, listen to The LCN Podcast for everything you need to know about becoming a lawyer

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Solicitor practice area profile

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