The University of Law in Bristol is hosting a 'Choose Law' event on 1 April, where students have the chance to win work experience at Burges Salmon, TLT, Bond Dickinson and Irwin Mitchell.

A fantastic academic record isn’t enough to satisfy recruiters in the legal profession. They also want to know that you can represent the firm to clients and work well with colleagues. Equally, recruiters want to see that you’ve made an informed decision about becoming a solicitor or barrister.

As summer draws to an end, that ‘back to school’ feeling is certainly lingering. Why not top up your commercial awareness before returning to university next month? This week’s commercial news round-up covers a variety of business news stories you should know about.

Skye Fenton-Wells explains how Womble Bond Dickinson recruits its future lawyers, what skills they look for and the information you should be including in your applications. Discover how you can be a successful applicant with Skye’s insight.

It seems like the UK has taken a U-turn as the government announced new restrictions earlier this week in a bid to tackle the pandemic. As the world continues to grapple with the virus, keeping up to date with its impact on the business and legal worlds is increasingly important. You can read summaries of some of this week’s top stories here.

Freya MacCormack, a disputes associate at Winston & Strawn London LLP, talks about the high level of responsibility available at the firm (including advocacy), the criteria she used to choose firms and the type of work she’s involved with day to day. 

The winners of the 2023 National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind competition have been revealed, with Emily Eastburn-Pentreath taking the title for the postgraduate category and Stephanie Anais becoming the latest undergraduate winner. 

What's the deal with conditional fee agreements and defamation claims?

This month, love is in the air, yet the inevitable deadlines for training contracts and vacation schemes are fast approaching. Junior lawyers and students often manifest a love-hate relationship with the application process for any role. In this article I hope to provide some reassurance that there are several factors that you can control in that process, without sending chocolates and flowers (save those for your actual loved ones!). 

What are the challenges to widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the UK, and what role can public policy and legislation play in facilitating such adoption?

I'm thinking of doing a master’s – could this help me to stand out when applying for a training contract?

On 10 August 2023 the high-street discount retailer Wilko (formally Wilkinsons) went into administration, leaving 400 shops and over 12,000 jobs at risk. PwC has been appointed administrator and is continuing its search for a buyer.

The Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society (JLD) is the national community for solicitor apprentices, LPC students and graduates, paralegals, trainee lawyers, and lawyers up to five years qualified. It was set up to provide junior lawyers with support, advice, information and networking opportunities at a national level.

A little while ago, I applied for a paralegal role at a renowned multinational firm. I requested reasonable adjustments to help me show my best and work around things that I can find challenging. Nothing onerous, but helpful all the same.

If there was a question that fills me with dread, it's this one. Yes, I know I chose the Bar and yes, there was a reason for that. If I’m honest, I chose the Bar because of the earning prospects.

‘Reasonable adjustments’ are the changes employers make to the workplace or to processes to remove a disadvantage relating to an employee’s disability.

Graduate resourcing advisor Molly Hill offers a detailed and practical insight into the application process at leading City law firm White & Case. 

If you have completed the GDL, the chances are that you will stay on at the same provider to do the LPC.