This year I’m going into my final and ‘most important’ year of university. Previously, I’ve discussed the third-year content I’ll be covering and some preparation tips for approaching the next year of your degree. However, I also thought it’d be beneficial to share my thoughts and feelings approaching the beginning of term.

The stereotypical neat rows of seated students and scrupulously timed written exams may be a casualty of the pandemic. There seems to be a proliferative consensus among professors and more broadly within the education departments of universities which suggests that the old style of examinations is anachronistic. 

What are the practical elements of selling a business?

Having recently completed the Bar course and successfully passing it, I’ve compiled what I believe to be the most vital tips for prospective Bar students.

Working as a paralegal before securing a training contract is increasingly the norm for thousands of candidates. It’s even possible to qualify as a solicitor by gaining relevant experience as a paralegal, instead of a formal training contract – a route that could become even more popular with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and qualifying work experience.

As anyone entering the legal profession is constantly reminded, it’s competitive to get a training contract. Applicants can be competing against hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for a small number of training contract vacancies. While some law firms will take on 50+ trainees a year, other firms employ only a handful.

As anyone entering the legal profession is constantly reminded, it’s competitive to get a training contract. Applicants can be competing against hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for a small number of training contract vacancies. While some law firms will take on 50+ trainees a year, other firms employ only a handful.

The reasons that firms decide to merge are as varied as the firms themselves, but there are usually some key drivers – namely, the desire to expand, geographically or in terms of expertise, or to stay afloat. For the lawyers who find that the firm they joined is no longer the firm at which they work, there are normally a raft of opportunities and maybe especially so for trainees.

Working as a paralegal before securing a training contract is increasingly the norm for thousands of candidates. It’s even possible to qualify as a solicitor by gaining relevant experience as a paralegal, instead of a formal training contract – a route that could become even more popular with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and qualifying work experience.

As anyone entering the legal profession is constantly reminded: it’s competitive to get a training contract. Applicants can be competing against hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for a small number of training contract vacancies. While some law firms will take on 50+ trainees a year, other firms employ only a handful.

This is my last post for LawCareers.Net. I move onto my training contract in September, and so a new chapter is starting for me. Any change comes with a mixture of nerves and excitement – and this is a huge one for me. A new city, a new job, a new flat.

We look at AI’s impact on Hollywood and the music industry this week. Plus, are mortgage rates on the way down and will the government act on calls to remove VAT from period pants? Find out more in this week’s commercial news round-up. 

I’ve discussed my experience with the change from first year to second year on LawCareers.Net previously. However, now that I've reached the midway point in my first semester in third year, I’m back to discuss the jump from second to third year. 

Should I disclose my disability when I apply for a vacation scheme? Are careers in the legal profession accessible for candidates with disabilities?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been more prevalent in our lives than ever before - self-driving cars, automated clinical diagnosis and credit card application approval all incorporate a significant degree of AI.

“No man is above the law and everyone, whatever his condition or rank is, is subject to the ordinary laws of the land.”

As a recent graduate, I feel as though I’m in a good position to talk about some of the common tropes of a law degree.

As a part of our Inclusion for All strategy, we continue to look at our behaviours, policy and process changes, and ways of working that enable Gowling WLG (UK) LLP to be truly diverse.