Hear from Ed Weidman, graduate recruitment partner at leading media and commercial law firm Simkins LLP, as he shares his advice on what the firm wants from its future lawyers and how you can impress in applications. 

Dear reader, a few LCN blogs later, I have officially completed and received the results for my first exam season for law!

Working as a paralegal, or in any day-to-day legal support role, is often seen as just a steppingstone to qualifying as a solicitor. However, particularly in the UK, paralegals are increasingly valued for the legal work they perform. Many firms are using paralegal roles as talent pipelines for trainee solicitors and barristers. This blog explains how to extract maximum professional value from routine paralegal duties, boosting your legal knowledge and enhancing employability.

On 23 July 2025, in a decision that’s already being called historic, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its long-awaited advisory opinion on states’ obligations in relation to climate change. The key takeaway being states can’t sit on their hands while the planet burns. Failing to act on climate change can now amount to an internationally wrongful act, with real legal consequences.

It’s 2024! Cue the ‘new year, new me’ vows, right? But maybe this is the year for ‘new year, less garbage from the last year’. Maybe 2023 was a rough year for you, or maybe it went great. Either way, there’s no doubt there are some habits we should leave in 2023.

Identifying the lasting effects of changes occurring within the business and legal worlds is crucial to demonstrating good commercial acumen. Think about the impact that such changes might have on a particular industry, your target firm’s clients and the firm itself. Choose to analyse stories that interest you as this will make staying up to date with changes much easier and more enjoyable. Read this week’s commercial news round-up for insight into some of the news stories from the past week.

I felt completely out of place walking into County Hall for the LawCareersNetLIVE event. However, once I started talking to people from all walks of life, everyone admitted that they felt the same imposter syndrome.

What’s the legal basis behind Dragons' Den?

Career changers and mature candidates can make great lawyers. Many solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers value the transferable skills and experiences that career changers bring, with some explicitly encouraging career changers to apply. Read on to learn how you can make the change from your current career into law.

So, you've got no training contract, you've just graduated with a non-law degree and you're faced with the decision of whether you want to self-fund the first part of your solicitor’s journey.

During the build-up to Christmas, it can be incredibly easy to get lost in the whirlwind of decorations, gifts and (for those of us still climbing the university mountain) exams. It is certainly important to set time aside for revision, research and those glamorous post-webinar LinkedIn posts. However, I think it is equally crucial to reap the unquantifiable benefits of taking breaks. One of the ways I try to relax is by picking up a book (by choice!) and finding a cosy corner to curl up in with a cuppa. What better way to spend your valuable time than to discover the law in a way that is relevant yet relaxed? In this piece, I will review recent and popular legal literature, and highlight their usefulness and relevance in terms of learning about a career in the law.

Corporate M&A involves the combining of companies or assets through mergers, where two companies combine to form a new entity, or acquisitions, where one company takes over another.

Studying at university is a fantastic place to get involved in all different kinds of activity. Trying new activities, joining new societies, learning new languages or playing new sports are just some of the many things that your time at university can involve. With all these opportunities, there is so much that you can learn which will benefit you in future. From developing soft skills, to gaining real life legal experience and showing your charitable spirit, here are three ways you can make a difference in the law itself during university. 

Simon Stephen, legal director at Gowling, opens up about how being honest about his mental health over the years has made for a better working environment.

Commercial litigators represent and advise commercial clients when disputes arise from joint venture projects, contracts, civil fraud, commercial and banking transactions, corporate governance, financial services regulation and professional negligence.

At its core, English contract law demands five essential ingredients to create a binding agreement: an offer, acceptance, consideration (something of value exchanged), certainty of terms and, crucially, an intention by both parties to be legally bound. These elements aren’t mere formalities – they form the bedrock of enforceable deals.

What are the commercial implications for national governing bodies if funded athletes are given employment rights?

Resourcing manager Rob Brown offers insight into Blake Morgan's training contract recruitment process, including the most common way candidates let themselves down in applications, the key skills aspiring lawyers need and how non-legal work experience can improve an application. 

I’m about to graduate from my law degree but don’t want to work at a law firm. What are my options?

Associate Alasdair Johnston discusses why he was drawn to working at international law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP, the rewarding cases he’s worked on and the importance of work experience for aspiring lawyers. Plus, he highlights his time on secondment in Dubai.