As first-year scheme applications draw to a close, I thought that this would be a good time to blog about my experience applying to first-year schemes and open days at various law firms.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (with no wi-fi) for the past 12 months, you won’t have avoided the explosion in use of generative AI. How can aspiring lawyers position themselves to harness the benefits that AI can offer?

An important part of going to university is having a great time, meeting new friends and making the most of the wide variety of opportunities that being a student has to offer. That being said, focusing solely on fun and not paying attention to your academics is likely to result in a few missed opportunities. A healthy balance of work and socialising during your first year will have long-term benefits that you’ll appreciate later down the line.

LawCareers.Net has put together this guide to training contract interviews, featuring 10 tips to help you ace your interview.

Labour has won the general election, with a landslide victory of 412 seats. But how will this affect businesses and law firms? If you’re an aspiring lawyer considering financial services (FS) as a practice area, read on to learn more about Labour’s regulatory plans and stance on relations with Europe, AI, net zero and how changes will affect FS firms.

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?

In our latest commercial awareness case study video, Matt uses the PESTLE technique (Political Economical Social Technological Legal Environmental) to analyse the implications of the recent Flybe government bailout.

Our recent commercial awareness case study video uses the PESTLE technique (Political Economical Social Technological Legal Environmental) to analyse the implications of the recent Flybe government bailout. 

UK general election, proposed acquisitions, Taylor Swift ticket scams and Microsoft’s new AI feature are on our radar this week. Read on for a summary of these stories and use the PESTLE technique to delve further into the impacts of each one. 

The adventures of Cuthbert the Caterpillar and the backlash following the European Super League announcement are just two of the big commercial news stories this week. But how can you analyse these stories with a commercial mindset? Remember, there are various techniques (eg, PESTLE), which will help you on your way – read the summaries of this week’s news story picks below.

Weight loss jabs, cryptocurrency, Rishi Sunak’s small boats policy, a universal basic income trial and the legal duties of universities. This week’s commercial news round-up has a diverse group of stories for you, so why not pick a topic and try the PESTLE method to test your commercial awareness?  

Leading civil liberties and legal aid firm Hodge Jones & Allen hosted Year 12 Students for a discussion about careers in the access-to-justice side of the legal profession earlier this month. 

After the housing crash, will the courts ease lenders' pain?

This webinar outlines the basics of commercial thinking and how to develop it.

It’s the calm between the storms Ciara and Dennis, but all is not quite peaceful in the world. Take a read of our commercial news story summaries to find out which issues are affecting the business and legal worlds this week.

There’s no need to dedicate every waking hour to building your commercial awareness, making applications or preparing for interviews, for example. That said, you should give yourself a head start and set aside enough time to practise the four pieces of advice we’ve outlined in this article.