Best foot forward

As you are probably aware, the LawCareers.Net team does not just exist online. We also produce a number of important print products each year. The most well-known of these, The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook, can be found in careers services and law faculties nationwide. At the same time, we also distribute our annual magazine, Best in Law, which is what I want to focus on today.

The key to Best in Law is excellence. While the main thrust of LawCareers.Net and the handbook is offering rounded advice on all the options, Best in Law is unashamedly focused on the kind of knowledge, techniques and attitude that will give you the edge in a highly competitive market. The difference between 'good' and 'best' is what you need to be successful.

So what's in it? Well, Best in Law comprises three main parts: 'Who's the Best?', 'Best Informed' and 'Be the Best'. First, 'Who's the Best' features the winners of this year's LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards - ie, those firms whose trainees have confirmed that they work in a positive, challenging and supportive environment. In other words, the kind of place you'd like to end up (we assume). Have a look at what a firm that is getting it right looks like and try to identify the characteristics that you should be looking for in the firms you apply to. You can only make a relatively small number of applications, so make sure you choose well!

Secondly, 'Best Informed' provides the kind of concrete information a good candidate should possess. 'A Year in the Law' and 'The Commercial Year' are great starting points for being able to talk convincingly to lawyers and business people about their world. We also highlight some of the best Burning Questions that have appeared on LC.N, which are designed to bolster your commercial awareness. If you don't take this sort of information on board, you are going to struggle to persuade recruiters that you are a lawyer in the making!

Finally, in 'Be the Best' we look at some of the techniques and skills that give the best candidates an advantage. How you should research, how to improve your commercial awareness, the type of experience you need and how to present it, and how to network effectively and develop soft skills to get yourself noticed. We also focus on the all-important application and interview techniques and what pitfalls to avoid. And, of course, we remind you to use MyLC.N if you really want to organise, maximise and manage your research.

So, the next bit is simple. Pick it up and have a look. Remember, this information is available to everyone. Ignore it at your peril!