First come, first served? Get ahead of the game with first-year open days and workshop opportunities

Increasingly, there is a movement among law firms to concentrate on first-year students and provide them with the opportunity to learn more about their organisations.

Open days, workshops and tailored presentations are just some of the offerings that you should look into; deadlines are on the horizon for most firms, so start researching now. The selection process differs (as ever) from firm to firm – often depending on the structure of the activities in question. Some will host informal open events to which all are invited, while others see these occasions as another key step in the overall recruitment process and provide a mandatory application form to complete.

If you haven’t secured legal work experience to date, this could be the perfect chance to meet recruiters and trainees, gaining a deeper understanding of the firm that will be a good fit for you.

Those firms who have confirmed first-year specific events include:

• Addleshaw Goddard: First-year open day (7 April in Manchester; 9 April in London)
• Allen & Overy: A&O First – a work experience programme and support network (application deadline is 28 February 2015)
• Baker & McKenzie: First-year programme (application deadline is 28 February 2015)
• Berwin Leighton Paisner: Insight programme (application deadline is 4 February 2015) and Introduction to law day (application deadline is 25 March 2015)
• Bristows LLP: First-year open day (application deadline is 21 February 2015)
• Burges Salmon LLP: First-year insight day (application deadline is 1 March 2015)
• Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP: First-year open day (application deadline is 6 March 2015)
• Dechert LLP: Insight days in April
• Dentons: First-year spring open day (application deadline is 6 March 2015)
• DLA Piper UK LLP: First-year insight days in Manchester, Leeds, London and Birmingham (application deadline is 23 February 2015)
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP: First-year focus programme (application deadline is 27 February 2015)
• Gibson Dunn: First-year open day in April (application details to be confirmed)
• Herbert Smith Freehills LLP: First-year workshops (application deadline is 31 January 2015)
• Hogan Lovells: First-year law open days and one-week spring vacation scheme for first-year law students (application deadline for both open days and vacation scheme is 13 February 2015)
• Holman Fenwick Willan: Insight day for first-year law students and penultimate year non-law students (application deadline is 19 March 2015)
• King & Wood Mallesons: First-year open days in spring and summer 2015
• Latham & Watkins: Insight day in April (application deadline is 6 March 2015)
• Linklaters LLP: Pathfinder scheme for first-year undergraduates (application deadline is 28 February 2015)
• Macfarlanes LLP: First-year insight day (application deadline is 28 February 2015)
• Norton Rose Fulbright: First year open days (application deadline is 30 April 2015)
• Osborne Clarke: Insight scheme in Bristol, London and Thames Valley offices (application deadline is 28 February 2015)
• Reed Smith: Open days for first-year law and first and second year non-law students (application deadline is 16 February 2015)
• Shearman & Sterling LLP: ‘Head Start’- first year programme (application deadline is 16 January 2015)
• Simmons & Simmons LLP: First-year spring insight scheme (application deadline is 1 February 2015)
• Slaughter & May: First-year open day (application deadline is 30 January 2015)
• Taylor Wessing: First-year insight event (apply online on firm’s website)
• White & Case LLP: Open day for first-year law students and second year non-law students (application deadline is 30 April 2015)

This is by no means an exhaustive list of opportunities and we welcome any additions which we have yet to come across. 

You may also wish to visit our work placement deadlines page as well as recent advice on how to present experiences and strengths in the most effective way to recruiters.