LC.N Blogs - LawCareers.Net

Best Value Tendering, the end of the criminal solicitor and justice as we know it? Part 3 - What will the future bring?

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Since my qualification on 1 May 2013, every time I step into court, all I can hear are scaremongering stories that the criminal solicitor will be defunct and justice for all will be just myth and legend by September 2014.

Are the legal aid cuts worthwhile?

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It’s been a while since I last blogged about the BPTC itself, so it’s time to update you!

Summer is here!

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Exams are over and the sun is shining!

Legal tweeting

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Call it a procrastination tactic if you wish, but I’ve recently become hooked to following journalists on Twitter as they tweet live from law courts.

Stressin'

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The horror of the exam period is finally upon us.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Revision has now taken over my life, but at least I’m safe in the knowledge that after 21May I won’t need to revise anymore.

Best value tendering: the end of the criminal solicitor and justice as we know it? Part two

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the other main proposal of the consultation paper proposing further cuts to legal aid is that clients will no longer have a choice as to who their solicitor is.

The end of the criminal Bar?

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed some debate on these blog pages about the legal aid cuts and whether they’re really necessary.

Time for reflection?

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I’m days away from my last week of GDL classes and I’m finding that to be a terrifying prospect.

Drop the pressure

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

After many months of hard work I have finally completed my dissertation project.

A motivational pep talk

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sitting at the same desk I’ve been sitting at for the last two-and-a-half weeks and looking out at the beautiful sunshine and rolling green hills, it's safe to say that I’m quite sick of revision.

The end is nigh!

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

By this time next month, I’ll have completed all my first-year exams.

Strictly confidential

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Part of my role within an in-house legal department involves negotiating and drafting both two-way and multi-party non-disclosure agreements.

Best value tendering: the end of the criminal solicitor and justice as we know it? Part 1

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The destruction of the criminal justice system in England and Wales begins.

After the storm

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Finally, the compulsory BPTC exams are over!

No rest for the wicked

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Hundreds of hours spent researching potential cohabitation reforms will come to a climax next Wednesday when I finally hand in my dissertation project.

The real value behind networking

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Networking events are often artificial, but the principles that lie behind the concept are very important.

The legal aid cuts are necessary

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A consultation on plans to save £220m from the criminal legal aid bill has been launched, though it aims to address more areas than just the criminal law sphere.

#LawStudentProblems

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The twittersphere has been enlightened recently by an account documenting #LawStudentProblems, things which every law student has to face and will be familiar with, like copious amounts of reading.

Rising prices...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Easter’s been and gone and I can’t say that it was a particularly relaxing break, given the looming prospect of the criminal and civil litigation exams.

Opinions on coursework

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

We’ve just finished our second term at the University of Law and everyone’s starting to feel the pressure.

It’s not a crime to laugh

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The world of crime can sometimes be a very funny one.

End of term reflections

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I'm two thirds of the way through my second year and I’m suddenly beginning to feel very nostalgic.

How useful is your law degree?

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As I approach the end of my final year at university, I can’t help but be worried about the future.

An Easter break without the break

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

At the end of this week, my Easter break begins! With all coursework completed and submitted, all I have to focus on now is revising for exams and preparing for an in-class moot.

The reality of the publicly-funded legal profession

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Until maybe 15 years ago, to be a member of the legal profession was something to be proud of. If the average man on the street asked you what you did, he would give you the utmost respect and shake your hand for what you were.

Exam season begins

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The BPTC exam season has suddenly kicked off! This week, I've got three mocks and one real exam to do.

For-'um' all the students

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Read on to find out the relevance of the bad pun included in the title!

Universal concerns

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching recently, prompted by the fear-inspiring ‘why law?’ question that has faced me on many an application form.

Should celebrities have the right to privacy?

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This week I attended a talkheld by my law school's professors on the right to privacy, with emphasis on celebrities.

Diversity deficit: are we all screwed?

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The idea of legal apprenticeships has been bounced around in the news over the past few weeks, but will they really make the profession any more diverse?

A life of crime

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Apart from spending a three-month period seconded at another firm as part of my training contract, I have spent over three-and-a-half years practising criminal law.

Left for dead: LPC profiteers leaving students behind

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This week it has been announced that Oxford Brookes University will be discontinuing their LPC this summer.

Two essays, one acronym

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Somehow, I’m only three weeks away from the end of classes and five weeks away from exams.

Is the salary the be all and end all?

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Having read a Lex100 news piece on a survey looking into men and women’s salaries in the legal sector, I stopped to think about what the writer of the article was really trying to say.

It's that interview time of year

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I must admit, I’ve been struggling to think of topics on which to write this blog – not because of laziness or too many nights out, but because I’ve been really busy with interviews.

Honorary benchers dinner

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The next few exams are approaching fast - I’m busy revising and doing as many practice questions as I can.

Cotton wool kids

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

After completing an incredibly stressful exam period, we all seem to forget about the equally stressful experience of receiving your results.

Briefcase w***er

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

One of my favourite comedy programmes on TV is The Inbetweeners, which lampoons a group of socially inept 6th form students.

A moot point episode II: juggling strikes back

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The start of my week began with receiving coursework; it ended in Gray’s Inn helping out at the Jessup moot competition.

The gun control debate

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

British policing is admired for upholding the law without resorting to the standardised use of guns.

Mistaken identity cases

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday morning, the news broke that Oscar Pistorius, the famous Olympic and Paralympic athlete, had been arrested on suspicion of shooting his girlfriend in his home in South Africa.

YouTube law

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The United Kingdom’s highest court has recently launched a YouTube channel for the legal profession and law students to gain valuable insights into how it works.

To call or not to call an expert

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I recently spent some time in court observing family/child care proceedings.

Resolving disputes outside of court

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The opinion writing exam is over! I’ve got no idea how it went, so I’m just going to have to wait and see.

Does the web have the law tied up?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This week the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve QC, announced that “trial by Google” threatens to undermine the jury system.

The clientele

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I think that, as a general rule, there are four main types of criminal client; the first timer, the up-and-coming, the repeater and, finally, the professional.

A moot point

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Today (30 January), I am going to the Royal Courts of Justice to watch Greenwich's mooting team compete.

An EU change is gonna come

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It's been a big couple of weeks for EU law. First, there was David Cameron's dramatic speech, in which he announced his plans to renegotiate the United Kingdom's position in the EU and hold an unforgiving 'in or out' referendum before 2017.

Snow more exams

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time of year again when a reasonable amount of snowfall brings the entire country grinding to a halt.