LawCareers.Net

This week I was lucky enough to receive an email offering me a place on a virtual vacation scheme. Although I was amazed and delighted that a cancelled Easter scheme had been reinstated, albeit in virtual form, I was also wondering how it would work in practice. How can a week sitting in front of my laptop possibly substitute for a week at a leading law firm’s office?

If you’re looking to break into the world of commercial law – or almost any client-facing role, really – commercial awareness is a critical skill that you’ll need to develop in order to excel. A lot of candidates often struggle to understand why it’s so important, which in turn can lead to a lack of appreciation as to how important it is before beginning the application process. This article aims to break down a few of the reasons you should keep your knowledge of recent events, business acumen and commercial thinking up to date.

As you know from my LCN bio, I aim to give a voice to students who want to work outside of the City. Not cities in general, just ‘the’ City. With a capital C. London. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing personal against it and can understand perfectly the reasons for wanting to live and work there. Would-be lawyers flock there in their droves every year, captivated by the swanky offices, out-of-this-world perks and high-status work offered by the firms. But this does not mean that choosing to not work in London is somehow a less worthwhile venture.