Application Hub - Application hub

Solicitors hub
Everything you need to know about becoming a solicitor
Search training contracts
Search for a training contract at nearly 1,000 organisations
Training contract deadlines
A comprehensive list of training contract deadlines
Vacation scheme deadlines
A comprehensive list of law firms' vacation scheme deadlines

INSIDE LOOK

Meet the Lawyer
Read how today's lawyers went from student to qualified lawyer
Meet the Recruiter
Advice from recruiters on acing your applications and more
Vacation Scheme Insiders
Get a sense of what firms' vacation schemes are really like
Brochures
Your essential first step in identifying the firm for you
Practice Area Profiles
Hear from solicitors working in specific practice areas

LEARN

DISCOVER

Barristers hub
Everything you need to know about becoming a barrister
Search pupillages
Search for a pupillage at nearly 200 barristers' chambers
Pupillage deadlines
A comprehensive list of pupillage deadlines

INSIDE LOOK

Meet the Lawyer
Read how today's barristers went from student to qualified barrister at the Bar
Practice Area Profiles
Hear from barristers working in specific practice areas
Types of chambers
Find out more about the different types of chambers

LEARN

DISCOVER

Beginner's hub

Interested in a future career as a lawyer? Use The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law to get started

Apprenticeships hub

Find out about the various legal apprenticeships on offer and browse vacancies with The Law Apprenticeships Guide

SQE hub

Information on qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, including preparation courses, study resources, QWE and more

Commercial awareness hub

Discover everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law

Diversity hub

The latest news and updates on the actions being taken to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession

Application hub

Discover advice to help you prepare for and ace your vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage applications

First-year hub

Your first-year guide to a career in law – find out how to kickstart your legal career at this early stage

Non-law hub

Your non-law guide to a career in law – everything you need to know about converting to law

Education hub
This hub covers all aspects of legal education and training
Search law courses
Search law-related courses across the UK
Law school prospectuses
Identify the right law school for you with these prospectuses
Finances
Find out about sources of funding at each stage of the qualification process

COURSES

Undergraduate degree
Find out what an undergraduate degree is
Law conversion courses – PGDL
Find out about what you learn and where to study
Legal practice course – LPC
Find out what the LPC involves and whether you're eligible
Bar courses – BPTC/BPC
Find out about the course required to qualify as a barrister
SQE preparation courses
Find out about the brand-new SQE preparation courses

STAGES

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Commercial Question
Articles from law firms designed to get you thinking commercially
Features
These are designed to increase your knowledge of the profession
LCN Says
Insights from LCN and contributors from the world of law
The Oracle
Advice on issues from funding your studies to getting experience
LCN Weekly Newsletter
Kickstart your legal career with the latest content in our newsletter

EXPLORE

News
Discover key stories from the legal world
Videos
Our videos feature interviews and webinars on careers in law
Podcast
Hear from the experts via The LawCareers.Net Podcast
Blogs
Hear from your peers about their journey into the profession

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Application hub

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Welcome

Your Application hub, sponsored by BPP University

Meet the Lawyer

Hear from lawyers at top firms ahead of 31 May deadline!

Meet the Lawyer

Contextual recruitment

Find out how REALrating contextualises your academic performance

REALrating by upReach

BPP University Law School

Find out about studying at BPP

Life at BPP University

Welcome Meet the Lawyer Contextual recruitment BPP University Law School

Application deadlines

Vacation scheme deadlines

See a list of firms with upcoming vacation scheme deadlines!

Training contract deadlines

See a list of firms with upcoming training contract deadlines!

Pupillage deadlines

See a list of chambers with pupillage deadlines!

Top tips from

BPP University Law School

Our guide to networking

BPP University Law School’s careers manager Stephen Bloomer shares his insights on networking.

Masterclass | How to fund your legal studies – with BPP

In this masterclass with BPP University Law School, you'll discover how BPP students have successfully financed their legal training. Dive into a detailed look of BPP's scholarships, master's loan funding, private loans and other innovative ways to fund your career.

Masterclass | How to suceed at the SQE – with BPP University

In this virtual masterclass, BPP explores ways to successfully navigate the Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (SQE). Whether you're just beginning your SQE journey or seeking final advice before the exams, this is your chance to gain the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed.

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Your guide to making applications from BPP University Law School

Law firm application guide

Read BPP's complete guide on preparing your application.

Pupillage application guide

Read the pupillage application guide for expert tips on becoming a barrister, including advice and insights from BPP alumni and pupil barrister Kieron Spoors.

Boost your knowledge!

LawCareers.Net and Baker McKenzie masterclass: private equity and funds

Register | Thursday 15 May at 1:00pm

Vacation scheme applications

Olivia Partridge - Top 10 tips for your vacation scheme applications

Olivia Partridge

Acing a vacation scheme application comes with time, effort and a lot of research. With the biggest vacation scheme deadline of the year – 31 January – looming (and many firms having their deadline before this), now is the time to perfect your application strategy.

How to include extenuating circumstances in training contract and vacation scheme applications

The illness of a close family member has really impacted my studies and exam results – how can I explain this in my training contract/vacation scheme applications?

Olivia Partridge - Training contract and vacation scheme applications: three ways non-law students can stand out

Olivia Partridge

Non-law students often worry that somehow their non-law degree is holding them back from a successful career in law. This is not the case.

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Training contract applications

MyLocker

Sign up to use MyLocker - it's a central applications hub that allows you to store key info (eg, GCSE and A-level results) and copy this information into most AllHires Graduate application forms

How to apply for a training contract

Here’s our four-step training contract application masterclass.

Four areas of knowledge you need to get a training contract

These will help you to understand the profession and the job you hope to do, effectively research a law firm and identify your skills and strengths to demonstrate in applications.

Five tips to help you secure a training contract

As daunting as this process may be, here are a few tricks that may help you stand out from the crowd.

Does it matter when I submit my training contract application?

"Does it matter if I wait until the deadline to submit my training contract application?"

Insights from those on the ground

Meet the Recruiter

Find out what Shoosmiths’ emerging talent team is looking for in its new Discover programme for underrepresented groups, how the firm is adopting the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and Laura’s advice for those contemplating a career at the firm.

Vacation Scheme Insiders

University of Oxford

Law

Summer 2023

Meet the Lawyer

Galina Usorova shares her journey cross qualifying as a solicitor in the UK after practising in Russia and provides insights into her role in the fraud and asset recovery team at Stephenson Harwood LLP. Plus, she outlines a high-profile case where she acted for a Russian businessman who was resisting a claim brought by two banks.

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Our tips on researching law firms

How to research law firms when applying for vacation schemes

How to find the right law firm for your career and disability

How to research law firms

A comprehensive(ish) guide to researching firms

How to write your applications

Using AI in law firm applications

Should I use AI in my applications to law firms or chambers?

How many training contract applications should I make?

Last year I sent off more than 40 training contract applications but didn’t get one interview. What am I doing wrong?

Dimitar Dimitrov - Extenuating circumstances in applications

Dimitar Dimitrov

It’s so important to inform employers and universities when you experience genuine mitigating circumstances that have affected or may affect your academic performance.

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Worried about your interview?

A 26-step guide to training contract applications and interviews

LawCareers.Net’s 10 tips for training contract interviews

How to handle scenario-based questions at training contract interviews

LawCareers.Net’s guide to video interviews

What should I wear to an interview?

Five top tips for virtual interviews and assessment centres

Advice for non-law students

Training contract application advice for non-law students

I'm finishing my final year of a non-law degree. Is the application process for a vacation scheme or training contract more difficult or different for non-law students?

Dimitar Dimitrov - Five things you can do to get ahead as a non-law student

Dimitar Dimitrov

Non-law students often worry that their degree is an invisible barrier between themselves and the legal profession. This simply isn’t true.

Meet the Lawyer

Kiran Sidhu’s varied experience at university and beyond led her to data protection and privacy work. As an associate at Bristows LLP, Kiran outlines her role in this area of law, the skills and strengths required to be successful and more in this Meet the Lawyer profile.

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Non-law students

Five things you can do to get ahead as a non-law student

A non-law student’s guide to a career in law

Online training contract and vacation scheme application tips

A 26-step guide to training contract applications and interviews

Here’s LawCareers.Net’s 26-step guide to the training contract application process, plus 10 mock interview questions to help you prepare.

Even more tips for maximising legal applications

When it comes to legal applications, success comes down to being knowledgeable and prepared. It's not just about ticking boxes, you also need to show that you're truly invested in the role and profession.

How to find your legal specialism

There are lots of different careers in the legal profession. On qualifying, many lawyers tend to specialise in one area of law, which could be anything from intellectual property to clinical negligence to family law. This Feature explores the process of choosing a practice area to specialise in and offers advice on the factors to consider.

LawCareersNetLIVE London 2024: partner panel

At our LawCareersNetLIVE London event on 6 December 2024, the panel of top law firm partners addressed the key issues affecting law firms in 2025. The session helped delegates understand how firms operate as businesses and the role they will play as trainees.

Managing rejections and asking for feedback

How should I ask for application feedback?

Listen - Episode 28: work experience, interviews and processing rejection

I wasn’t offered a training contract this summer – what now?

More interview advice

Dimitar Dimitrov - LawCareers.Net’s 10 tips for training contract interviews

Dimitar Dimitrov

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

The future of modern recruitment and what it means for you

Anna Samokhina - How to secure a training contract – international student edition

"You’re not from the UK, it’s unlikely that you’ll find a training contract. Are you even aware how difficult it is?" – if you’ve ever heard something along these lines, this LCN Says is for you.

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Pupillage and mini-pupillage applications

How does the pupillage application process work?

A guide to pupillage interviews

Tips for applying through the Pupillage Gateway

Videos

See more videos

LawCareers.Net masterclass: law firm applications – how to succeed

Masterclass | AI in the legal profession - with Shoosmiths

EASY MISTAKES TO AVOID on application forms

3 Tips for Writing Training Contract Applications

BASIC PUPILLAGE APPLICATION TIPS | Dani the Barrister

Boost your commercial awareness

Ellie Nicholl - Podcasts and influencers you should follow to boost your commercial awareness

It’s so easy to consume regular, up-to-date information in our modern world. Listening to podcasts and browsing social media are easy and interactive ways for candidates to work on their commercial awareness. And, as the world becomes increasingly digital, there are more podcasts and influencers than ever on the legal scene for you to follow and learn from.

Trending commercial issues to know about in 2024

Let’s break down the top stories that made headlines in 2023 and consider what you should look out for in 2024.

John MacKenzie - Wrestle with PESTLE: Access to justice and the role of legal aid

This article will analyse the implications of access to justice and the role of legal aid through the PESTLE framework. I believe this issue is a great way to explore the interaction between public policy and the practical realities of the justice system and legal practice.

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More application advice

How aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience

Training contract assessment centres: everything you need to know

Will going travelling increase or decrease my chances of a training contract?

How to demonstrate the key skills for law in applications

The latest legal news

Top law firms say SQE graduates lag behind LPC counterparts in key legal skills

Trainees who qualified via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) are said to be underperforming in core legal skills compared to those who completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC), according to new research by Legal Cheek.

Mid-tier law firms increase bonuses to reward high billing hours

Mid-tier law firms Simmons & Simmons LLP, RPC and Shoosmiths have launched new policies to reward lawyers for billing higher hours, with bonuses of up to 40% of base salary on offer.

Consultation commences on potential £92 million criminal legal aid funding boost

Today, the government officially launched a significant consultation on criminal legal aid, with the aim of addressing the legal aid crisis.

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