LCN Blogs

We've got a crack team of bloggers reporting back from the front line of legal study and work. You'll hear straight from the horses' mouths how they juggle their studies, job search, work, finances and social life. You can save blogs to your MyLCN account by clicking the 'Bookmark' button on the blogs page.

Harry Clark

I'm Harry a future trainee solicitor at Baker McKenzie, content writer and producer of resources for aspiring lawyers. I host the podcast ‘More From Law’ on Spotify and iTunes and author resources for aspiring lawyers on Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube (@harryclarklaw). In this blog, gain an insight into everything commercial awareness and how to be an exceptional candidate!

Latest post:

How to use Porter's Five Forces to analyse industries

When analysing a given commercial story or scenario it is critical to understand and identify what ‘industries’ are being affected. Each industry will have its own particular strengths and weaknesses depending on its structure, adopted business models and ‘elasticity’ when responding to adverse market conditions. The covid-19 pandemic has served as a good example of how each industry’s respective strengths and weaknesses are tested when the market is experiencing ‘abnormal’ behaviour from what most businesses would ideally like to see, such as a recession. This article outlines a popular model to analyse the factors that make a certain industry strong and/or weak – Porters Five Forces.

Bethany Barrett

A second-year law student at the University of Bristol, I hope to eventually work as a solicitor in a Birmingham or Manchester-based firm. Through this blog, I want to share my experiences of applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, and also give a voice to those students who want to work in cities outside of London (it isn't always for everyone you know!).

Latest post:

Law outside London: Birmingham

Bethany Barrett

If you are looking for a city with a wide choice of firms, Birmingham might be the regional hub for you. Many national and international firms choose to have an office in Birmingham for numerous reasons, including its strong transport links with both London and Northern cities and the diversity of clients based there.

Juliet

Hi! I’m Juliet, and I will be entering my second year studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Oxford in October 2019. I’ll be blogging about my experiences finding out about the legal profession, and also about how politics, economics and current events relate to the law.

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SQE: when is it actually happening?

The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), as most people reading this will be aware, is a new standardised assessment that must be passed by all aspiring solicitors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is introducing the SQE and hope that it will ensure that all solicitors, regardless of the route by which they entered the profession, meet certain minimum standards and that it will reduce the barriers facing budding lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds. However, I suspect I am not the only one still somewhat confused about what is changing and when.

Christianah B

Hello! I’m Chrissy. I am an undergraduate student studying my LLB at a London university. I will be publishing blogs and vlogs with a personal and academic account of what it means to study law, while sharing tips on how to make the most of your experience at university.

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To quarantine and chill or not?

As universities and schools close and students are revising from home to stop the spread of coronavirus, you might be wondering how you can stay sane during quarantine. Revising from home can be challenging, especially if you’re used to the library shift routine, not to mention how distracting your family members, housemates or even your fridge can be. Here are some tips on how to stay sane and productive during quarantine.

Irina M

After two years of studying law at university, while gaining legal work experience in London, working in legal tech and volunteering, I am ready to embark on my final year and capture the ups and downs here on my blog!

Latest post:

CMA prepares to assert its role post-Brexit

The Competition and Markets Authority is the main UK regulator of merger control, competition law and consumer law, and it now finds itself in an interesting and novel position

Chantal Elian

I’m Chantal and I am currently an undergraduate at the University of Leicester studying English and History, entering the final year of my degree! I am beginning my applications to undertake the GDL after graduating and working towards gaining a training contract in the near future. I am keen to help other non-law students and hope that I can achieve this by sharing my experience whilst navigating the legal world without a law degree!

Latest post:

A checklist for your final year as a non-law student

The final year of your non-law degree is quite a significant year as you start planning your future. It is an exciting and busy time so it is important to find a way (eg, a checklist) to ensure that you don’t miss anything.

Joe Defries

I’m a first-year LLB student at the University of Bristol interested in commercial law and how technology is disrupting the legal profession. I maintain commercial awareness through reading the FT, listening to podcasts and running my own small business. In this blog, I’ll be discussing all aspects of my degree from the very start, with the occasional post relating to a current debate.

Latest post:

How can first-year law students keep busy during the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this article I’ll discuss how first-year law students can stay busy and productive during this unprecedented time. Self-isolation and a national lockdown has caused immense disruption for students, but there are still things we can be doing to make the most of our time.

Blessing Mukosha Park

Blessing is a BPTC graduate from The City Law School and former Director of the School Exclusion Project. She is author of BLESSING AT THE BAR, the blog for aspiring barristers, and is also a vlogger for LCN. She has published work on youth violence, County Lines and racial discrimination in policing and the criminal justice system and plans to practice public and property law at the Bar.

Latest post:

How to research practice areas

Blessing Mukosha Park

When applying for pupillage it is necessary to know which areas of law you want to focus your applications on. Each chambers has different core practice areas that their barristers take instructions in. Although once inside a chambers, your practice can take a number of different directions, it is still necessary to be aware of your principal target areas.

Matthew Dow

Hello! I am Matt, I completed my undergraduate in History and Politics at Oxford in 2014. I have pivoted to law after spending the last few years working in mobile marketing for King, the makers of Candy Crush. I have just finished the GDL and LLB extension at the University of Law, Bloomsbury. Finding a legal role is a meandering experience. I am keen to pass on any lessons learned.

Latest post:

Career changing – a personal update

As a mature candidate, I often read advice that is targeted towards aspiring student applicants and question to what extent such guidance still applies to my situation. I also know numerous other career changers who share similar concerns about making the transition into law.

Kat C-W

Hello! I’m currently studying at University of Sheffield, although I have also studied law with the Open University so I will be imparting some distance learning insight too. I’m figuring out university as a mature student and will be sharing some of my experiences juggling life, work and education.

Latest post:

The law of luxury brands

Something I have been trying to do more of lately is align the type of law I want to do with the kinds of things that interest me in life. One of these is luxury fashion. Luxury brands can be found as clients of many major law firms, as well as in more private-client-focused outfits.

Violet

Hi I’m Violet, and I will be a final-year English & French student from September. Although I’m a non-law student, I am looking to pursue a career in law after graduating. I love writing – so blogging is the ideal way for me to get across my experience of the legal world from a non-law perspective, as well as other general musings that I have about the law!

Latest post:

How is the changing UK high street affecting law firms?

Almost every day there seems to be another headline about the demise of the high street. In the past few years, several clothing and restaurant chains have gone into administration and, with high street retailers facing high rents, low footfall and the ever-increasing use of online shopping, the future isn't looking promising.

Sian

Hi, I’m Sian; a second year Law student at UCL. With one year of my degree completed I am finally starting to find my feet within the field of Law and I’m excited to use this blog to share my highs, lows and everything in between as I continue my degree and get to grips with the hectic legal world.

Latest post:

Baby steps towards commercial awareness

As application season draws closer, the dreaded phrase ‘commercial awareness’ beings to haunt law students. In this post, I set out my top tips for breaking down your quest for awareness in order to make understanding commercial events a lot less daunting.

Ibrahim Ilyas

Hello! I'm Ibrahim, aspiring barrister and I've just completed the LLB at Birmingham City University. I'll be studying the Bar Professional Training Course LLM at the University of Law (Birmingham) in September 2019. After undertaking a range of both legal and non-legal experiences, I am keen to share with you my journey to a career at the Bar and all that it entails. I invite you to join me as we navigate through all the conundrums that is part of pursuing a career as a barrister, and more. Watch this space!

Latest post:

BPTC scholarship advice

Candidates applying for the Inns of Court BPTC scholarships can take a number of steps to prepare for the application and interview process. This guide provides personal insight on approaching the deadline for the scholarship application form.

Charlotte Hughes

I graduated from the University of Reading in 2015 and studied the BPTC at the University of Law graduating in 2017 with a Very Competent. I am currently undertaking my pupillage at East Anglian Chambers primarily in criminal law.

Latest post:

Things to do between the BPTC and gaining pupillage

Charlotte Hughes

As the pupillage gateway closes for another year, those who were unsuccessful face a long wait before the application window opens again.

Paris Bradley

I am a mature student, undertaking an undergraduate law degree at a small university in the south. I am also a single mother to two fabulous children. I have just completed my first year and am eagerly awaiting the start of second year. This time I will be armed with a better idea of how to tackle common law student issues; something I will be sharing on here.

Latest post:

The time has come for me to leave LCN blogging. It has been an absolutely fantastic experience and a career-building opportunity. Here are my final thoughts for all potential and current law students.

Solinda Tracy

Hi, my name is Solinda. I graduated from the University West of England in 2017 and I am currently studying the LPC part-time at the University of Law. I am also full time Private Client Paralegal at an award-Winning national consumer law firm.

Latest post:

Identifying your side hustle

Even though working in the legal sector offers you the chance to have a great salary, it is important to spend time on other interests besides the law. Whether it’s selling specific items, doing odd jobs or expanding your social media presence, a side hustle can be a great way to generate multiple streams of income.