From event day to assessment centre: my LawCareersNetLIVE London 2025 experience

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My experience of LawCareersNetLIVE

When my place for LawCareersNetLIVE London 2025 was confirmed, I expected useful conversations and a better sense of different law firms. I didn’t expect the day to shape how I approached future applications and assessment centres – or that it’d help me secure a training contract with one of the sponsor firms – but that’s exactly what happened.

The event was held at London County Hall and it felt very different from other careers events I’d attended in 2025. It was busy and buzzing, but not overcrowded, thanks to the competitive application process and the amount of space at the venue. This meant I could have proper conversations, rather than asking one rushed question and moving on or feeling like I was taking time away from other attendees.

What I liked most was the structure of the event. The day moved between keynote speech and panel sessions, morning and afternoon workshops, and networking with sponsor firms throughout. A balance that worked. The partner and trainee panels gave context, the workshops made you think on your feet and the networking gave you the chance to speak openly with people at different levels – from graduate recruitment to trainees, associates and partners. It was also a great chance to pick up firm merchandise, with a particular shoutout to Cooley (UK) LLP and their socks, which are now in my regular weekly rotation.

What I learned from the sessions

The keynote speech from partner and head of Fuse at A&O Shearman, Shruti Ajitsaria, really stayed with me. As a career changer in my late 30s, it was reassuring to hear someone senior speak candidly about non-linear career paths. Shruti’s points on innovation and the role of technology in complex legal work brought home how much this is shaping trainee work and opportunities, and why continual learning is essential.

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The ‘Law firm as a business’ partner panel was probably the most useful session for my commercial understanding. It made law firm economics feel concrete, rather than theoretical. It also reinforced something that I’d been thinking about for a while: technical ability matters, but relationships, communication and judgement are what make people trust you with more responsibility.

I then attended two workshops: Cooley’s ‘Partnering the biotech innovators of tomorrow’ and Winston and Strawn London LLP’s ‘Dealmaking in the digital age: how lawyers shape the future of innovation, AI and digital assets’.

Cooley’s workshop looked at a licensing term sheet between a smaller pharmaceutical business and a larger one. I found it fascinating because it forced us to think beyond black letter law and look at commercial reality, including cost, patent timelines and routes to profitability.

Meanwhile, Winston and Strawn’s workshop focused on a cross-border digital transaction with acquisition and data-related issues. It was fast-paced, complex, and exactly the kind of scenario that shows how legal, regulatory and commercial questions collide in practice.

The ‘Life as a trainee’ panel at the end of the day brought everything together. What stood out was how honest the trainee solicitors were about early career progression in law. The message wasn’t to perform or present a perfect version of yourself that’s not real, but to be authentic, understand that you are there to learn, build trust and keep striving to improve.

How LawCareersNetLIVE helped my applications and career

Where the event had the biggest impact for me was afterwards, when I was completing further applications and assessment centres.

I used examples from the LawCareersNetLIVE workshops I attended directly in applications to the firms that were at the event, which made my answers more specific and showed that I was building my understanding of them and their practices beyond a casual interest. In assessment centres, the workshop tasks helped me to structure answers under pressure, especially when discussing risk, opportunity and client-focused decision making.

The chance to network in person is essential in an age where trainee recruitment is becoming increasingly digital and you may have no real human interaction until the assessment centre stage. Being able to communicate face to face, ask deeper questions that come from having an open conversation and build rapport gave me a real confidence boost, particularly when it was time to convert those all-important assessment centres into offers.

I now hold a training contract with one of the sponsor firms and LawCareersNetLIVE definitely played a part in that outcome. The event helped me sharpen how I presented myself, build relationships that were genuinely valuable and perform better in case-study interviews.

For anyone considering attending LawCareersNetLIVE, my main message is simple. It’s worth pushing yourself to engage fully, because the value of the day often appears afterwards in applications, interviews and confidence. While networking can feel uncomfortable, it gets easier and it matters in an industry driven by client relationships.

For me, LawCareersNetLIVE London 2025 was not only informative, but also a turning point in how I approached the process and saw my place in the profession.

Key takeaways for future attendees:

• Prepare focused questions for each sponsor law firm so your conversations are specific and useful.
• Choose workshops that match your interests then use those examples in applications and assessment centres.
• Treat networking as a skill you can develop, not a personality trait you either have or don’t have.
• Follow up with people you meet while conversations are still fresh.
• Use the day to test your thinking in real time, not just to collect information.

James Anscomb is a future trainee solicitor following a 15-year career in client-focused sales and business operations, including legal recruitment.