How your student law society can support you

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Every year we survey student law societies across the UK for the annual LawCareers.Net Student Law Society Awards to find out how they run their events and activities, and how they serve their membership. We also hear from student law society members who offer opinions and feedback on their societies, including which events they most enjoyed and how they felt specific areas such as mooting and pro bono activities were run on campus.

As an aspiring lawyer, joining your university’s student law society is a fantastic way to not only meet like-minded people with similar career aspirations, but also to get involved in brilliant opportunities, including networking, pro bono and mooting.

We’ve put together a brief run-down of some of the ways your student law society can support you in your quest to become a lawyer, whichever route you choose.

Engagement

Engagement is key to any law society – after all, without society promotion, it’s difficult to build a solid membership base. Luckily, with email newsletters, social media, online hubs, and both virtual and in-person events, it’s never been easier to stay connected to your law society, know what’s going on, and feel part of a wider community.

Communication, however, is a two-way street, and as well as providing information for you, your society should also listen to your opinions and ideas. Are you offered the chance to give your feedback? Do you feel like your voice is heard and valued? These are valid points to consider – an engaged society is one where its members feel like they can share their ideas about the future and progression of their society. Some of the best submissions we read this year were from societies that had taken on board their members’ concerns and opinions and made concrete changes in response.

The award for ‘Best at student engagement’ was presented to the University of Nottingham Law Society and sponsored by Dechert LLP.

Careers events

Attending career events is a huge part of being part of a society and, quite honestly, probably one of the main reasons you joined in the first place.

From firm presentations and interactive Q&A sessions with lawyers and law firms, to meticulously organised virtual and in-person networking sessions and events, workshops, and competitions, there’s so much you can gain from attending society careers events. Make the most of the opportunities by preparing ahead of the events and following up on LinkedIn afterwards. Watch this video and read this article for more advice on researching law firms and making the most of LinkedIn as a law student.

The ‘Best careers event’ award was presented to RHUL Law Society, sponsored by Baker McKenzie. Despite limited resources and budget, the society organised one of the campus’ best events to date.

Social events

Many university social events focus on activities involving drinking, making it challenging for non-drinkers to participate. While bar crawls and club nights are a rite of passage at university, social events for societies are about much more than drinking games. As part of LCN’s Student Law Society Award submissions, we read about a great deal of different social events such as pizza parties, murder mysteries, and game nights but this year’s winner for best social event stood out for their female-focused events that promote an inclusive community and bring students together with inspirational women in the legal and criminal justice sectors.

The ‘Best social event’ award was presented to Women Breaking Barriers Leeds for their inclusive yoga and beading event. 

Mooting

In essence, mooting involves taking part in a mock trial competition where law students get the chance to put their knowledge to practice. Although many might find the idea of mooting scary and only for the experienced, we heard from many societies that successfully hosted a series of internal moots and coordinated participation in external moots across all year groups and abilities.

Read this LCN Blog to learn about the benefits of mooting.

In our eyes, one of the most important aspects of this category was to provide training and allow students at all experience levels to get involved and take part in mooting activities. From beginner sessions and intensive workshops to publishing guides for inexperienced mooters, your society should allow you to feel comfortable participating in moots and hopefully support you on your way to larger competitions and even prestigious prizes. Our winner for 2024 nailed all the above by providing an extensive range of internal and external moots as well as support for students in the form of regular coaching sessions with barristers and more advanced mooters to make entry into mooting easier.   

The ‘Best society for mooting’ award was presented to King’s College London Bar & Mooting Society for the third year in a row. 

Pro bono

Not every society can offer its members the opportunity to take part in pro bono work and this is one area where coordination with your law school will be hugely influential, especially if your law school runs a law clinic (or as we’ve recently seen – your society has started one!). Working in community-based projects has undoubtedly been difficult across the charity and legal aid sector as a whole due to the recent cost-of-living crisis, but there are many legal and research tasks that willing students can be a part of. Your society should be signposting you to these kinds of activities, if not organising them for you to take part in.

The bottom line is that there’s always something you can do, however small. And it will be of benefit to your future legal career too, as this Feature explains.

If you’re interested in pro bono work but don’t know where to start The Oracle explains how you can find pro bono and volunteering opportunities.

The ‘Best society for pro bono’ award, sponsored by AllHires, was presented to the University of Nottingham Pro Bono Society.

Commercial awareness

Our award for the best society for commercial awareness was introduced at the 2020 Student Law Society Awards to address students’ growing interest in this crucial subject, as well as the launch of bespoke commercial awareness societies at some universities. From commercial awareness events with law firms and external speakers to workshops, guides, and competitions, societies continued to take this theme seriously, equipping members with the necessary resources and tools to understand and demonstrate this skill to future employers. Don’t forget to head to our Commercial awareness hub if you’re interested in developing your commercial awareness in your own time.

The ‘Best society for commercial awareness’, sponsored by Lexology, was presented to the University of Bristol Law Club. 

First-year students

Supporting members should always be a priority for law societies regardless of their year group, but this seems especially pertinent for first-year students.

As well as hosting drop-in sessions and icebreaker events, societies ran bespoke sessions for first years to prepare them for launching their legal careers early. Over the past few years, we’ve also seen an added emphasis on student welfare and wellbeing with mental health events and resources quite rightly prioritised for all students – not just first years. Many societies also run buddy and mentoring schemes between first year and older students to offer guidance and mutual support.

The ‘Best society for first-year students’ was presented to Queen Mary Law Society. 

Diversity

It’s obvious when a society has actively considered the importance of diversity and inclusion, and practically implemented steps to address it. Across the legal profession, there’s a growing discourse about the need to prioritise diversity and equality in the industry. From reading the awards submissions, it’s clear to see that students are more proactive than ever in seeking change and representation at all levels – from their societies and committees to their future employers, and the industry as a whole.

Annual themes and topics, panel discussions and networking events with lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, accessible membership schemes, and even outreach programmes to schools and sixth-form students are some of the ways societies have impressed us with their efforts over the past few years. More than this, a law-related society should seek to represent its members and their diverse needs and backgrounds, and ultimately allow all members to feel welcome and supported in its community.

Of course, there’s much more to be done – in societies, universities, legal employers, and the legal profession.

Take a look at our Diversity hub, sponsored by Gowling WLG (UK) LLP, for content relating to diversity and inclusion.

The ‘Most committed to increasing diversity’ award, sponsored by DLA Piper UK LLP, was presented to Manchester University Law Society.

Find out more about the Student Law Society Awards and read the full list of 2024 Student Law Society Awards winners.

If you think your society is deserving of a nomination for an award, keep an eye out for the 2025 Student Law Society Awards submissions which will be opening later this Autumn.

Dimitar Dimitrov (he/his) is a content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net.