My day at LawCareersNetLIVE London: one step closer to becoming a solicitor

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In December 2025, I attended LawCareersNetLIVE London. It was an invaluable experience, offering me incomparable insight into the participating law firms and the work their solicitors do. 

Life in practice 

One of my favourite parts of the day were the two workshops I participated in. 

The first workshop, run by Stephenson Harwood LLP, focused on their private wealth practice. We took part in a quiz testing our knowledge of the legal issues private wealth lawyers encounter – from tax and inheritance, to wills and estates. Despite this quiz touching on legal areas I’d studied during my master’s degree, I definitely didn’t know all the answers. However, this is part of what made the workshop so useful; I was learning how legal areas I’d previously studied applied in a private wealth context.  

My second workshop, with A&O Shearman, explored finance. I’ve never studied finance law, so I went into the session with relatively little knowledge. I really enjoyed exploring this new area of commercial law in a hands-on context. What stayed with me most was the importance of understanding the commercial reasons behind a transaction: why a company needs financing, what the different parties are trying to achieve and where lawyers fit into that picture. 

I particularly liked that the event organisation meant the two workshops I attended were very different. This allowed me to gain insight into two distinct areas, sharpening my understanding of the particular demands of each, and also the consistent underlying principles that guide all legal advice.  

‘Why this firm?’ 

When it comes to training contract applications, this question is often the one I find most challenging. No matter how much research I do – whether it’s into practice areas, clients, or recent high-profile cases – it’s hard to get a real sense of what distinguishes one law firm from another.  

Whenever I attend careers events, I make a point of seeking opportunities to deepen my understanding of the unique culture and identity of the firms attending. However, this can be challenging. At many events, meaningful conversations with firm representatives are hard to come by. Recruiters are often surrounded by large crowds of students, making it difficult to hear what they’re saying, let alone ask thoughtful questions of your own. 

LawCareersNetLIVE was completely different. The limited number of participants, combined with the structure of the day, allowed me to get a real sense of the participating firms. A key part of this was networking. I was able to speak to firm representatives at length, asking multiple questions and having genuine conversations. Speaking to both recruiters and trainees was particularly useful as they offered two different sides of the same firm: what the firm looks for in its future trainees and what it’s actually like to be one.  

The talks offered more structured insight, consistently going beyond what I’d managed to learn about firms from online research. I particularly enjoyed one talk during which a partner and an associate shared their career journeys, what their day-to-day work actually looks like and their experiences of working at different firms.  

By the end of the day, I’d learnt a huge amount about my target firms. During this year’s application cycle, when I come to answer the question of why I’m interested in these firms, I’ll be equipped to give an answer that’s detailed and comprehensive. In fact, for the first time, I’m really looking forward to answering this question.