What I gained from attending NationalLawLIVE

On Friday 2 December 2016, I attended NationalLawLIVE in Manchester and found it to be an incredible and insightful experience. Having registered and collected my information pack, we were seated around small conference tables 10 minutes prior to host Isla Grant starting the event. The first thing that struck me was how welcoming other students were – and open to talking about their experiences of the law. I didn’t know anyone prior to attending the event, but here I was engaging in conversations with students from universities all over the country, some of whom I still keep in contact with today.

Barbara Rollin, a partner at Shoosmiths, delivered the morning keynote speech about her career path and the different routes that had taken her to where she is today. Not only did Barbara describe key and defining moments of her career, she also passed on advice that she had learnt over 25 years of working in the real estate sector. Barbara’s speech focused on delegates gaining work experience within legal areas that we ourselves were interested in, and her advice was to not specialise too quickly. The one piece of advice that struck a chord with me was to constantly seek to learn and develop through three core ingredients; drive, determination and the conviction to never give up.

The panel discussion that followed was something that I hadn’t seen at an event like this before. The panel consisted of four partners from different law firms, addressing the issues affecting firms in 2016. This was a brilliant learning experience for any delegate, as topical issues such as Brexit and the role of technology were discussed. These issues are crucial when answering competency based questions in any application, not just in the legal profession. A question which everyone should consider was posed by Mark Hemstead: what do you bring to the firm that others don’t?

A crucial part of the day was networking. Delegates had the opportunity to network with the sponsor law firms on the day. Each firm stand had a variety of individuals there, so one minute I could be talking to a trainee about their experiences applying for a training contract, the next with a partner about the role they play in their respective firm. This variety allowed me to build on the information I already knew about a career in law from different perspectives, all of which were incredibly useful. One stand happened to be my university, Nottingham Law School, where Jane Wood was giving students advice on the LPC and GDL. I’d attended one of Jane’s talks about the LPC two weeks prior to NationalLawLIVE and it was great to talk things through with her about the possibility of studying the LPC after my law degree.

Prior to the event, delegates were asked to choose two firm-led workshops to get involved in on the day. I chose Squire Patton Boggs and Shoosmiths, as both offered legal topics that interested me. Squire Patton Boggs delivered a workshop on international mergers and acquisitions led by partner Giles Chesher. A teambuilding exercise followed an introduction about the firm, where we worked in small groups to try to solve a scenario about an acquisition. After 20 minutes, we stood up and delivered our response to the rest of the delegates and Squire Patton Boggs.

The afternoon session was with Shoosmiths, focusing on a toolkit for lawyers – practical business skills. Shoosmiths is a firm that I knew well before attending the event. Barbara and her team introduced the firm and then the workshop was split up into several segments. There was a team-building exercise, which was followed by speed networking. We had to work our way around the room, introducing and talking to as many delegates as possible within a time frame of five minutes. Even though not many of us knew each other, it boosted our confidence and helped us to ultimately work more effectively as a team. The final part involved prioritising a workload as if we were working at Shoosmiths. It was something that allowed us to see some of the responsibilities you may have while at the firm, but also what Shoosmiths expects from trainees from the very start.

The advice and guidance I received at NationalLawLIVE has not only helped me to increase my commercial awareness, but also focus on what employers are looking for when I apply for training contracts. The event has given me the confidence to take further opportunities like this to develop further my skills and continue to learn about the law. Even though I was unable to secure a vacation scheme with any of the firm sponsors of NationalLawLIVE 2016, I was able to use what I had learnt to secure six weeks’ legal experience over the summer holidays. Many of the stories inspired me to return to university and establish an employability magazine, to which a number of law firms have contributed. Whether you plan a career in the legal sector or just want to improve your commercial awareness, attend NationalLawLIVE. It is an event that has really helped me focus on the legal career path that I wish to take, but most of all, attending enabled me to develop my network across the country.

Christopher Neale is a second-year LLB business law student at Nottingham Trent University.