First-year law students: First-year law students

In this episode we give you lots of tips of things to do in the first year of your law degree in order to launch your career. We spoke to Jane Wood, Course Leader and Principal Lecturer at Nottingham Law School, Maaya Sachdev, President of Warwick Law Society and Charis McGowan, Emerging Talent Coordinator at DWF.

How do I become a lawyer?

The Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law

Essential reading for those starting out

Feature

Law fairs 2025: all you need to know

Law fairs are an important stage of the recruitment process, offering you the chance to meet recruiters, trainee solicitors and partners from the law firms you could be joining in the future. Find out more about the opportunities available in this guide to law fairs.

The latest information

Student Law Society Awards 2026

Submissions for the 2026 Student Law Society Awards are now open – they'll close on Monday 26 January 2026.

What to do in your first year

From vacation schemes to law fairs, here's what to focus on this year

Opportunities at law firms

Firms offering insight schemes and open day opportunities for first-year students and their deadlines

In this week's newsletter

Sign up to LawCareers.Net to receive the LCN Weekly newsletter, diary updates, events, surveys and other emails providing information for future lawyers.

Meet the Lawyer

Abi Pawlett

Abi Pawlett discusses her journey into law, including how she made use of her non-legal experience in applications. Plus, she shares how changes in legislation are impacting her day-to-day work in employment law.

Key questions

How can I get work experience in my first year of university?

"I’m a first-year student, how important is legal work experience and do you have any advice for securing some?"

What types of lawyer are there?

Solicitor, barrister and paralegal - find out about the different branches of the profession

When do I start looking for a job?

It's never too early to start thinking about your future career. Here are the main employer deadlines

Do first-year exams matter?

If they don't count towards my final degree, does this mean law firms won't see my exam results as important?

Videos

See more videos

LawCareersNetLIVE Manchester 2024: trainee panel

Masterclass | researching law firms – identifying the firm for you

LawCareersNetLIVE Manchester 2024: partner panel

Meet the Lawyer | Abigail Saffron - Baker McKenzie

The latest news

News

President of UK Supreme Court announces retirement

The UK’s Supreme Court President Lord Reed announced that he'll step down on 10 January 2027. Law Society of England and Wales President Mark Evans stated: “We pay tribute to his service, leadership and dedication and wish him well in the future.”

News

A&O Shearman retains 76% of spring 2026 qualifiers

A&O Shearman has confirmed that 32 of its 42 spring 2026 qualifying trainees will remain at the firm, posting a retention rate of 76%.

News

The University of Law profits surge to £4.2 million

The University of Law has reported a significant rise in profits, posting a pre-tax surplus of £4.2 million for the year ending 31 May 2025, which is more than double the £1.6 million recorded the previous year. Newly filed accounts show income increasing by 6% to £173 million, a boost attributed to what the institution described as an “optimised course and campus mix” and a review of its costs base.

Getting started

Your first-year university checklist

Here's a list of things you should be doing in your first year at university

Career paths

Take a look at our simple timetable of the different legal career paths

What you need to know

From vacation schemes to law fairs, here's what to focus on this year

Looking beyond exam season

Some inspiration for you over the summer!

Blog posts and other insights

LCN Says

Dionne Johnson - LawCareersNetLIVE: my experience at County Hall

Dionne Johnson

I felt completely out of place walking into County Hall for the LawCareersNetLIVE event. However, once I started talking to people from all walks of life, everyone admitted that they felt the same imposter syndrome.

Anna Wicks

Blog post

What I wish I knew before my vacation scheme

Many firms use them as their main pipeline for training contract recruitment, so this isn’t just a chance to learn about law firms, it’s a chance to show why you belong in one.

LCN Says

Aminah Omoteso - Top 10 tips for your vacation scheme applications

Aminah Omoteso

Acing a vacation scheme application comes with time, effort and a lot of research. A number of firms have deadline approaching, so now is the time to perfect your application strategy.