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

First-year opportunities: open days and insight schemes

Most trainee-hiring law firms now run work experience schemes and events specifically for first-year students, so if you’re seriously considering becoming a solicitor, you’ll be doing yourself a big favour by making sure you attend one or two during your first year at university. Use this list of firms offering opportunities to first-year students to get you started!

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?

In this week's newsletter

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Meet the Lawyer

Ugo Ebhogiaye

Experience, whether legal or not, is invaluable Ugo Ebhogiaye, an associate at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, tells us. Learn about Ugo’s time as a paralegal, her remote placement in Oman during the pandemic and what her role as chair of the firm’s Race Ethnicity and Heritage Network involves.

Videos

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PRACTICE AREA PROFILE: BANKING & FINANCE | Sarbajeet Nag - Milbank

Meet the Lawyer | Maddie Cubbon - Ropes & Gray

Masterclass | What you need to know about QWE

The latest news

News

New guidance to help US law firms do business more sustainably

The Chancery Lane Project (TCLP) has drafted 10 climate clauses to use in commercial agreements and legal documents under US law. This is significant as law firms across the globe work towards doing business more sustainably.

News

Pay cuts and redundancies plague City firms

City lawyers could be hit with job losses and stagnant or declining pay amid the harsh consequences of the financial year according to The Times.

News

Macfarlanes joins list of law firms using HarveyAI

Macfarlanes LLP has announced a partnership with HarveyAI, an OpenAI-backed tool that’s designed specifically to assist with legal work.

Getting started

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

Hear from first years

Anisa Rahman Choudhury

Blog post

How to stand out as a first-year law student

Competition for a legal career is extremely high, and it pays to get ahead of the game, especially when the later years of law school have more obligations. Here are some suggestions on how to make your CV stand out.

LCN Says

Alicia Virtue - Your background shouldn’t be a barrier to reaching your goals

Alicia Virtue

The legal profession has a long way to go before it’s truly representative of the population it serves and it’s still playing catch-up when it comes to recognising the benefits diversity can bring.

Anisa Rahman Choudhury

Blog post

Mistakes I made in first year

With university fast approaching, students may be anxious about what's to come and how to succeed in their law degree, particularly those who've never studied law before.