While aspiring lawyers are not expected to know everything about the law, you are expected to demonstrate commercial acumen at each stage of the application process. Don’t let yourself down by ignoring this factor. Get started today by reading our short round-up of some of the week’s stories below.

Philip Whitehead, an associate in Cooley (UK) LLP’s corporate and capital markets team, speaks about the recruitment process, how he gained relevant experience and what a typical day might involve in this Meet the Lawyer profile.

Rachael Driscoll, legal talent coordinator at Cooley, discusses the highlights of her role, common mistakes that come up in applications, the value of taking a pause when writing applications before sending them and the importance of being yourself.

Cooley has announced that it is offering all partners and staff £45,000 for fertility treatment as part of its new ‘family forming’ perk.

The Cooley UK Diversity Fellowship is a unique opportunity for students who demonstrate a commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion to gain valuable insights about a career in law with Cooley, with the opportunity to participate in Cooley’s summer programme a year sooner than students are typically eligible to participate.

In this post, I will talk about some of the ways that I address my own unhealthy coping mechanisms to improve my performance. 

Who is responsible for preventing online copyright infringement?

Here’s the brutal truth: there are far more hopeful lawyers than there are training contracts. As the pandemic continues and economic recovery remains only on the horizon, firms are likely to remain cautious with their plans for growth over the next few years, meaning that they are unlikely to scale up the number of training contracts they offer. For aspiring lawyers such as yourselves, this is not exactly the most joyous news. So how can you cope with this rejection?

Is copyright law stifling creativity in the music sector?

Commercial policy and copyright: what is protected in computer programs?

Will the proposals of the Review of Intellectual Property and Growth overcomplicate matters?

Lucy gives her advice for managing work/life balance, outlines her experiences working in family law and emphasises the importance of being yourself in applications. 

Coram Children’s Legal Centre, one of the UK’s first children’s charities, has called for the mandatory provision of an independent advocate enshrined in law for all children and young people receiving or seeking care or support from the state.

As graduation looms, so does the prospect of the ‘real world’ becoming a reality. Gulp. Especially with the past year and a half being so different (to put it politely), I for one can hardly believe that my undergraduate degree is almost over.

What does the courts’ latest AI warning mean for the legal profession?

What are the practicalities of declaring final dividends in light of covid-19 and what can companies do if they no longer consider that the payment of a dividend is appropriate?

Covid-19: How is the pandemic impacting negotiations in M&A deals?