I want to join a City firm, but the various categories have confused me. What are the different types of City firm?

From a young age, I knew that I wanted to attend university and pursue a career which was intellectual and challenging. However, messages that I had internalised – that my sexual orientation was ‘bad’ – and a vast lack of LGBTQ+ role models were barriers. My only lesbian ‘role models’ were celebrities, and as a result, I had a hard time imagining how ‘someone like me’ could achieve highly in the career path that I desired.

Most trainee-hiring law firms 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!

Should I use AI in my applications to law firms or chambers?

Diversity and inclusion is being talked about more than ever. For the legal profession, a commitment to ensuring candidates from all backgrounds feel welcome and supported, as well as implementing inclusive policies and outreach is paramount to its recruitment strategies, and is often splashed across law firm websites and brochures. Sometimes it might feel like this is just lip service – buzz words used for marketing purposes.

Has the act’s liberation of the legal sector been a blessing or a curse for law firms?

As Bitcoin hit an all-time high of just more than $50,000 this February, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology inches ever closer to mainstream adoption. Like other industries, technology has been affected in countless ways by the pandemic. Although, unlike many, this hasn’t been negative. Despite global market uncertainty, the pandemic has presented a unique opportunity for an agile tech sector to pick up the pieces and fill market gaps. 

This is a hub for all the information you need about changes to legal recruitment and education in response to coronavirus. Check this page regularly for updates on work placement schemes, exam timings, course start dates and more.

I thought now would be a good time to compile a list of resources I have consistently used these past few months to improve my commercial awareness.

The number of firms adopting contextual recruitment practices is growing, but structural inequality and a lack of representation at senior levels mean that Black candidates continue to face additional barriers to becoming lawyers.

The number of firms adopting contextual recruitment practices is growing, but structural inequality and a lack of representation at senior levels mean that Black candidates continue to face additional barriers to becoming lawyers.

What do you know about entering the legal profession via an apprenticeship? While the concept of an apprenticeship isn’t new, there are a few misconceptions and some confusion that surround them. So, this article aims to demystify the apprenticeship route to qualifying as a solicitor.

Most trainee-hiring law firms run work experience schemes and events specifically for year 12/13 and first-year students. So, if you’re seriously considering becoming a solicitor, you’ll be doing yourself a big favour by getting involved at this early stage of your career – if not just to identify whether a career in the legal profession is for you. Use this list of law firms offering opportunities to year 12/13 and first-year university students to get you started!

It comes as no surprise that gender equality in the legal profession remains an issue that law firms and barristers' chambers alike attempt to address. In this Feature, we’ll consider the progress made so far, what 2026 looks like for women in the legal profession, and the #GiveToGain actions that law firms and chambers must take to increase support and opportunities for women in the profession.

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?

Commercial awareness is a vital skill for trainee solicitors. For candidates applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, becoming commercially aware involves building an understanding of how law firms and their clients work as businesses and how the wider world impacts them. This concise guide rounds up a range of key commercial stories and talking points from 2021.

Commercial awareness is a vital skill for all lawyers. For candidates applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, becoming commercially aware involves building an understanding of how law firms and their clients work as businesses, and how the wider world impacts them. This guide rounds up a range of commercial stories and talking points from 2022.

The laws surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) rights have been changing for decades. But how do we ensure the revisions to laws are reflected in peoples’ attitudes towards LGBTQ+ individuals? While there have been recent legal changes for the better, prejudices remain engrained in society.

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?