The first two apprentices to join Withers have started at the firm’s London office in its real estate and corporate departments.

Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau LLP has expanded its footprint in Edinburgh to accommodate its “rapidly growing team”. 

Partner Kay Hobbs heads up TLT’s corporate clean energy team in Bristol. She shares her career journey and offers useful advice to trainees and future lawyers about building a legal career.

With LawCareers.Net recently announcing that applications for their 2022 LawCareersNetLIVE events will be opening soon, I thought I would share my experience at LawCareersNetLIVE 2021 in London. I want to give an insight into what you could expect, and why I would highly recommend applying.

So, you’ve been lucky enough to secure a training contract (well done!). But what’s next? And what are ‘seats’?

Pursuing a career in law is hard. It’s as simple as that. It can feel like you’re the only person not securing vacation schemes or training contracts as your peers post their new roles at firms all over LinkedIn and Instagram – and you can’t work out where it is that you’re going wrong. It’s an easy mindset to fall into but it’s vital to take a step back, reassess, breathe and go again. We spoke to several aspiring lawyers whose routes into law were either put on hold, made difficult because of their background or disrupted as a result of the pandemic. This feature aims to show you that you’re not the only one having a bumpy ride into the legal world.

If the banks won't lend, who will?

How will clean energy power the UK’s future?

I know that I need to understand how a law firm operates as a business to be commercially aware. What exactly does that involve?

We spoke to several aspiring lawyers whose routes into law were either put on hold, made difficult because of their background or disrupted as a result of the pandemic. This feature aims to show you that you’re not the only one having a bumpy ride into the legal world.

Adam Phillips qualified into Farrer and Co’s banking and finance team in 2022. Just a few short months after qualifying, he’s project managed a big deal for the firm and remained involved in its wider culture, plus he offers some advice that all aspiring lawyers should take on board in this Meet the Lawyer profile.

Ravi Pattani, partner at Reed Smith, explains what makes a successful application, the work of a corporate lawyer and how sector agnostics his matters are, and his advice for budding solicitors.  

International firm Dentons will close two UK offices – one in Aberdeen and the other in Watford – to assist with full-time working from home and reduce its real estate.

Maggie is a partner in Structured Asset Backed Real Estate (SABRE), having worked in the Beijing office for two years before moving to London to begin her training contract in 2001. She is also part of the Clifford Chance Partnership Council. Here she reflects on what it was like closing a transaction for the first time and, 20 years on from completing her training contract, shares the one piece of advice she would give to her past self.

Luke Deacon (he/him) studies the LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management at The University of Law’s Guildford campus.

Recently merged Womble Bond Dickinson has taken on five new legal apprentices in its Plymouth office. The apprentices will work in the firm’s corporate and commercial, real estate and dispute resolution teams.

Krishna Patel, managing associate at leading national law firm Stevens & Bolton LLP, shares details of his journey into the legal profession, his area of expertise and the type of corporate finance work he takes on, including M&A, and his advice for you. Read Krishna’s insights in this Meet the Lawyer profile.

What will the repeal of the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 mean for property professionals?

In this article I will share my experience as a secondee, highlight the importance of secondments in building a career and offer my advice on how to make the most of your secondee experience.

Meet Ugo Ebhogiaye, associate in the real estate team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP.