Find out more about Ashurst’s three annual vacation schemes and ‘Evening with Ashurst’ networking events, plus the application process and the importance of a good cover letter, as Nicola Stafford offers her insights into the firm.

I used to think LinkedIn was a tool for connections and nothing else. Even the first part of its name – “linked” – suggests this emphasis on networking and professional relationships. I’d use it to connect with people I’d met at insight events and conferences, reach out to trainees at firms I'd applied to with a polite query, and keep up with what people from my school or university were doing.

I know that competition for training contracts is high, but I’ve also noticed that there seem to be increasing opportunities for paralegals, particularly as paralegal work can now count towards qualifying work experience (QWE) as part of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) route. Would becoming a paralegal be a more certain way of pursuing a career as a solicitor?

Senior associate Thomas Stables offers valuable insights into his journey from being a vacation schemer to an associate in the regulatory disputes team at Osborne Clarke LLP.

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.

I’m an international student pursuing a career in the UK legal profession, how do I qualify as a solicitor?

The thought of returning to education five years ago was off the table, I was terrified of being considered a mature student at the age of 22.

Solicitors provide legal advice and representation. They work directly with their clients and are usually the first point of contact for anyone seeking legal advice. In general practice, solicitors may be called on to advise on issues ranging from crime, personal injury, contracts and wills to buying houses and taking over a business.

So, you've got no training contract, you've just graduated with a non-law degree and you're faced with the decision of whether you want to self-fund the first part of your solicitor’s journey.

Graduates of Russell Group universities and Oxbridge are overwhelmingly favoured by law firm recruiters, research by Chambers Student has indicated. 

In an era of sky-high fees, what is being done to ensure that universities comply with consumer law?

‘To moot or not to moot?’ is the question asked by law students at various stages of their legal education. From first years on the LLB to those undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Law, chances are you will have heard of mooting competitions or societies. If you’re anything like me, you will have also felt a shiver of intimidation whenever the topic is even brought up. For those who have yet to participate, a good starting point is to outline exactly what a moot is.

As the deadlines for training contracts all come crashing in on you, and the emails flood in about whether you’re moving on to the next stage or not, it’s hard to focus on what life might be like as a trainee solicitor, so here’s a glimpse into my life as a trainee.

Whether you’re a first-year university student or you’re making training contract applications as we speak, building on your commercial awareness should be a top priority and is key to your success. Use LawCareers.Net’s weekly Thursday round-ups and our commercial awareness hub to help to keep you in the loop.

The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) has been replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). As a result, SQE2 can no longer be used as an equivalent to the QLTS Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Anyone who didn’t complete their qualification under QLTS must now qualify via the SQE.

The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) has been replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). As a result, SQE2 can no longer be used as an equivalent to the QLTS Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Anyone who didn’t complete their qualification under QLTS must now qualify via the SQE.