It is becoming increasingly competitive to enter the legal profession; thousands of applicants are competing for a limited number of positions. This is why the Law Society organises a variety of careers events throughout the academic year to ensure that our members stand out as the best candidates and succeed in obtaining their dream graduate job.
After being elected as Careers Officer for the Lancaster University Law Society in March 2015, it was my role to organise an array of careers events for the upcoming academic year. Over the summer I had various phone meetings and email exchanges with a legal professionals to encourage them to participate in the careers events I was organising and kindly sponsor our society. Detailed below are four main events which I have organised and which I hope will be useful to all who attend. I also provide students with helpful careers information on our Facebook page and notify them of events which have been organised by other legal organisations as well as information and events about non-legal careers.
London Trip
Sixteen members of the Law Society will be travelling by train to London on Friday 20th November to visit the offices of DWF, Clifford Chance and Macfarlanes. At each firm, students will receive a tour of the offices as well as a careers workshop focusing on how to succeed during the recruitment process and other employability hints and tips. Those who have been selected to attend this event will receive invaluable information on how to stand out during the application process as well as gaining an insight into what life is like at a city law firm.
Law & Criminology Fair
On Wednesday 25th November over twenty legal exhibitors will be attending this annual fair. This networking event will allow students to talk face to face with representatives from city, regional & national law firms. Additionally, there will be representatives from The Bar, course providers and professional organisations who are all willing to provide students with information about pursuing a careers in law. For those who are studying law but do not wish to enter the legal profession, there will also be a variety of criminology representatives to ensure they are aware of further opportunities available. Throughout the day we also have workshops delivered by Clifford Chance, The University of Law and Linklaters.
Careers Dinner
This event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2nd December at Lancaster House Hotel. The Careers Dinner is another networking event at which students select a law firm to sit with during a three course meal and ask questions which afford them a deeper insight into what life is like at a particular firm. This will aid students when making applications for vacation schemes and training contracts as they will be able to demonstrate both an interest and understanding of the firm they are applying to which will set their applications apart from the many generic responses that law firms receive during this process. It will also allow students to make more of an informed choice about pursuing a career in law. Attending are Allen & Overy, DLA Piper, DWF, Freshfields, Hogan Lovells, Macfarlanes, Pinsent Masons, Bird & Bird and White & Case.
Workshops
Throughout the course of the year, in conjunction with the careers service and the Law School, a variety of careers workshops will be hosted by various legal organisations and Lancaster University Alumni. These will focus on increasing students’ employability and commercial awareness, providing them with the information they need to secure a vacation scheme or training contract and informing them of alternative options to the traditional legal profession routes.
I am still busy organising further careers events which will be announced later in the year so keep an eye out for those! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email careers@lulawsociety.co.uk.