Careers and Employability in Law
The Law School has strong links with legal professions allowing us to offer work experience placements exclusively reserved for our students in the Law School. Placement opportunities include those at local, national, and regional solicitor's firms and barristers chambers, and judicial marshalling.
Alumni generosity has allowed us to provide a scholarship fund to assist students in gaining work experience in the legal professions. Students can apply for money to support themselves whilst on placement, through assisting with accommodation fees, travel costs and the like.
The Law School provides bursaries to support students who secure other work experience opportunities, covering living costs, the costs of travel and accommodation for the duration of their placements.
To prepare students for their future careers, and ensure they have the skills that graduate employers are looking for, we focus on skills development both within the curriculum and in the extra-curricular opportunities we offer.
Mooting is appeal-court style advocacy. We run several mooting competitions every year allowing our students to develop their legal research and advocacy skills, with the 'cases' often being judged by local solicitors, barristers, and judges. Our students also participate in a number of inter-varsity national and international mooting competitions, including the Vis Moot, one of the largest mooting competitions in the world.
Our Student Law Society runs an annual negotiating competition, judged by local solicitors and barristers, for those students with a more commercial focus. Negotiation skills are fundamental for students who wish to work in law, as well as those who are considering working in business.
Practising lawyers run the School's careers clinic which provides one-to-one assistance for students developing their professional skills, including writing CVs and job applications, and mock interviews. General careers guidance and advice is also provided at the weekly clinic.
The Lancaster Award recognises student achievement outside of their academic studies in relation to volunteering, work experience, and campus activity. The Award builds the skills necessary to enhance the position of students in a competitive graduate job market. For more information please visit the Lancaster Award webpage.
The university careers service runs workshops throughout the year focusing on the development of students' skills in areas such as leadership and communication to prepare them for the world of work. Aimed specifically at Law students, 'Alternative Careers to Law' is an annual event which provides guidance for students seeking alternative career paths after their degree.
Our students are provided with a range of opportunities to develop their links with the professions, with firms and practitioners from around the country regularly visiting the Law School to meet with our students.
This annual event welcomes practising solicitors and barristers from around the country to the Law School to give a series of talks on life in legal practice. Students are able to gain real insight into life in the professions and establish links with practitioners.
This fair, organised in partnership with the Student Law Society, takes place annually and is aimed specifically at those students seeking to enter legal practice. Representatives from Law firms across the country attend and provide students with the opportunity to network and learn more about firms they are considering applying to.
The annual Careers Dinner, organised by the Student Law Society, allows students to dine with partners and trainees from Law firms. The dinner is a unique opportunity for students to chat informally about their chosen career path, network with key contacts, and receive tips on the application process from the firms themselves.
This university scheme assigns students with a mentor who is an established professional in the students' career of choice and who provides them with advice and guidance in relation to their future career. Students are given the opportunity to spend time with their mentor, developing a relationship with them and getting an insight into what they do and how they got there.
For students interested in a career at the Bar, the Law School runs an annual trip to the Inns of Court where students can talk with current BPTC students as well as practising barristers about life at the Bar.