First Year Law Work Experience Help

Does anyone know what schemes or work experience I should apply to as a first year? I’ve applied to one winter vac scheme which can be done from home, but attending online meetings already, but I’m having a hard time finding other opportunities. I’m very interested in going into commercial/corporate Law! Any answers would be greatly appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Carter03052

bump

Reply 2

AMac86

Its tough to find formal law firm vac schemes that take 1st years, so you need to look for other opportunities out there. My two top tips:

Email/write to some smaller local law firms near where you live or study to see if you could arrange informal work experience. It's unlikely to be corporate/commercial work but it all adds up and exposure to legal work and concepts.

Do your parents or any other friends or family work in companies with a on-site legal team you could shadow for a week? This can lead to some really unique examples of work experience for the CV.

These are what I'd recommend (and did myself) to build up the CV in addition to formal law firm vac schemes. I didn't have much success with local solicitors myself but was able to arrange some very useful work experience and paid summer work in in-house legal teams.

Reply 3

Carter03052

Original post

by AMac86

Its tough to find formal law firm vac schemes that take 1st years, so you need to look for other opportunities out there. My two top tips:
Email/write to some smaller local law firms near where you live or study to see if you could arrange informal work experience. It's unlikely to be corporate/commercial work but it all adds up and exposure to legal work and concepts.
Do your parents or any other friends or family work in companies with a on-site legal team you could shadow for a week? This can lead to some really unique examples of work experience for the CV.
These are what I'd recommend (and did myself) to build up the CV in addition to formal law firm vac schemes. I didn't have much success with local solicitors myself but was able to arrange some very useful work experience and paid summer work in in-house legal teams.

Hi thanks for the reply! Unfortunately I don’t know any lawyers, but I could definitely try emailer smaller firms which is a good idea. I’ve thought of using Forage to complete some online legal courses along side my studies. Do you know whether this is worth it, or is something employers will care about?

Reply 4

AMac86

Re point 2 - I meant do you have any family or family friends who work in any capacity - marketing / sales / facilities / accounts / operations etc... in a company where there's an in-house legal function that you could shadow for a couple of days to a week.

Re online legal courses, they can't hurt and from a personal development perspective its always good to be learning but not something employers will pay too much attention to & no substitute for solid work experience on the CV.

Reply 5

mosamin786

This would definitely be worth considering applying to: I'm excited to share that I’m partnering with The University of Law to introduce their new program! They’re hosting a series of four virtual webinars over the next four weeks, designed to equip students with essential knowledge about Commercial Awareness—and YOU are invited! 🧑*⚖️To join, simply register through this link: https://lnkd.in/eXEFvB4kHere’s what you can look forward to by attending:- Complete all four sessions and earn a Certified Commercial Awareness qualification—perfect for enhancing your CV! 📈- Gain insights from our host, Husnara Begum, a former magic circle lawyer now working as a careers consultant and skills trainer. 🪄- Get exclusive access to high-profile guest speakers from top law firms like Addleshaw Goddard and Fieldfisher. 🤫- Engage in dynamic discussions on pressing topics in the legal industry, including legal tech and ESG. 🌶️Most importantly, you’ll leave each session feeling more confident in tackling the commercial awareness questions that law firms use to assess future trainee solicitors.Looking forward to seeing you there!