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10 Top Tips to Make the Most out of Your Vacation Scheme

09 Jul, 2021

As you will know, a vacation scheme is a great way of gaining invaluable work experience at a law firm even if yours are virtual this year. It will help to give you an idea of whether you are suited for a role in the legal sector and to make contacts in the industry. Here are 10 top tips for making the most out of your virtual vacation scheme. 1. Be social There might be limited social activities at the start of your...

Setting SMART goals to help develop your legal career

22 Jun, 2021

Whether you are a law student, at the start of your legal career or established in your field, setting SMART goals are sure to help you to build the legal career you want. SMART goals ensure you have a clear roadmap, so you are not wondering what to do next. Your goals are not going to be achieved overnight, but this approach means you have a clear timeline so you can easily track your progress and continue to feel motivated. This...

How to Prepare for a Law Firm Video Interview

11 Jun, 2021

While navigating the global pandemic and social distancing, we are all used to arranging our get-togethers over video, from important work meetings to drinks with friends. But that probably won’t make the prospect of your law firm video interview any less daunting. Given the competitiveness of vacation scheme and training contract spots, law firms have used video interviews to narrow down applicants for years (even before Covid-19...

Top law firm jobs for non-lawyers

06 Apr, 2021

While lawyers and solicitors tend to make up the bulk of a law firm’s general workforce, firms are not exclusively comprised of lawyers and solicitors. This means there are plenty of opportunities for non-lawyers who wish to pursue a career in the legal sector. The diverse nature of the work carried out by various law firms and their complex operational needs mean there are lots of different roles that need to be filled in a...

Training contract applications – 5 top tips to help you smash your automated video interview

29 Mar, 2021

We all know how competitive top law firm training contract and vacation scheme spots are, and firms are coming up with increasingly creative ways to help them identify the very best candidates from the deluge of applications they receive. It is very common nowadays to be asked to do an automated video interview in the early stages of a law firm’s trainee recruitment process. Think of it more like a pre-interview or even a living...

Interview with Amanda Hamilton

30 Aug, 2018

Last week Jo Kangurs of Symphony Legal Interviewed Amanda Hamilton , CEO, National Association of Licensed Paralegals around the issue of why qualifying as a Paralegal is becoming the only career option for those wanting to enter the legal services profession. Q1: Can you give a brief background of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals and its key objectives/aims? The aim is to create the role...

The Other Jobs (Besides a Solicitor) in the Legal World

03 Jul, 2018

Chances are that you’ve probably heard in the past about people who get law degrees, only to end up finding success outside of the legal realm . As inspiring as some of these stories can be, it’s not always practical to make such a leap. The good news here is that even if you don’t want to be a solicitor, there are several different ways to make your mark in a legal profession. Here are some standout options. Become A...

Work-Life Balance in the Legal Profession

06 Jun, 2018

A lot of the time, a successful career means making sacrifices, and those in the legal profession probably know this better than most. Long hours are generally an expected part of the job, especially the higher up the ladder you go. As Maureen Brady , division manager for the Legal Solutions-Permanent Placement Division of legal placement firm Hudson, puts it, “Most lawyers really can’t complain about being paid £100K to...

Prepping Early for a Legal Career

01 Jun, 2018

The legal world has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years , especially in the U.K. This means that the profession is getting a growing amount of attention for people looking for work, ranging from students taking the conventional route to become solicitors to other switching gears in their careers. In addition, we can’t neglect the fact that there are a range of different legal jobs other than solicitors that a person...

How Do You Progress To A Managing Partner?

21 May, 2018

When it comes to any career, your ultimate goal, in many cases, is to try and work your way up to the highest position possible. In U.K. law, the end-game here is becoming a managing partner. However, as it is for many of these types of positions, there’s a finite amount of managing partner roles , not enough for every single person who works in the legal field. In order to improve your chances of reaching that point, you not only need...

Protecting Your Professional Indemnity Insurance: Questions a law firm should ask during the recruitment process

09 May, 2018

by Jenny Screech, Legal Professions Executive, Howden UK Group Ltd 020 7398 4894 | jenny.screech@howdengroup.com Due diligence is important when a law firm is recruiting a new fee earner – whether that is at trainee, paralegal, solicitor or even partner level. Some firms are highly organised and have a pre-hire question set. Other firms are more reticent and feel awkward about asking questions relating to issues such as...

Tips for Your Next Law Firm Trainee Job Application

09 May, 2018

The time is here—law firms across the U.K. are beginning to recruit for trainees, and if you are among that hopeful group, you need to realise that you are in a very competitive field. Figures from a few years ago showed that on average, there are 65 people competing for every single training contract in England and Wales, meaning that you need to excel in both the interview process and what gets you there in the first place...

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