Interested in Law? Links of websites you should follow :)
http://www.lawworks.org.uk/
http://l2b.thelawyer.com/
http://juniorlawyers.lawsociety.org.uk/
http://www.college-of-law.co.uk/futurelawyers/
http://www.future-lawyers.co.uk/
http://www.thelawyer.com/
http://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/index.php/types-of-lawyer/barristers/future-barristers---what-to-expect/
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Day 3-Eversheds
April 5th 2012 - Sorry I'm posting three days late, I've been a busy body catching up with revision :) .
My last day of my internship at Eversheds the Bank Holidays made it so short :(. Today was a summary of what was emphasised previously, Fine dinning and Networking. I had a one-to-one with one of the trainee solicitors at Eversheds, this was useful as she gave me some key pointers regarding becoming a commercial lawyer. My trainee specialised in what I wanted to do and all the seats I want to do, like majority of the lawyers I met they acknowledge that the ball game is more competitive and more will be required of me academically. I developed a solid knowledge of how to achieve a career in corporate law. I also learnt about secondments* and if given the opportunity I'd like to do my 3rd seat in Hong Kong or Paris. We all developed an 18 Month action plan specific to helping me achieve my goals :).
POINT A --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------POINT B
^ GCSE ^AS 4A 1B ^Alevel A*AA ^LLB ^LPC ^Trainee contract ^Solicitor
The above is a timeline of what a need to achieve in my current stage in order to fulfil my long term goal of being a qualified solicitor.
The best part of the day was fine dinning, we were given a page which listed the do's and don'ts of dinning, we also had to learn what all the forks, knives and wine glasses were used for. The lunch was so nice, full course meal all courtesy of Eversheds and their cantering staff.
We had to give presentations about our time at Eversheds which definitely enhanced my Public speaking skills, it was in front of important people including the CEO of Eversheds london, it was particularly interesting to receive feed back from him. Also Byron Nurse one of the partners also has a strong love for surfing :) Overall the whole experience was very motivational and gave me that extra push to work harder and strive for what I want. Ambition, Application and Academics the three A's to success.
Special Thanks to Emily Shenton for organising everything, LSE, UCL, College of Law, Sutton Trust, Arrival Education and Eversheds.
*Secondement= A temporary placement within an organisation just in a different location e.g. Working for Eversheds London but doing a secondment in Eversheds Hong Kong
My last day of my internship at Eversheds the Bank Holidays made it so short :(. Today was a summary of what was emphasised previously, Fine dinning and Networking. I had a one-to-one with one of the trainee solicitors at Eversheds, this was useful as she gave me some key pointers regarding becoming a commercial lawyer. My trainee specialised in what I wanted to do and all the seats I want to do, like majority of the lawyers I met they acknowledge that the ball game is more competitive and more will be required of me academically. I developed a solid knowledge of how to achieve a career in corporate law. I also learnt about secondments* and if given the opportunity I'd like to do my 3rd seat in Hong Kong or Paris. We all developed an 18 Month action plan specific to helping me achieve my goals :).
POINT A --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------POINT B
^ GCSE ^AS 4A 1B ^Alevel A*AA ^LLB ^LPC ^Trainee contract ^Solicitor
The above is a timeline of what a need to achieve in my current stage in order to fulfil my long term goal of being a qualified solicitor.
The best part of the day was fine dinning, we were given a page which listed the do's and don'ts of dinning, we also had to learn what all the forks, knives and wine glasses were used for. The lunch was so nice, full course meal all courtesy of Eversheds and their cantering staff.
We had to give presentations about our time at Eversheds which definitely enhanced my Public speaking skills, it was in front of important people including the CEO of Eversheds london, it was particularly interesting to receive feed back from him. Also Byron Nurse one of the partners also has a strong love for surfing :) Overall the whole experience was very motivational and gave me that extra push to work harder and strive for what I want. Ambition, Application and Academics the three A's to success.
Special Thanks to Emily Shenton for organising everything, LSE, UCL, College of Law, Sutton Trust, Arrival Education and Eversheds.
*Secondement= A temporary placement within an organisation just in a different location e.g. Working for Eversheds London but doing a secondment in Eversheds Hong Kong
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Day 2 - Eversheds
April 4th 2012- My second day of my Internship at Eversheds (London Office). Today's main focus was listening to people who are doing what I want to do and networking. The first people I met today were clients of Eversheds, I met Duncan Hamiliton ( Head of Legal services for HSBC london) and Cerian Worsley (In-House Lawyer) from The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation most commonly known as HSBC, I also met David Boyd Partner at Eversheds also in charge of the client relationship with HSBC. The uniting feature amongst them was that they all came from similar backgrounds from me but they are still successful, which links on from yesterdays session regarding achieving ones dreams and finding success. Each member of the panel gave inspirational stories regarding the obstacles they faced and how they over came them. The most inspirational story for me was Cerian's story she came to the UK with Swedish as her main language with only a vague grasp of English, however if she did not tell me I wouldn't have know, she was extremely articulate and well spoken. The main message I derived from that session was that everyone faces obstacles however what builds and defines you as a person is how you overcome those obstacles.
Key Tips I found out:
>Make sure you are in touch with legal affairs
>Make sure you are aware of major legal/commercial transactions
>When doing a vacation scheme make sure you are useful
>First impressions count- You never know who you will meet
>Network. Network.Network
Meeting a barrister and her clerk. I was given the opportunity to ask questions surrounding what it is like being a barrister and what the job entails. The Barrister I met was Laura Tweedy from Hardwicke Chambers. Her main advice was before choosing whether to become a solicitor or barrister make sure you have done work experience or pupilage at either a chamber or firm. As majority of people only have preconceptions regarding what lawyers or barristers actually do, therefore first hand experiences would make the decision making process much easier. In a time when funding is limited it is good to have a clear mind as to what you want to do. Ms Tweedy was very passionate and an open person which is the general consensus found amongst barristers however her message was clear "PUSH, BE PASSIONATE, IF THEY SAY NO ASK WHY AND TRY AGAIN". Ms Tweedy applied for Durham but did not get in, she met all the requirements so she called the law department and they realised that they lost her application as a result she was offered a place. Therefore passion, drive and perseverance is key in this ball game.
Today's main activity was a litigation exercise, yesterday we were given a case to take home analyse and prepare for a judgement summary in front a judge. Every thing panned out as expected, we had to present why my claimant was right and there was no need for the case to proceed further as the outcome would be clear. However under 5 minutes it is very hard to express your main points, but the exercise was very engaging and provided me with an insight to what barristers do. I also met with some of the trainee solicitors at Eversheds who are on their fourth seat and almost on their way to becoming qualified solicitors, which was good because unlike majority of the others the age gap wasn't that big, it made it much easier to relate to the trainees and of course networks were made. Who knows in 5 years when I am looking for a job one of the trainee solicitors could provide that ! Network!
The last exercise was to understand what steps are taken in order to gain a trainee contract at Eversheds.
LLB or Conversion course> LPC> Trainee Contract> Qualified Solicitor> Promotions ....
Trainee Contract> 3000 Applicants - Situational judgement test-Numerical Reasoning Test- Verbal Reasoning test- Telephone interview- Face to face interview- Assessment Centre- Conditional offer with 60 applicants left for the 60 places.
A Summary of Today's message: There is more to becoming a lawyer than just going to law school. Hard Work, ambition and drive are a key recipe in becoming successful.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow I have to learn social etiquette as i have formal business lunch :)
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Day 1 - Eversheds
What I gathered from today is that good grades, good universities and good personal statements will get you the interview but it is your personal qualities and attributes that will secure the job and make you unique. Unlike majority of internships I have attended there was no photocopying or coffee making (apart from mine) it was very interactive and comprised of many different group activities. I had talk with one of the Equity Partners at Eversheds who didn't take the conventional route of doing a LLB but started off with a Science related degree. One of the key quotes which he mentioned that stuck with me was "I grew up with a lot of people who wanted to make money, no of them ever did those that did make money had passion and when you have passion for something there is no way you can fail". That made me realise my passion and love for the law is what will push me ahead of all the other candidates. Another key point I learnt was that the rewards in the future outweigh the sacrifices I'm making today (e.g. A social life).
The average starting salary:
> First year trainee* is £23,500- 36,000
> Second year trainee is £25,000- 37,000
> Newly qualified Solicitor is £35,000-£59,000
> Associate - £60,000 +
> Fixed Partner- Six Figures +
> Equity Partner- Whatever the company earns divided by the amount of equity partners. In 2009-2010 partners earned £552,000
Overall the first day at Eversheds was brilliant; the food was amazing. The corporate law firm environment is somewhere I can definitely see myself 5 years along the line. I have been given a litigation exercise to prepare for tomorrow which includes advocacy and negotiation. I am to analyse the information and present a case for my claimant tomorrow. 8.50 nice and early at Eversheds tomorrow :) Learning the skills I will need to make me the successful commercial lawyer I aspire to be !
*At Eversheds
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)