Dr Catriona Wolfenden’s Post

Broadfield UK (formerly known as BDB Pitmans) have launched a new international law firm, providing dedicated legal services for mid-market businesses. ⚖️ This transformative firm strives to be trusted advisers in navigating the complexities of law with the support of SHP Legal Services (SHPLS), to offer local expertise with a global reach. 🙌 We’re excited to continue our partnership together, supporting the firm with their social mobility strategy, and inviting our diverse network to learn more and about their Solicitor Apprenticeship programme in London and Reading. Want to learn more about how Uptree can support your employer's aims? 📩 Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/eiAaJQQ6 #Uptree #Broadfield #WorkExperience #Law

Towards the end of the summer period, I gained further insight into the daily life, work and skillsets necessary to be a commercial solicitor by attending Reed Smith LLP’s First Year Scheme. I want to thank Karen Manu, Rik Palmer and Rebecca Schrod for arranging such an educational and enjoyable scheme, I appreciate the range of opportunities and activities organised for us who had the honour of attending. A summary of some of the tasks we were involved in: -  Attending panel discussions of different areas of commercial law ranging from structured finance; to shipping; to corporate; to entertainment and media; to real estate. These panels gave us a unique opportunity to ask questions to partners and solicitors alike and get a deeper understanding of each of the different industry groups that Reed Smith specialises in. -  Networking events with SQE interns and trainees – I would like to say a big thank you to my mentor Becky Wray and to Benedikt Corkill and Eva Burkhart for answering my questions and giving me a clearer understanding of the next steps for the following few years. It was particularly helpful to discuss this roadmap with QMUL alumni as it helped me tailor my progression plan better. -  Shadowing Ala Lysik in the entertainment and media department for a day. Here I completed research tasks on the Online Safety Act 2023 and the Media Act 2024. Again a big thank you to Ala for all her help and insight into this industry. -  Attending a networking masterclass hosted by Rik Palmer who taught us some vital skills which will be relevant to applications, colleagues and potentially eventual clients. -  Finally, attending a case study workshop where we attempted and received feedback on a labour and employment case study. This workshop gave us an invaluable opportunity to truly understand and practice this process before vacation scheme applications begin. #law #lawyer #lawstudent #firstyearscheme #lawapplications #workexperience #lawworkexperience

Training, Starting, Step in too

This is how solicitors were qualifying during Victorian times (you won’t believe it): 👇🏻 1. Complete a three-year LL.B. (Hon) qualifying law degree at a university. (sounds familiar?) ________ 2. Complete a two-year apprenticeship known as "Articles," where the individual worked as an "Articled clerk" in a law firm or with a practicing solicitor. This is the equivalent of the coveted training contract. And you’re not an “articled clerk” anymore, you have to settle for “trainee solicitor”. ________ 3. Before the 1880s, individuals could undertake Articles for approximately five years instead of following steps 1 & 2. This is exactly what William Capel Slaughter did (founder of Slaughter & May) [he never went to university] ________ 4. The final step was a successful application and admission to @The Law Society PS: Liked this? Repost with your network! I bet they’re interested too.

City Century releases the latest in its 💯s video series - insights from our #SolicitorApprentices into who they are - so that you can see people who are like you talking about the roles they have and you might want to get. In this one, Tobi Adedeji, Year 1 solicitor apprentice at Farrer & Co, shares: 📽️ some of the good reasons to follow this career path #EarnWhileYouLearn 🎥 his TCOT methodology for job success 🤳🏿 application tips 📸 what to work-wear! Worth two minutes of anyone’s day! ❤️🧡🩵💙 #LearningLondonLawyering #CityLaw #GetIn!

We recently sponsored the Lord Jones Mooting Competition at the University of Dundee. The University Of Dundee Mooting Society ran a brilliant event and the standard of debate was incredibly high. Congratulations to the winners, the University of Aberdeen. It is a real pleasure to see the passion of our future lawyers. If you are considering a career in law find out more about opportunities at DWF on our website: https://bit.ly/3ehY1qx #dwf #law #university #careersinlaw #legalcareers

#JSNSummit2024 - great line up of speakers and lots of practical advice to implement straight away, including Lauren Basham's session below

Yesterday I had the opportunity of attending the Bright Network’s Future Lawyers 2024 event! I enjoyed listening to representatives from magic and silver circle law firms speak about their experiences, as well as their journies to working in the legal field. Firms such as Clifford Chance, Osborne Clarke, DLA Piper, Jones Day, The University of Law and many more were present. Their expertise was truly insightful and really strengthened my understanding of the legal industry. Aruna Verma was the first to deliver a keynote speech, providing us with a few tips on the skills required to become a solicitor: ✅The ability to think from different point of views, and the reason for this is because it would aid in being able to predict what the opposing side may state during court. ✅Oral advocacy, being able to be confident in public speaking and advocate for your clients. ✅Negotiation skills ✅Persuasiveness Additionally, Aruna Verma also discussed about AI’s influence on the law. Contrary to many beliefs, it can be positively used by providing us with commercial awareness. I also attended a panel discussion on the topic of Vacation Schemes and Training contracts. During this, the panellists discussed the significance of selling yourself, ultimately bringing light to your strengths and how these could contribute to a firm’s success. Some of their tips included: ✅Thinking about why clients would want to work with you over anyone else. ✅When researching a firm, consider what respective cases they have worked on. ✅When writing applications, inflating your experiences may backfire on you. ✅Differentiate, have something new and unique to bring to the table. Attending this event has been one I will remain grateful for, as it has uplifted my confidence when applying for this round of apprenticeships. One key takeaway was thanks to Deepa Deb, where she stated how there is no stereotypical lawyer. There is NO formula for being a lawyer, so just be authentic and resilient:) Thank you to Bright Network for hosting this productive event!

🎯 Insight into Law at Charles Russell Speechlys! Last Monday I attended a virtual insight event about Charles Russell Speechlys and their apprenticeship programme - an incredible opportunity to learn more about life at an international law firm that works with various clients. I was fascinated with this range, as they even have clients such as Nike and Wagamama! ✒️ Key Highlights of CRS Charles Russell Speechlys is a law firm with over 1000 staff, 40+ languages, and offices in London, Guildford, and Cheltenham. They have 4 divisions: Private Client; Business Advisory and Transactional Services; Construction, Real Estate, and Disputes; and Litigation and Dispute Resolution. For apprentices, they rotate across at least 8 different teams whilst gaining valuable hands-on experience. 🌟 CRS and the Community Charles Russell Speechlys stands out for its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Apprentices (and trainees) are encouraged to participate in pro bono work through advice clinics or the KIND scheme to help those in need. We heard from two apprentices: Ariella Tanfield and Amelie Herbert. Ariella, in her 3rd year, spoke about her work in real estate disputes, corporate mergers, and private client cases, emphasising how exciting it is to see a case through from start to finish. Amelie also shared her experience in property law and how meaningful pro bono work has been, including securing citizenship for children early in her apprenticeship. 📚 Tips for Applications Nearer to the end of the session, Early Talent Advisor Hester Thompson Assoc CIPD explained that a strong application demonstrates commercial awareness. Other tips (useful to aspiring solicitor apprentices who didn't attend this event!) include highlighting all types of experience (volunteering, part-time jobs, attending insight days), the STAR method, research into the company, and being up-to-date with cases (or one case in particular) to strengthen your application. 💡 My Takeaway "Good enough isn't good enough" where excellence isn't an option at CRS resonates with me. Consistently striving for the highest standards in every aspect of work inspires me to not only aim high in my own aspirations but also in my personal life. Overall, this insight day reaffirmed my interest in pursuing a legal career via apprenticeship, especially at Charles Russell Speechlys. Thank you so much to Joanna Stevens, Hester Thompson, Young Professionals, and all the speakers for their time and insights - a brilliant experience!

Hack to build your commercial awareness (takes just 180 seconds per week!!): If you're applying to solicitor apprenticeships, vacation schemes or training contracts, you'll know that firms are looking for you to show "commercial awareness". In the application, they'll ask something like: "Tell us about a recent news story you read and how it impacts our firm". I struggled with this question in my applications. I found the Financial Times difficult to read and it was hard to connect news stories to the legal sector. Then I discovered LittleLaw. It's a free, weekly newsletter designed specifically for aspiring lawyers. Every issue gives you easy-to-read updates on the biggest legal and business stories of the week, highlighting their impact on commercial law firms. It takes less than 3 minutes to read. Oh, and it's completely free. 🤩 LittleLaw is incredible - it helped me get assessment centres at every Magic Circle and US law firm I applied to. There are over 17,000 readers using LittleLaw to gain an edge in their applications. Join them by clicking the link in the comments or simply scan the QR code.