Using the Christmas break to start those Work Placement applications

The Christmas break is a great time to unwind with family and friends and have fun.  You've worked hard all term so why not relax a bit? It might be a good idea, however, to give some thought to getting some legal work experience in 2017, particularly if you are a second or final year Law student.

You can leave it until after New Year but you do need to be aware that Work Placement or Vacation Scheme application deadlines will be coming up fast at the end of January or February 2017.  The holiday might give you time to look at the list of closing dates on Lawcareers.net and decide which, if any, of the larger firms you'd like to apply to.

Work Placements in the larger commercial firms usually last for one or two weeks during Easter or Summer 2017 and they are paid! You can also apply for other work placements in smaller firms.  You probably won't get paid but the experience gained could be just as valuable and you will be adding useful contacts at the same time.

If you are a second year opting for Work Based Learning in May 2017, why not look for opportunities at home to carry out your 5 week placement?  You can search for local firms at Find a Solicitor

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us in Careers and Employability!

Applications for the BPTC open on Monday 12 December 2016

If you are an aspiring barrister in your final year of university, Monday 12 December 2016 should already be imprinted on your memory.  In case it isn't, this is the date from which you can apply for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) on the BARSAS website.

There is a very useful guide on the website which is worth reading before you start your application.

I have summarised the key points below:

Students can apply for up to 6 programmes across the 8 Providers of the BPTC.
The 8 providers are:

1. BPP University Law School - London , Leeds, Manchester Birmingham
2. University of Law - London, Birmingham, Leeds
3. The City Law School (formerly Inns of Court School of Law)
4. Manchester Metropolitan University
5. Nottingham Law School
6. The University of Northumbria at Newcastle
7. University of the West of England at Bristol
8. Cardiff Law School

Most providers offer full time (1 year) and part-time (2 years) options.  

Funding

The costs of the BPTC vary from £14,500 to over £18,000 depending on the provider and its location.  You may be fortunate to receive a Scholarship for at least part of the cost from one of the Inns of Court if you applied in November.

If not, you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan from the Student Loans Company for up to £10,000 if you choose to study the BPTC with a Masters option.  Check with providers to see if they offer this.

Other options include:

• Future Finance Loans
• Professional and Career Development Loans
• High Street Bank loans

Applicants are not required to be a member of an Inn of Court upon submission of their application but must be a member by 31 May 2017.

The closing date for BPTC applications is Wednesday 11 Jan 2017 at 12 noon.

 Applicants pass an aptitude test, known as ‘BCAT’. It is a multiple choice computer based test which assesses applicant’s critical thinking and reasoning. Applicants will not be able to enrol on the BPTC without passing it. For further guidance on the BCAT click here

Some dos and don'ts for training contract and vac scheme applications

I copy below a really useful list of dos and don'ts for training contract and vacation scheme applications written by Sinead Dineen of Lawcareers.net.

Dos:

• Do check the application form for spelling and grammatical errors multiple times before submitting. Remember lawyers are expected to have excellent attention to detail.

• Do spell the name of the firm you are applying to correctly – this is so basic, yet it still amazes me how many applicants get this wrong.

• Do explain your pre-university academic grades if you were not educated in the United Kingdom (eg, write the score as 18/20 or as a percentage). If you are unsure about what to include, contact the recruiter who will be able to advise you. Do not leave this section blank.

• Do detail the skills you have developed from your work experience. Don’t just say you worked as a waiter – expand on this by telling us how you developed your team working skills and learnt how to handle difficult customers.

• Do read the long-answer questions and make sure you understand what you are being asked. For example, we asked, “Why do you believe you possess the skills and attributes to become a successful commercial lawyer?”. Therefore we expect to see details of skills and how they are relevant to being a lawyer. We did not ask what are your reasons for wanting to become a lawyer.

• Do check the whole application form when you have finished, but before submitting. The AllHires Graduate (formerly Apply4Law) application forms offer you the chance to preview the entire form. Make sure that each section that should be completed is.

Don’ts:

• Don’t write the whole application in lower case or upper case (including your name). Recruiters want to see that you can write/type properly and carefully.

• Don’t type ‘I’ as a lower case ‘i’. This shows a lack of attention and is not appropriate in a professional environment.

• Don’t refer to yourself in the third person (eg, Sinead has excellent communication skills).

• Don’t leave your university degree grades blank. We ask these for a reason (to see your progress from A level or equivalent to degree level) and if they are not completed we suspect you are trying to hide something.

• Don’t include mitigating circumstances unless they are genuine mitigating circumstances. You should be able to back this up with a school, university or medical report and preferably email this to the recruiter.

• Don’t miss out any of the long-answer questions. Their inclusion in the form is twofold: to get a better understanding of you, the applicant, and to check that you can write in clear, comprehensible and structured sentences.

• Don’t write in a colloquial or humorous way. Consider your application to be an important business document and take a professional tone.

Good luck with your  applications!

"Shape your aspirations" - training session by BPP University Law School Wed 7 December 1.30pm

A 2 hour workshop which examines where you will fit into a changing legal world

Shape Your Aspirations - Training Session

Wednesday 7^th December 2016

1:30 – 3:30pm, Chester Parkgate Road campus, Best CBB017

This workshop is beneficial for all Law students, when starting your search for the ideal legal career.

• Understand the changing legal marketplace, range of law firms and legal employment opportunities.
• Consider the impact of technology on legal practice in its many forms
• Analyse your strengths and personality type to find the perfect fit for your future aspirations.                                                                                Research law firms, chambers and other employers                                                       effectively.

"This is a chance to find out more about yourself. By doing this workshop you can start to see how your personality and strengths might fit into different roles within the legal sector"

Sara Dodge, LLB graduate 2016 University of Chester

If you are an aspiring legal professional, attend one of these informative and engaging workshops hosted by BPP University.

They are designed to help you plan and achieve your career aspirations.

Book now on CareerHub. This session is part of the Enhance Your Employability programme. For more details visit www.chester.ac.uk/eyetraining

So you went to Manchester Law Fair - what now?

                                                          

It was Manchester Law Fair this week.  If you went, I hope you enjoyed the experience and came away with a lot of useful information as well as a few freebies!  There is a limit, however, to how many reusable water containers one person needs!


What are you going to do now?

• Look through that recyclable bag of information and dig out any business cards you collected.  Keep them in a safe place and add notes so you can remember who said what to whom!

• Research the people you met on their firms' websites or ask to connect with them on LinkedIn. Say you enjoyed meeting them at the Law Fair.  It's important to carry on with the networking you have now started.

• Reflect on what you have learned from the Fair - has it opened up new options to consider?

• What have you learned about yourself - do you need to change your strategy for applications?

The Law Fair heralds the opening season for applications for Work Placements or Vacation Schemes in larger commercial Law firms for Easter and Summer 2017.  Many firms are also now accepting training contract applications for September 2019.  Yes, that's right, these are the Law firms who recruit 2 years in advance.  If you can get a Work Placement at one of these firms next Summer, you will be well on your way to being shortlisted for a training contract in 2019. Large commercial Law firms also often pay LPC fees as well as providing maintenance grants.

How does it work?

Search on Lawcareers.net or in the Training Contract Handbook 2017 (available now from the Law School or Careers and Employability) for the list of firms offering Work Placements.

Prepare a shortlist of firms you may be interested in applying to.

Do your research on those firms before you apply, and pay particular attention to application details. Some firms will let you upload a CV and cover letter as part of your application.  Other firms will only want their application form completed.  Always follow the instructions!

If you did meet someone from a firm at the Fair, make sure you mention them in your application.

Make sure your CV and cover letter, or application, represent you in the best possible light. Pay attention to spelling and grammar and, remember, I am happy to check all applications in a drop-in session or by email (p.hardie@chester.ac.uk).

It's National Pro Bono Week!

What does Pro Bono mean and how can being involved in it assist you with your legal career?

Pro bono is a Latin phrase meaning "for the public good".  In a legal context it has now come to mean providing free law advice to those people who cannot afford to pay for it.

Why should you try to get involved?

Firstly, it's a great opportunity to get involved in a local community project and use your legal knowledge to good effect.  There are lots of ways you can do this, whether by volunteering at your local Citizens Advice or a Law Centre.  There are also sometimes advocacy opportunities at charities such as Age Concern.  Cheshire West, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington Youth Offending Service is currently looking for volunteers to support young people who have come to the attention of the police as a result of anti-social/ offending behaviour. For more information please contact careers@chester.ac.uk 

 

Secondly, you'll be using that legal knowledge under supervision, so you can put into practice the knowledge you've learnt from your degree and develop existing skills as well as acquire new ones, such as team working and communication.

Thirdly, you can use your experience of pro bono work to develop your CV.  Employers really like to see evidence of any volunteering activity and, if it's related to Law, so much the better!  You can use your experiences to give examples on application forms and at interview.

Now's the time to get involved, especially as it's National Pro Bono Week!

Manchester Law Fair is now less than 2 weeks away

Manchester Law Fair 2016 is taking place at Manchester Central Convention Centre on Tuesday 15 November from 12.30 - 4.00pm.

This is one of the largest Law Fairs in the country and is open to both Law and non-law students from any university.



This fair is an excellent forum for students and graduates to have discussions with firms of solicitors about their opportunities for vacation placements and training contracts, to talk to training providers about their law courses or to find out about careers at the Bar or in other areas of Law.

Online registration for the Fair is now open.

Sign up on the Law School noticeboard at 67 Liverpool Road for the free coach to take you there!

Details of the exhibitors and the link to online registration are available at:
Law Fair Exhibitors

Go to the Law Hub on Moodle to see my presentation on how to prepare for the
Law Fair.