Have you thought about becoming a Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer?

There is an alternative to the traditional route of Law degree, followed by Legal Practice Course (LPC) and training contract in order to become a qualified solicitor.

It involves, instead, studying for the CILEx Graduate Fast-track Diploma (GFTD).  As a Law graduate you are eligible to apply for this course and you don't need to study any more Law subjects.

You do need to acquire the legal practice and professional skills elements of the GFTD, along with satisfying the qualifying employment requirements.  This is a 3 year period when you could be working as a paralegal in legal practice, in the legal department of a company or in local/national government. Because you can study by distance learning at times to suit you, ideally you will be working as a paralegal alongside studying.

What is the difference between a Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer and a Solicitor?

The answer is, very little!  The main difference is that Chartered Legal Executive Lawyers only study one legal practice subject at an advanced level so they need to choose an area they wish to specialise in.  With the LPC, students study a range of compulsory subjects. However, in the end, all lawyers, no matter how they qualified, tend to specialise in just one legal practice area.

Chartered Legal Executives can become partners in Law firms and also apply to be appointed as judges.

One of the main advantages of studying the CILEx route is cost.  The total cost will be about £3,500 as opposed to around £12,000 for the LPC.

Want to know more?

Go to the CILEx and CILEx Law School websites.

Voluntary in-house legal experience in Liverpool - Summer 2018

Please see below for details of how to gain in-house legal experience:

In-House Legal Experience (Voluntary)

Gain valuable work experience with a full service in-house legal team.

2-3 week long work placements with Princes, a first choice international food and

drink group.

We would like to offer students of the University of Chester Law School a chance to

gain experience with a fast paced in-house legal team which provides a variety of

legal services across the Princes Group.

Responsibilities to include;

• Working closely with the Group Legal team consisting of 9 individuals who

have responsibility for 14 manufacturing sites across the UK, Italy and

Mauritius and 5 offices across Europe based in Netherlands, France, Poland

and Italy.

• Assisting with claims liability investigations;

• Reviewing commercial contracts and Import documentation;

• Conducting legal research in various jurisdictions;

• Liaising with our colleagues across the business including UK manufacturing

sites.

We are looking for individuals with;

• A genuine desire to gain in-house experience;

• Excellent oral and written communication skills;

• Not afraid to ask questions;

• Excellent attention to detail;

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office;

• Ideally with European language skills.

This is a voluntary position lasting 2-3 weeks depending on availability. Placements

will be available between 4th June and 28th September 2018.

Working hours are Monday-Friday 08:45-17:00 at our headquarters in the Royal

Liver Building, Liverpool.

In return, we offer genuine hands on experience, a positive working environment with

a friendly and hard working team, valuable insight into how a global in-house legal

department operates.

Princes is committed to equality of opportunity. All applicants will be judged solely on

their merits.

To apply send your CV and  cover letter to

legal@princes.co.uk

Careers and Employability Graduate Head Start programme now open for booking

The Graduate Head Start programme for 2018 is now live on CareerHub for students to book. 

Graduate Head Start is a tailored programme run by Careers and Employability designed to help final year students take their first steps on the career ladder. The programme starts with a Graduate Head Start day which covers:

• ·        An elevator pitch exploring strengths, achievement and motivations
• ·        Writing effective application forms
• ·        Commercial awareness
• ·        How to job search
• ·        Answering tough interview questions
• ·        Developing a Careers Action Plan

Personalising your Programme

At the end of the Graduate Head Start day, students put together their personalised package of career support. They can choose from:

·        Online CV review

·        A 1:1 guidance appointment with a career consultant (45 minutes of in-depth individual      careers guidance)

·        Online training

Upcoming Graduate Head Start days are:

·        14^th May

·        20^th June

·        2^nd July

·        25^th July

All Graduate Head Start days run from 9:15am to 4:30pm and take place in Careers and Employability on Parkgate Road campus.

Click here to book your place.

Please note that the Graduate Head Start programme is only open to final year students and graduates from the University of Chester up to three years after graduation.

The 2018 Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) Bursary Scheme is now open for applications

Are you interested in becoming a Human Rights Lawyer?

Want to find out more about Human Rights through taking up a placement but unsure how to fund it?

The Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) Bursary Scheme could be just what you are looking for.

Please see below for further details:

The HRLA recognises that those without independent financial backing can sometimes be unable to take up internships, work placements and other either unpaid or poorly paid work in human rights law. He or she may therefore miss out on these opportunities and this can lead to their being disadvantaged when applying for jobs within the human rights field. To assist people in this position, in 2006 the HRLA established a bursary scheme to assist law students, either those currently studying (either undergraduate degree, postgraduate studies or LPC/BPTC/Law Conversion Course) or those who have recently graduated, in undertaking such work.

Each year, the HRLA will provides at least one grant of £3,500 and a number of small awards up to £1,500 per person awards from an annual bursary fund, provided there are suitable applicants. The applicant who receives the highest score for their application will be awarded the Peter Duffy Memorial Award. This special bursary award commemorates the innovative and groundbreaking UK human rights lawyer, Peter Duffy.

The bursary money is to be used to enable the successful applicants to undertake work related to human rights law that he or she would otherwise be unable to afford to do. That work need not take place in the United Kingdom, but it must be relevant to human rights law in the United Kingdom.

If this sounds like it could be for you, please read through the Bursary Scheme policy document which provides details on eligibility and how to apply. If you still have questions, please contact us via the contact page at www.hrla.org.uk 

Completed applications must be submitted to bursary@hrla.org.uk no later than 10pm Monday 21 May 2018.

HRLA Bursary Policy 2018

HRLA Bursary Application Form 2018

Latest news on the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) from Lawcareers.net

As you may be aware, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) wants to replace the LPC with the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) from 2020.  The SQE has now been approved in principle by the Legal Services Board.

If you are interested in the latest news on the SQE, Lawcareers.net has published a very useful update here

Becoming a Barrister Insight Evening 19 April, Liverpool

Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court, will be hosting a unique free event in Liverpool on Thursday 19 April.

The aim is to provide students with accurate information on pursuing a career at the Bar by giving them the opportunity to hear directly from practising barristers about their own journeys to the Bar. Students will be able to ask questions of the barristers as well as take part in informal networking afterwards.

Members of the Outreach team from Inner Temple, will also be on hand to discuss the BPTC scholarships process and the role of the Inns of Court.

This event takes place at Aloft, 1 North St John Street, Liverpool L2 5QW from 6.00pm to 8.30pm.

Students should register their attendance in advance by using this form

This is a great opportunity for any students interested in a career at the Bar.

What should Law students be doing over Easter?

According to Lawcareers.net  students shouldn't be spending all their time eating Easter Eggs! Maybe you might have time to enjoy a little chocolate in the holidays, but click this link to find out what you really should be doing. 

In addition to the points mentioned in the article you might wish to consider the following depending on what year you're currently in  - 

Level 4 students 

Try to get at least one week of work experience in a Law firm in the Summer vacation.  It could be a formal insight event, such as the one offered by White & Case
here but it could also be  in a local firm of solicitors.  To find out about solicitors' firms in any location in England and Wales go to www.solicitors-online.com  This website will provide you with a list of firms which you can then research for opportunities.  Make sure your CV is up-to-date  and write a brief cover letter explaining that you are studying Law and are now looking for experience in a firm.  Always find the name of the firm's HR manager or the name of a Senior Partner to write to and be specific re the dates you are available.

Level 5 students 

Prepare for Work Based Learning or Experiential.  If you are doing Work Based Learning in a Law firm, make yourself indispensable!  Be prepared to go the extra mile and don't forget to ask questions. Always be polite and keep note of anyone you speak to who you might want to contact at a later date.  Sometimes Law firms ask students to stay on after WBL and you never know, you might even get paid! Join LinkedIn and start networking!

Level 6 students 

If you're planning on studying for the LPC you need think about applying.  Go to www.lawcabs.ac.uk to apply for the full time course or go directly to the institution's website to apply for the part-time course.  You can only get the postgraduate student loan if you apply for the MSc or LLM with the LPC.  If you need to work alongside the LPC or just want to work in a Law firm before signing up for another course, keep checking CareerHub and recruitment sites like Indeed for vacancies. If you're looking for a job not connected to Law use websites such as Prospects and Target Jobs as well as CareerHub.

Happy Easter!