Books for insight into being a solicitor/corporate law

[lawnoob]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have book recommendations for an insight into working in commercial law as a solicitor? There are lots of books for thinking like a lawyer but many discuss the life of a barrister and not so much commercial solicitor in a corporate environment.

Would appreciate any other relevant book recommendations too
Thank you!

 

[James Carrabino]

Hi @lawnoob, I am thrilled to turn another one of your excellent threads into a Starred Thread

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hey, I think you might want to check out Jake Schogger's Training Contract Handbook (not to be confused with his Commercial Law Handbook).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Training-Contract-Handbook-Jake-Schogger/dp/099343648X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C58AAZTGJVLF&keywords=jake+schogger+training&qid=1649218140&sprefix=jake+schogger+training,aps,312&sr=8-1

If you look at the contents, you will see that it covers the basics of what you'll be required to do in your day job and how to do it well.

 

[TC fiend]

Great question! If you really want a breakdown of day-to-day, I don’t think you can get any better than Jake’s book mentioned above.

I think it’s important that your daily work will very much depend on the team and department you sit in. The day of a litigation lawyer looks very different from that of a corporate or real estate lawyer. In that regard, I’d really recommend reading books that are more widely related to the markets and the clients you might work with, as you’ll have to have a good understanding of what they do in order to advise them.

Some of my favorites include:
-Tomorrow’s Lawyers by Richard Susskind
-Any of the FT Guides, but particularly the FT Guide to Banking
-Any sort of books written about clients you’re interested in (for example, I really like Alibaba - The House that Jack Built by Duncan Clark)
-White Shoe by John Oller
-The Big Short by Michael Lewis
-VC by Tom Nicholas

Etc etc… the point is, to get an idea of what a corporate lawyer does your best bet is to understand what your clients do, what they need to do it, and how lawyers fit into the picture.

I hope that’s a helpful start

 

[j.s.cox]

Hey, I think you might want to check out Jake Schogger's Training Contract Handbook (not to be confused with his Commercial Law Handbook).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Training-Contract-Handbook-Jake-Schogger/dp/099343648X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C58AAZTGJVLF&keywords=jake+schogger+training&qid=1649218140&sprefix=jake+schogger+training,aps,312&sr=8-1

If you look at the contents, you will see that it covers the basics of what you'll be required to do in your day job and how to do it well.

I second this if you want a book specifically. I'm not sure I've seen any other books that give this level of insight.

If you are looking for more insights not necessarily in a book format, there are also lots of social media accounts which are really good at giving insights into life as a commercial solicitor. Off the top of my head, I recommend:

Instagram Accounts

• @itsallhearsay
  • Trainee Solicitor at Trowers and Hamlins
  • Gives a breakdown of each seat and lessons learnt
  • Gives honest reviews of day-to-day experiences on stories
  • Also has a website
• @lawwithsophie
  • Associate at HSF (Trained at BCLP)
  • Variety of insights: restructuring and insolvency law, daily life of a solicitor, training contract application advice
  • Gives advice and inspiration for workwear (including affordable workwear)
  • Also has a website

YouTube Accounts

• Success With Steph
  • Trainee Solicitor at White & Case
  • Gives really fantastic breakdowns of each seat she has done
  • Explains things she wishes she knew at the start of her TC
  • Explains what lawyers in certain areas do in a lot more detail (recently did a good one on capital markets lawyers)
  • Also has a website, mailing list, and IG (@successwithsteph)
• Liam Porritt
  • Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance and Cambridge Graduate
  • Does a lot of 'day in the life' videos
  • Also has a website (great if you need productivity tips and law notes help) and IG

In terms of general books for law (not neccessarily giving an insight into life as a commercial lawyer, I've seen a lot of people recommend the following:

• The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham
  • Focus on public law but still interesting.
• What About Law? by Catherine Bernard
  • Describes different fields of law in detail, but easy to read.
• Eve was Framed by Helena Kennedy
  • Describes ways in which legal system has let down women.
• Bleak House by Charles Dickens
  • About a fictional legal case which some people have said was based on a real case at the time.
• Anything written by Richard Susskind
  • Most of his books tend to focus on the future of law and lawyers
  • He specialises in legal technology, which is pretty evident in his books
• I also found a few links to book lists which have been recommended for aspiring lawyers which you can browse through:
  • https://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/reading-lists/law-reading-list
  • https://www.oxfordscholastica.com/blog/10-books-every-law-student-should-read/
  • https://www.clio.com/blog/best-books-for-lawyers/

Hope this helps

 

[lawnoob]

Hi @lawnoob, I am thrilled to turn another one of your excellent threads into a Starred Thread

Thank you for bringing attention to this thread too! I really appreciate it, thanks James

 

[lawnoob]

Hey, I think you might want to check out Jake Schogger's Training Contract Handbook (not to be confused with his Commercial Law Handbook).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Training-Contract-Handbook-Jake-Schogger/dp/099343648X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C58AAZTGJVLF&keywords=jake+schogger+training&qid=1649218140&sprefix=jake+schogger+training,aps,312&sr=8-1

If you look at the contents, you will see that it covers the basics of what you'll be required to do in your day job and how to do it well.

Thanks @futuretraineesolicitor! I’ve heard about his handbook but wasn’t sure if it was regurgitated stuff that you could mostly find online. I’ll look into it, thank you for your rec! Sounds really useful

 

[lawnoob]

Great question! If you really want a breakdown of day-to-day, I don’t think you can get any better than Jake’s book mentioned above.

I think it’s important that your daily work will very much depend on the team and department you sit in. The day of a litigation lawyer looks very different from that of a corporate or real estate lawyer. In that regard, I’d really recommend reading books that are more widely related to the markets and the clients you might work with, as you’ll have to have a good understanding of what they do in order to advise them.

Some of my favorites include:
-Tomorrow’s Lawyers by Richard Susskind
-Any of the FT Guides, but particularly the FT Guide to Banking
-Any sort of books written about clients you’re interested in (for example, I really like Alibaba - The House that Jack Built by Duncan Clark)
-White Shoe by John Oller
-The Big Short by Michael Lewis
-VC by Tom Nicholas

Etc etc… the point is, to get an idea of what a corporate lawyer does your best bet is to understand what your clients do, what they need to do it, and how lawyers fit into the picture.

I hope that’s a helpful start

Hi! You’re right. That’s a good idea, perhaps I should expand into business books as well instead of focusing on just law, since at the end of the day law firms are businesses. That’s a good way to approach getting a better understanding of being a commercial lawyer.

I’ve not heard of the books you’ve recommended before, so thank you! I will read as many as I can- very excited, thank you for your recs again ^_^

 

[lawnoob]

I second this if you want a book specifically. I'm not sure I've seen any other books that give this level of insight.

If you are looking for more insights not necessarily in a book format, there are also lots of social media accounts which are really good at giving insights into life as a commercial solicitor. Off the top of my head, I recommend:

Instagram Accounts

• @itsallhearsay
  • Trainee Solicitor at Trowers and Hamlins
  • Gives a breakdown of each seat and lessons learnt
  • Gives honest reviews of day-to-day experiences on stories
  • Also has a website
• @lawwithsophie
  • Associate at HSF (Trained at BCLP)
  • Variety of insights: restructuring and insolvency law, daily life of a solicitor, training contract application advice
  • Gives advice and inspiration for workwear (including affordable workwear)
  • Also has a website

YouTube Accounts

• Success With Steph
  • Trainee Solicitor at White & Case
  • Gives really fantastic breakdowns of each seat she has done
  • Explains things she wishes she knew at the start of her TC
  • Explains what lawyers in certain areas do in a lot more detail (recently did a good one on capital markets lawyers)
  • Also has a website, mailing list, and IG (@successwithsteph)
• Liam Porritt
  • Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance and Cambridge Graduate
  • Does a lot of 'day in the life' videos
  • Also has a website (great if you need productivity tips and law notes help) and IG

In terms of general books for law (not neccessarily giving an insight into life as a commercial lawyer, I've seen a lot of people recommend the following:

• The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham
  • Focus on public law but still interesting.
• What About Law? by Catherine Bernard
  • Describes different fields of law in detail, but easy to read.
• Eve was Framed by Helena Kennedy
  • Describes ways in which legal system has let down women.
• Bleak House by Charles Dickens
  • About a fictional legal case which some people have said was based on a real case at the time.
• Anything written by Richard Susskind
  • Most of his books tend to focus on the future of law and lawyers
  • He specialises in legal technology, which is pretty evident in his books
• I also found a few links to book lists which have been recommended for aspiring lawyers which you can browse through:
  • https://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/reading-lists/law-reading-list
  • https://www.oxfordscholastica.com/blog/10-books-every-law-student-should-read/
  • https://www.clio.com/blog/best-books-for-lawyers/

Hope this helps

Hi again @j.s.cox! Thank you for sharing so many different types of resources, esp the ig/youtube accounts because they’re free resources and easily accessible and I really appreciate it!

Anything Written sounds really interesting and useful for our upcoming legal tech era, I’ll definitely put that on my to-read. Thank you for the links to other recommended books too, going to check it out now!

 

[TC fiend]

Hi! You’re right. That’s a good idea, perhaps I should expand into business books as well instead of focusing on just law, since at the end of the day law firms are businesses. That’s a good way to approach getting a better understanding of being a commercial lawyer.

I’ve not heard of the books you’ve recommended before, so thank you! I will read as many as I can- very excited, thank you for your recs again ^_^

No problem! Buying a lot of books can get expensive- i would highly recommend checking Amazon’s secondhand section or World of Books, which is where I get a lot of my books for very cheap. Facebook marketplace or student pages are also very good

 

[lawnoob]

No problem! Buying a lot of books can get expensive- i would highly recommend checking Amazon’s secondhand section or World of Books, which is where I get a lot of my books for very cheap. Facebook marketplace or student pages are also very good

I didn't know that was a thing actually! Thank you for letting me know. I've just checked out the Training Contract handbook and it's £24.99 alone to ship to where I am as I've left the UK

 

[George Maxwell]

I didn't know that was a thing actually! Thank you for letting me know. I've just checked out the Training Contract handbook and it's £24.99 alone to ship to where I am as I've left the UK

@lawnoob just to reiterate what others have said on this, Jake Schogger's book is definitely worth investing in. That being said, it isn't a leisurely read but more of a prep book.

I would also check out the Advanced Book Exchange ("Abebooks"). It is now owned by Amazon, but I think it is the cheapest place to buy secondhand books online!

@j.s.cox and @TC fiend thank you for sharing your recommendations! I actually put this to the wider TCLA team a while ago and your suggestions have really outshone our ideas!

 

[lawnoob]

Thought I'd add onto this thread with some books I've found useful too! Not all exactly about law, but kind of how to develop yourself to think about clients more.

Valuation: measuring and managing the values of companies

• Provides complete, detailed guidance on every crucial aspect of corporate valuation - helpful to understand clients!
• Covers key issues in valuation, including videos, discussions of trending topics, and real-world valuation examples from the capital markets.

Selling the invisible

• It's about working in a service-selling company, and how to establish a relationship with your clients

Leaders eat last

• About building sustaining, performing, long-term teams
• Teaches you about people management
• Why some teams work and some teams don't

All you have to do is ask

• SMART criteria for who, when, and how to ask
• “Plug-and-play ” routines that make requests a standard component of meetings
• The Reciprocity Ring, a guided activity that allows people to tap into the giving power of a network

The introverted lawyer

• Explains the differences among introversion, shyness, and social anxiety and how each manifests in the legal context
• Describes how the extrovert bias in law school and practice detrimentally can impact quiet individuals, fuelling enhanced anxiety in a vocation already fraught with mental health issues
• Explores how quiet law students and lawyers offer greatly needed proficiencies to the legal profession