Prospective Corporate Lawyer - what to do?

[PlimptonWeld]

I'm an incoming History undergraduate this year; careers-wise, I've been thinking about corporate law recently. I used to dream about becoming a Historian (doing a Masters then PhD) but my mates took the mickey out of me being unemployed for life (haha). Jokes aside, a great mentor/teacher at school was formerly a corporate lawyer pre-2008/9 at a boutique law firm and he said I would be more than capable of becoming a competent corporate lawyer.

What are the ways I can prep myself for a career path into corporate law in the UK from now?

 

[George Maxwell]

I'm an incoming History undergraduate this year; careers-wise, I've been thinking about corporate law recently. I used to dream about becoming a Historian (doing a Masters then PhD) but my mates took the mickey out of me being unemployed for life (haha). Jokes aside, a great mentor/teacher at school was formerly a corporate lawyer pre-2008/9 at a boutique law firm and he said I would be more than capable of becoming a competent corporate lawyer.

What are the ways I can prep myself for a career path into corporate law in the UK from now?

Hey @PlimptonWeld,

It's great to meet you! Welcome to the community.

My advice would be the following:

• If you want to find out more about commercial law, @Jacob Miller's articles are a fantastic start. His "Foundations of Commercial Law" article will be particularly relevant at your stage!
• Get in touch with your university law society. Message them on facebook/instagram or approach them at a university society fair. Ask when their next event is, how you can get involved (more generally too) and express an interest in commercial law. There are likely to be first year insights/talks given by firms to students at your university, through the law society (and potentially through other law-related societies too). Keep an eye out for these sorts of events and don't lose sight of attending/signing up when your university starts (as managing friends, work and other events is half the battle of university more generally). Don't be afraid of asking other students for help too - in my experience, people enjoy helping others learn about this sort of thing!
• Don't lose focus of your grades(!). Getting started and meeting law firms (such as through your law society) is great, but if you don't manage to get a 2.1 in your first and second year (even if it/they 'doesn't/don't count') will likely reduce your chances of ultimately being successful in applications for 1st/2nd year insight days (and even applications later on too).
• Check out Chambers Student and Lawcareers.net. Consider subscribing to Watson's Daily for commercial awareness (also useful for IB/Consulting apps) and take a look at Jake Schogger's books (particularly the Training Contract Handbook).

I am always on hand to answer any further questions you might have, but the above should be a good start!

Contacting your university law society should be your first step I think!

 

[AvniD]

@PlimptonWeld welcome to TCLA! We're so glad to have you as a part of our community.

You've done so well by posting here as a first step to understanding more about corporate law 👏 👏 👏

Here are some things I recommend to prep yourself for a career in corporate law-

• Read more about it- TCLA has a weekly newsletter that I would highly recommend signing up to, along with reading articles on websites like the Lawyer, Legal Cheek and business news more generally. Corporate lawyers are a part of a wider industry of service providers in the City, including bankers, accountants, consultants etc. and trading industry and business news will help you understand the links between these professions and what corporate lawyers actually do.
• Attend events- I would highly recommend attending law firms open days, law fairs, webinars and graduate recruitment events as a way to find out more about the profession and figure out if you like what's behind the perceived 'glamour' of corporate law. Joining your university society is also a good idea if you want to get easy access to these events!
• Speak to people in the profession- my best recommendation would be to reach out to your professors at uni or people within your social circle (friends, family etc.) and ask them to connect you to corporate lawyers. There really is nothing else as educational as having actual, real 1:1 conversations with practicing lawyers when you're trying to differentiate between different law firms, practice areas, law firms business models etc.
• Know what job opportunities are out there- Some firms recruit uni students in their first year, while most schemes are geared towards those in their second year. Checking websites like Target jobs and Chambers and Partners to find out what kind of opportunities are available for you will be a good way to set a target and pursue making applications.

Wishing you the very best! Do stay in touch and let us know how you find exploring this career choice!

 

[PlimptonWeld]

Thank you both! I will check those links out.