Develop your career
Please note: there are a few links that need to be fixed on this page. They’ll be amended soon
This section will signpost you to sources of information about your career development be it summer internships, training contracts/pupillages or progressing onto legal study.
Other blogs
There’s lots of people blogging about getting into law and the legal industry from students to practitioners. Many of them are very useful – there’s a good list of them here https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/commercial-awareness/commercial-awareness-resources-legal-blogs
Useful websites for legal careers information:
- The University’s own Careers Website is extensive: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/siteslaw.htm
- http://www.prospects.ac.uk/law_sector.htm
- http://targetjobs.co.uk/law
- https://www.lawcareers.net/ – everything you need to plan your career including a brillant profile builder facility – MyLC.N.
- https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/– a great all round website dealing with everything relating to your legal career. I recommend the sections on work experience and how to apply for it.
- http://www.lex100.com/index.php/career-clinic
- http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/ – in addition to general legal careers advice there are extensive insights into what what law firms and sets of chambers are really like.
- For Solicitors: KSLS website has lots of useful information for aspiring solicitors: https://www.ksls.co.uk/careers/
- For Solicitors: http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/careers/becoming-a-solicitor/ – downloads include ‘Becoming a Solicitor’ and ‘Disabled Students Guide’
- For future social welfare solicitors – see http://thelegaleducationfoundation.org/fellowship/ where you can apply for training contracts in this area of law (you have to have done the LPC)
- For barristers: https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/becoming-a-barrister.html
- For barristers: https://www.innertemple.org.uk/becoming-a-barrister/ The Inner Temple’s Guide to Becoming a Barrister and carries information about how to become a Barrister, training for the Bar, financial assistance and what you can expect from your BPTC year at the Inn.
- For Legal Executives: https://www.cilex.org.uk/cilex_lawyer
- For Trade Mark Attorneys/Administrators/Paralegals/Investigators/ Searchers/Watchers: https://www.citma.org.uk/careers/becoming_a_trade_mark_attorney
- The LPC – http://www.lawcareers.net/Courses/LPC
- Inside Buzz Law Guide and Rankings – An inside look at top law firms. Free to download from www.insidebuzz.co.uk/downloads (Just sign in to download your free copy)
- The University of Law’s careers and employablity blog has lots of useful hints and tips for all stages of your career development. Take a look at http://www.law.ac.uk/futurelawyers/careers-and-employability-blog/#Applying_for_vacation_schemes
- If you would like a helpful magazine see :http://www.legalcareersgroup.co.uk/into-the-law-magazine/
- For Postgraduate Study – see this digital magazine.
See the TARGETjobs Law National Pupillage Fair 205 talks on YouTube here.- The Legal Ombudsman (podcast) – http://blog.oup.com/2014/08/law-education-career-uk-podcasts/
- Legal Journalism (podcast – interview with Joshua Rozenburg) – http://blog.oup.com/2014/08/law-education-career-uk-podcasts/
- The Restorative Justice Council – http://blog.oup.com/2014/08/law-education-career-uk-podcasts/
- Find our about what a Costs Lawyer does – http://www.associationofcostslawyers.co.uk/about-acl/the-role-of-a-costs-lawyer/
- Your BBP representative at KLS and extends an invitation to you to join their facebook group on which you will find info about BPP law school career events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/163935546974075/ (Other law schools are available!)
Careers help for international students
- How to become a lawyer in the UK if you are an overseas student – see these articles:
Useful publications for legal careers
Where the following publications are available to download/read on-line a web link has been provided. However, nearly all of them are also available as a hard copy from the one/all of the following locations:
- The Law School reception (Eliot Extension building)
- Liz Foden’s office – Rm 110 (Eliot Extension)
- The Careers & Employability Service’s office – next to Keynes College
Prospects: Law
Whether you’re looking for a training contract, vacation scheme, pupillage or considering further study options, you can find vacancies, advice and more in the latest issue of Prospects Law.
The digital magazine is also fully interactive and clickable, so you can
access further details about the areas that interest you straight away.
Look inside the new issue of Prospects Law to find out more about:
- Training contracts – vacancies at some of the UK’s leading law firms
- Going to the bar
- LLM (start at page 78)
- Alternative Careers
A Beginners Guide to Law
Published by LawCareers.Net – can be found here.
Work Experience & Internships
- Work Experience & Internships guide to shaping your future. – https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/work-experience-and-internships (This is non-law specific advice but you’ll still find it helpful as it contains careers advice and information on hundreds of work experience and internship opportunities. It includes information on Completing applications, Job sector profiles, Work experience abroad and gaining experience through student societies and sport.)
- This publication is available now and can be collected in the law school reception.
Top Law Firms for Training Contracts & Vacation Schemes
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
- Postgraduate Study – download here.
- The Times Student Law Review – published every October
See here for how to use the above book effectively – How to use The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook
Non-legal careers
- Publications – there are many free available publications across all career areas in the Careers & Employability Service’s building (the octagonal building between Keynes and the main bus stop.
- Careers Advice:
- The Careers & Employability Service holds drops ins every morning and afternoon for quick enquiries and CV/application help as follows:
- Canterbury:10.30am – 12.30pm & 2-4pm every day in their building
- If you need to speak with someone more extensively about your career planning you can make an appointment with the Careers Adviser for law, Jenny Keaveney (Canterbury) (whether it is a legal career you want or something else).
- The Careers Employability Award – gain skills and career awareness, earn EP’s
- MENTORING: KEW-NET – an on-line professional mentoring system. See here for more details.
- Psychometric Tests – many graduate level jobs use these tests as part of the recruitment process. If you would like to practice them register here: www.graduatesfirst.com/cp/kent/login.aspx. You can take the following tests: 3 verbal reasoning tests; 3 numerical reasoning tests; 3 logical reasoning tests; A work style personality questionnaire
- Employability Points – earn points for the things you do and turn points into work experience, skills training etc.
- Find paid employment – visit the Jobshop
Useful links
Legal career development help
- Commercial/current awareness:
- www.innertemplelibrary.com – this is a ‘current awareness’ blog which provides up-to-date information on new case law, changes in legislation and legal news. The content is selected and uipdated daily by professionals at the Inner Temple Library. Also on www.twitter.com/inner_temple
- Employability hints and tips
- The Kent Employability Blog is operated by the central Careers & Employability Service and has occasional guest bloggers, covering topics like Career Planning, Applying for Jobs and Marketing Yourself. Lots of really useful tips for all career areas.
- Employability Points – log the activities you take part in which develop your ’employability’ such as work experience, volunteering, talks attended, training undertaken and many others. Activites earn you points and points earn you prizes – from internships to money! Find out more here and here.