Fresher's Focus

Top Tips for Freshers

Remember to ask for student discount; doesn't matter where you are, just ask. Join a society; get involved outside of the classroom, there'll be plenty of for you to bash your head against a table so counter-attack it. Get stuck in; have your pie at eat it, if it tastes like Greggs, well done! If not, you aren’t enjoying fresher’s week.

( Dwayne Bickersteth )

Remember that your first year DOES count! Competition is stiff... If you want to get a vacation scheme/minipupillage/training contract in your second year, real-istically you need a 2.1 or higher in your first.
( Stephanie Beams)

Get involved with as much as you can!!
(Imran Sanaullah)

Get involved with loads of societies. Great way to make friends and meet new people! Networking is the key.
(Taher Ahmed)

Work! Hard! Nothing will stand you in better stead than a first class degree! And if you want to join the bar join an inn ASAP and go to as many dinners as possi-ble...network network network! And don't be afraid to ask for mini pupillages!( Casey Weston )

Throw yourself into mooting. Not only do you learn advocacy but you get to talk to lots of different students and find out about other opportunities
(Ali Henwood)

First Year - What should I be doing?

Gaining the most out of your degree is even more essential now with the huge increase in the cost of tuition. So making sure you utilise these next three or four years of your law degree will ensure that you are in a great position once you graduate. This article will aim to increase your chances of getting the career you want by providing important tips.

Research:
Do you want to be a barrister or a solicitor? This is the most frequent you are asked whenever you mention you are reading Law at University. So get into grips on what these two roles are and how they differ. The three main roles of a bar-rister is to appear in court to represent their client, draft important court docu-ments and to provide legal advice to clients. This requires the ability to be able to provide persuasive and clear arguments and to be able to understand often ar-chaic legislation. Once you have decided whether you wish to become a barrister, you must decide what type of law it is you wish to specialise in.

A solicitor’s role is to provide legal services directly to clients, this ranges from individual clients, companies and various other bodies. Solicitors must then be able to understand the client’s problem and be able to come up with solutions on how to deal this problem. A solicitors help will be required on legal issues from conveyancing property, drafting a will to bringing a personal injury claim. Therefore, this also requires you to research in what type of law you wish to spe-cialise in.

To be able to practice as a solicitor or a barrister, you must complete either the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or the Legal Practice Course (LPC). The BPTC is the course required to become a barrister however you need to join an Inn before you start your BPTC. More information about this can be found the following website https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/.

The LPC is the course require to become a solicitor, after that comes a two year training contract with a firm which will train you for two years. The SRA’s web-site provides further information about the LPC http://www.sra.org.uk/

Work Experience:

Gaining work experience is essential as the competition is so fierce. In securing a training contract to become a solicitor, securing a vacation scheme is extremely valua-ble. This shows you are committed to the profession and have actual knowledge on how a law firm operates and what is required of a solicitor. Details on when applica-tions open for vacation schemes can be found on the firms’ websites, on the careers section.
For barristers, after finishing the BPTC, you must apply for a year of pupillage. One way to ensure your chances of gaining a pupillage is to get a mini-pupillage and there’s no better time to start than your first year. This again shows determination to-wards the legal field and that you are committed to becoming a barrister.

Other work experience can also be useful, such as retail experience which all builds to your CV, any experience is good experience and this all increases your chances of gaining a mini-pupillage or a vacation scheme.

Volunteering
Often the legal field is not pictured in a good light, with greed and ego being a charac-teristic often given to solicitors and barristers. Therefore, by volunteering it can show to potential employers that you are not like every other applicant, it can make you stand it and increases your chances of getting job interviews.

A good website which covers pro bono activities in the UK is www.probonouk.net and is a useful website on seeing how to get involved in pro bono.
Getting Involved

Last but not least, get involved! The University has various societies which you can be involved with and gain the most out of your time in University. Most societies have roles with responsibilities which is highly sought by employers. By visiting the Student Unions website http://www.uwsu.com/ you can find out the contact details of each society and how to join them. The website regularly updates on all the events and trips abroad which it hosts every year.

You can also get involved with the Bar Society by subscribing to our mailing list. You will be updated with all our latest events and how to get involved. We regularly updat-ed our website, Facebook page and twitter page with our latest events which will keep you connected.