I want to do something different! « Lawbore Future Lawyer

16Nov/110

Law and Business: the perfect match? – Alexander E. Debare

Author Alexander

After completing my LLB at City University Law School - I decided that I was ready, willing and able to pursue my dream of being an entrepreneur. I therefore enrolled and completed my MSc Management degree at Cass Business School for what I like to think as a crash course in how to run a business.

Crucial to any business is that you are aware of the laws which affect your business, as well as how you are contractually protected when you enter into business transactions. So far in my experience of running my own business, the two sides of law which are the most crucial are contract and company and I suggest anyone who is looking to be involved in the business world should learn these two disciplines rigorously.

I use the skills which I inherited from my law degree on a regular basis. The crucial skill which you learn doing your LLB degree is to be clear and concise with your thoughts and to be able to easily persuade a reader of your argument.

This crucial skill aids you in marketing as you are able to frame the key points of your product or promotional material in a convincing way. On a day to day basis it allows you to compose well structured emails to business associates and clients, ensuring you sound well-educated and that you know exactly what you are talking about.

Tagged as: alternative, business, entrepreneur, management Continue reading

29Jul/110

Thought about becoming a Duty Adviser? – Lea Christiaanson

Our author, Lea

I completed my LLB at City in 2010. The intention was to go directly onto the BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course) but during my third year, I applied for a role as a duty adviser. Following that application, a steep learning curve acquiring relevant law and a six month wait, I was told there was one position available and I should come in for an interview. That interview ended up lasting all day! I shadowed a solicitor and a barrister whilst they carried out their duty advising and was lucky enough to be able to attend four hearings that day to observe. At the end of my rather long interview, I was told that I had the position.

Duty adviser roles are almost exclusively taken by those who already hold rights of audience (there's more about this later), and I do have to point out that I am quite a bit older than the usual LLB graduate and as a result of that I have a significant amount of relevant experience (and qualifications) that enabled me to take up the duty adviser role and cope with it immediately – i.e. to use a familiar vernacular, I was able to hit the ground running.

What does a duty adviser do?

The role involves interviewing clients, providing legal advice, guidance on possible defences, negotiating with the claimant and representing the client in front of a District Judge (on occasions cases being appealed are heard by a Circuit Judge). The service is only available to defendants in repossession hearings and only on the day of the hearing.

On the surface it may appear that the only knowledge one therefore requires is to do with repossessions, however, the clients come into the court with a variety of inter-connecting problems, many of which have legal repercussions and therefore a broad legal knowledge is required. I am frequently dealing with issues arising from debt, welfare benefits, divorce, child law, immigration, prison, occupation orders and so forth, alongside the obvious areas of law we use on a daily basis, e.g. Housing Acts, Mortgages (Protection from Eviction) Act and relevant case law relating to mortgages, repairs, illegal evictions and so on.

Tagged as: clients, duty adviser, negotiation, pro bono, repossession Continue reading

25Jan/111

EU Law Jobs: a personal perspective – Helena A. Hadjiyanni

Fancy joining Helena in Brussels?

Are you frustrated with the whole process of training contracts applications and you don't even find the career in corporate firms appealing?

You don't want to be spending your evenings working at the office, but at the same time you want to have financial stability?

Then why don’t you give EU jobs a try, just as I did, and get to actually enjoy your career as a lawyer!

Working for the European Union institutions is not just a job; its a life experience. Since EU employees become the decision-makers of a union of 27 countries, the EU has developed a humanist approach towards its staff, enriching them with professional expertise and cultural stimulation. For me, working for the Legal Service of the Council of the EU, feels like being in a university campus. We are constantly offered a multitude of trainings, ranging from seminars on EU legislation procedure to workshops on specialized legal IT skills. Furthermore, we are entitled to free language courses throughout the year during work hours(!). Plus, we are constantly invited to various social events where you get the chance to meet EU key players, politicians and technocrats from all institutions like the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice.

Still not tempted to work for the EU? What if I add that, the job package includes long holidays and a 9-5 working day, which allows us to balance work with our private lives and take on hobbies or go on exotic trips. When working for the EU, you get to not only have time but also the financial comfort to enjoy your days to the max.

Tagged as: european union, european union institution, traineeship Continue reading

30Apr/100

Wondered about what a court reporter does?

LexisNexis have launched their LawCampus website, a resource to help students with their studies. There is a good deal of interesting content around using Lexis content, (video how-to's) but also a feed of the latest cases, complete with commentary.

It looks like a series of Day in the Life videos are to included, check out this one showing you a day in the life of a a court reporter (You need to click 'start presentation now' in top left of screen).

Tagged as: court reporter, law reports No Comments

3Apr/101

Applying for a PhD – Pravin J

I came up with my PhD research topic in the shower.

Over the previous three years, since completing the Legal Practice Course at City, I had undertaken an internship with the Environmental Law Foundation, before joining a London law firm as a conveyancing paralegal. I even narrowly missed out on a training contract, so, if things had been different, I would be close to qualifying as a solicitor by now. I was also given the opportunity to manage the firm’s corporate social responsibility policy. I became frustrated at the reluctance of my colleagues to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviour, such as switching off monitors and wasting paper. I thought there must be a better way to initiate environmentally-friendly behaviour than through compulsion or nagging.

And so it was, during a period of enforced unemployment as a result of the credit crunch, in the shower and wondering what to do, that I had my ‘Eureka’ moment.

You’ll be happy to know that I showed more restraint than Archimedes. I did not run naked through the streets.

Tagged as: funding, phd, research Continue reading

19Mar/100

Thinking of other options career-wise? Marlon Gray

Whether you are planning on becoming a Barrister or a Solicitor there is no harm in considering a secondary career option or a short-term option while you are waiting for your Pupillage or Training Contract to commence. In other words a Plan B. This is a particularly useful approach when in a time of post recession when the job market in both these areas is super competitive where you other candidates may have stronger experience. As part of your Plan B strategy you may consider careers outside of Barrister or a Solicitor or in the legal or non-legal area. Many graduate employers (non-legal) realise the sense and worth of a law degree and actively encourage students from this discipline to apply. Law graduates are known by employers to have a highly desirable distinctive skills set (e.g. research and analytical skills).

You can book in time with a Careers Consultant at the Centre For Career & Skills Development to discuss your Plan B or your primary career goal (Tel: 0207 040 8093). On the 24th of March a Law Career Seminar will be run on Alternative Careers with a Law qualification. This could be an initial start to generating that Plan B strategy. Click for details.

Tagged as: careers, non-legal, seminar No Comments

12Oct/090

Facing the death penalty – Sam Blom-Cooper

Sam Blom-Cooper kindly wrote a piece for the main Lawbore site back in 2004 about his 5 months at the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Centre; fighting for those on death row. It's such an interesting piece that I thought Future Lawyer readers would be pleased to have another chance to look at it, maybe get inspired to look at getting some legal experience further afield?

As a special treat you can also read Sam's article:

Lethal Indifference: Tinkering with the machinery of death

This was first published in Easter 2008 issue 44 of the Middle Templar, magazine of Middle Temple. Many thanks to both Sam and the Middle Templar for permission to republish this.

Sam completed his GDL at the City Law School in 2004, his BVC at BPP and has been a member at 25 Bedford Row since 2006. Check out his profile here.

Tagged as: death penalty, reprieve, usa Continue reading