Christianah Babajide is a law student at the City Law School. An aspiring barrister, Christianah is Communications Officer of City University’s Law Society, and also writes for Legal Cheek, LawCareers.Net, LawStudentHelp & CAREERS (City’s Careers blog). In this piece, she describes her experiences with Lawbore, which she has been writing for since her first year. She declares that blogging for Lawbore has opened many doors and provided her with the privilege of interviewing some of City’s famous Alumni…

Dear City Students,

Student journalism awaits you, so take your chance to dive into the world of blogging and build your Legal Journalist profile…

Lawbore has been the go-to site for Law students since 2002 and we are searching for new writers!

Here are 7 reasons why you should blog for Lawbore as a Future Lawyer:

1. Blogging is The Key to Commercial Awareness
   Commercial awareness is an inescapable skill, highly desired by employers, especially if you aim to become a Commercial Lawyer. Law firms require commercially savvy applicants, who understand the needs of their clients, so that they can enhance customer service and minimise risk. This incentivises awareness of both current affairs in the economy and the legal sector. As a blogger, you will subconsciously gain commercial awareness through researching news stories, reading articles and interviewing relevant people. Skills can then be applied when writing articles on contemporary issues.
2. You Get to Attend Events for FREE
   …And yes, of course there will be food and red wine on offer! As a Legal Journalist, you will attend events around legal London for free, meeting new people and even networking with successful legal professionals from Magic Circle Law firms. As one of Lawbore’s journalists, you will be asked regularly to review these experiences.
3. Student Voice
   Lawbore is not just a legal site, but also a platform for young people to voice their opinions on contemporary legal topics or upcoming changes. If you don’t know where to start, you can simply pitch an idea to Lawbore’s Editor Emily, and she will help you to shape the article.
4. You Get to Interview City Alumni (& famous people!)
   While chasing a feature story, it is not uncommon for Lawbore Legal Journalists to interview senior-ranked judges, QC’s and City solicitors who have been heavily involved in internationally and domestically significant cases with binding effect. Furthermore, opportunities to connect with legal professionals may even result in valuable work experience…so, who knows what the future holds?
5. You Have a Collection of your Work
   The single best and worst feature of the internet is that once something is uploaded online; it can’t be easily deleted. Blogging is something many employers value highly because they are able to gain insights into your writing ability and understanding of legal issues, as well as demonstrating productivity and creativity. Most Law firms and barrister’s Chambers have their own blogs, which puts students who have taken a role as Legal Journalists in a preferential position.
6. You Learn New Skills
   Writing for Lawbore will help you to develop many qualities. It is especially noticeable that the more you blog, the better writer you will become – this is inevitable. As Law students, writing skills are extremely important, considering the countless, complex essays (and sometimes dissertations) you will undertake, so practice while you can!
7. You Can Go on to Write for Other Legal Blogs
   If you are new to blogging, Lawbore is the perfect place to start. It will not only provide a platform for writing as many articles as you can, but will also build your online reputation. It is not unusual for City students, who have blogged for Lawbore, to write for the Guardian Law, Student Lawyer or Legal Cheek during their careers. Once you become a Legal Journalist for Lawbore, the world is your oyster.
   

While hosting an event last year, Alex Aldridge of Legal Cheek compelled Future Lawyers to write articles, case commentaries, create blogs and document recent developments within the legal sphere.

Interested?

If so, get in touch with Emily Allbon,  Senior Lecturer and Director of Mooting at the City Law School, as well as creator/editor of Lawbore.