If you want to succeed as a lawyer, it’s important that you develop your commercial awareness.
The Principle is your live commercial awareness hub. We’ll help you stay on top of the latest news and give you expert insights into commercial issues.
Stay ahead of the curve. Become an exceptional candidate.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Legal Community
One of the best things about pursuing a legal career is the amazing legal community you’re surrounded by. For the Top Lawfluencer 2023 series, AllAboutLaw are spotlighting some of our favourite content creators who contribute to the legal community. From sharing careers advice and application tips, to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in law, all of these creators are working to make the legal industry a better place.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Best Qualified Lawyer Accounts
Curious about what life is like as a qualified lawyer, or are you a newly-qualified lawyer yourself? For AllAboutLaw’s Top Lawfluencer 2023 series, we’re spotlighting some content creators who share what being a newly qualified lawyer is like.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Best Trainee Solicitor Accounts
If you’re currently navigating the training contract application process, or have a training contract offer, you’re probably wondering what life as a trainee solicitor is like. As part of the AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023, we are highlighting some of your favourite trainee solicitor content creators. These creators share the realities of trainee life, as well as provide tips and tricks to help you navigate the application cycle.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Best Law Student Accounts
Currently studying law, or looking into doing so in the future? As part of AllAboutLaw’s Top Lawfluencer Awards, check out our list of the best law student accounts. All these content creators provide tips and advice to help you successfully navigate law student life.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Audience Choice
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Most Popular Lawfluencers
As part of our Top Lawfluencer series in 2023, AllAboutLaw is spotlighting a range of content creators who share informative content about legal life. Today, we’re sharing some of our favourite popular Lawfluencers; accounts with over 20,000 followers. If you’re looking to add some legal expertise to your For You page, here are some accounts you’ll want to follow.
-
AllAboutLaw Top Lawfluencers 2023: Rising Stars
For this year's Top Lawfluencer series, AllAboutLaw is showcasing content creators who share the realities of legal life. If you’d like to support lesser known content creators who make engaging content, keep reading for our ‘Rising Stars’ of the online legal world.
-
The Real Contract: What can a trainee really expect from a Clifford Chance training contract?
Securing a training contract is an incredible achievement. In addition to the legal knowledge and skills you’ll gain, personal development and growth is a key part of the experience. To gain a real, unfiltered account of what a training contract at a leading law firm is like, Clifford Chance asked seven of their solicitors (from trainee to partner) to write a letter to their past selves reflecting on their legal journey so far. We have picked out some important passages from these seven letters to help you better understand what each one means for the trainee experience at Clifford Chance.
-
Clifford Chance’s SPARK Scheme: How can it help you to secure a training contract early on?
One of the best ways to make an informed choice on whether a law career is right for you is to spend some time at a law firm. Clifford Chance’s SPARK scheme provides students who are just getting started in law with a five-day crash course about life in commercial law. If you're currently exploring what a legal career would be like, this is a great opportunity for you to gain some hands-on experience.
-
A Deep Dive into the Clifford Chance SABRE Global Virtual Internship
Completing a virtual internship is an excellent way to gain hands-on legal experience, and learn first-hand from Clifford Chance’s leading trainees and lawyers. Clifford Chance have recently launched a brand-new Structured Asset Backed Real Estate (SABRE) virtual internship. Completing this internship could be what you need to kickstart your legal journey.
-
.jpg)
Interview with Lucy Nock, Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard
Lucy is entering their third seat, joining the Addleshaw Goddard litigation team in Edinburgh. Their previous seats included Real Estate and Construction & Planning.
-
Interview with Jake Price, Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard
Jake grew up in Cornwall and attended secondary school there. Law was not something that pupils from their school went onto do, and certainly wasn't on initially on Jake's radar. After leaving school, Jake worked various hospitality jobs, at home and abroad for five years, until one summer they came to terms with the fact that hospitality wasn't something they wanted to do for a career. Jake was persuaded by a friend to call Aberdeen University admissions department and two weeks later they had their first Law and French lecture! Six years later and they are working as Scots lawyer!
-
Interview with Sheyda Rimmer, Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard
-
Insight: A commercial training contract in the Government Legal Department
When you imagine yourself on a training contract, you’re probably picturing yourself being overseen by senior solicitors and cutting your legal teeth at a law firm, working for a range of clients that could be individuals, groups, private companies or public sector organisations. But governments need lawyers too, and it’s possible to do a training contract serving the interests of the entire nation.
-
Jack Townsend: from phone shop sales to Scotland trainee
Demonstrating how vacation schemes can kickstart a legal career, Jack Townsend is now a trainee solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard. He tells us about the experience.
-
‘A fantastic opportunity’: A Day in the Life of Anna McAlpine, third seat trainee at Addleshaw Goddard
Anna McAlpine is a third seat trainee in Addleshaw Goddard's (AG) Edinburgh office, in the Litigation team. She actually started out studying English Literature and Philosophy but then took her studies in a different direction, completing the Graduate LLB then the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. Anna began her training contract in September 2020, and she’s giving us a glimpse into the experience.
-
The inside story on Clifford Chance’s SPARK scheme
Are you a first-year law student dreaming of a training contract at an international law firm? Well, dream no more: the Clifford Chance SPARK scheme could be your golden ticket.
-
A deep dive into Clifford Chance’s Global Virtual Internships
Get ready to step inside an international law firm and travel the world, all from the comfort of your home: with the Clifford Chance virtual internships you can experience being a trainee with one of the world’s most successful global law firms, at the click of a button.
-
Asher Mohammed: Elevate your career with Clifford Chance’s LIFT programme
As most employers will tell you, first-hand experience is often just as important as academic achievement when it comes to finding the right staff for a job. This applies in the legal sector too, and Clifford Chance have developed an industry-first internship scheme recognising just that. Their LIFT (Learning Internships for Future Trainees) programme gives future trainees first-hand business experience and the opportunity to develop applicable non-legal skills, to ensure they hit the ground running in their training contracts and to support them in their future careers as lawyers.
-
‘Unmatched by any other firm’: Laura de Arroyo Garcia on the IGNITE training contract
You only need to look at the past 18 months to see that technology truly is at the heart of everything, from world-saving biotech vaccines to homeschooling via Zoom. Clifford Chance are harnessing the potential of this with IGNITE: their pioneering training contract that gives applicants with an aptitude for tech – coders, computer science students, app developers – an innovative new route to qualify as lawyers, reconsidering what tech can do for law.
-
‘A testament to the firm’s culture’: Shona Roberts on ACCEPT from Clifford Chance
-
Landed a training contract? What happens next?
Landing a coveted training contract at a top law firm is an accomplishment, but it’s just the beginning of an exciting journey. From welcome events and socials, to exams and liaising with clients, Trainee Solicitors at Taylor Wessing, told us what to expect.
-
My Story: Dashni Khimji, Reed Smith
Dashni Khimji is a trainee solicitor at Reed Smith. In this article, they detail the hurdles they have overcome in order to land a training contract and outline what law firms should do in order to increase diversity in the profession at entry level.
-
My Story: Dimitris Maroudas, BCLP
Dimitris Maroudas is a Future Trainee and member of the BCLP LGBTQ* Emerging Talent group. In this article they discuss how they broke into a career in the law and how the legal world is advancing in relation to diversity and inclusion.
-
One project, four regions: How Womble Bond Dickinson works collaboratively to tackle complex cases
With 1,000 lawyers based across 19 cities in the US and eight cities in the UK, Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) is an all-service commercial law firm that uses its unique combination of regional heritage, local knowledge and transatlantic reach to great effect for its clients. The firm’s regional strength and its collaborative approach across these different regions enables WBD’s lawyers to tackle complex cases and advise government organisations, wealthy individuals and many of the largest businesses in the country.
Curious to delve deeper into how this approach works, we spoke to Tom Ewings, an Associate in the Planning and Infrastructure team at Womble Bond Dickinson. By pinpointing a recent project that Tom and his team had worked on, we were able to unpack the practicalities of multi-office teamwork and better understand how a trainee solicitor would fit into this dynamic…
-
“Dedicating time in your first year to a firm shows great commitment”: how a First Year Insight Scheme at Taylor Wessing can kickstart your career
The first year of university is stereotypically associated with making new friends, enjoying student life and settling into your new life, potentially living away from home. Your first year is also the time to be considering your career choices and how you can get ahead.
-
Clifford Chance pioneer future trainee development with LIFT programme
Clifford Chance is pioneering an innovative programme called LIFT (Learning Internships for Future Trainees) that provides future trainees with personal and professional development in areas such as technology, marketing and business operations. By going further to invest in their future talent, Clifford Chance is revolutionising legal training.
-
Innovation in Law: How Taylor Wessing utilise legal technology
Innovation in law and legal technology is more important than ever. In a fiercely competitive market, law firms are expected to, at the very least, develop innovative solutions for their client’s business needs and challenges.
-
Global Mergers & Acquisitions of Consumer Brands in 2020: Makeup, mobile gaming & multiplexes
-
How international law firms dealt with the COVID-19 outbreak?
The Covid-19 pandemic which ravaged the world from the winter of 2020 continues to have a major impact on industries across the professional world, not least the legal sector which experienced an upheaval as a result of the outbreak of the virus. With high levels of uncertainty, any contingency plans that law firms have had in place will have been crucial in order to navigate through these difficult circumstances.
-
Stonewall Top 100: why is it important to legal graduate recruitment?
The Stonewall Top 100 ranks the best employers across the UK in terms of LGBT+ inclusion at the workplace. Specifically, it examines companies’ LGBT+ policies, how it empowers allies and senior leadership to create an inclusive environment, and how it commits to changes in the wider community.
-
“The right thing to do”: An insight to pro bono at Travers Smith
Ahead of National Pro Bono Week on 6th-10th November 2023, AllAboutLaw caught up with Sam Cottman Partner and Head of Pro Bono, and some of his colleagues to learn about the Pro Bono practice at Travers Smith.
-
Life after Covid-19 – how are trainee solicitors adapting to a new way of working?
The advent of working from home has impacted a wide range of sectors, and law firms have not been spared. The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the way we think about work for the foreseeable and long-term future, as an increasing number of industries switch to remote working as a permanent arrangement. Although it was quickly put in place to deal with social distancing measures, many companies have found that these methods increase productivity and are often more convenient for their employees.
-
From telephone interviews to virtual vacation schemes – How are law firms and candidates adapting to new modes of trainee recruitment?
As the legal profession has looked to adapt its working methods to the current restrictions put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19, so have its recruitment methods. In accordance with social distancing, the process of hiring trainees has moved to more remote methods, starting from this year.
There are various methods which have been adopted by firms, each accommodating a different stage of the recruitment process. Whether you’re embarking on your first long-term experience at a law firm through a training contract or getting a taste of the job through a vacation scheme, there will undoubtedly be some element of adaptation.
-
How to get ahead and secure a training contract in your first year
It’s now more important than ever to get hands-on experience at the start of your undergraduate degree, and Clifford Chance has the perfect opportunity for you to do so.
-
Law Firms & Black Lives Matter: why diversity is more important than ever for commercial law firms
Diversity in the legal profession is crucial and more important than ever in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.
-
Global Virtual Internships with Clifford Chance: A work experience opportunity for all
-
Crowell & Moring's London Office Launches New Training Contract for January 2021
Crowell & Moring has launched a new training contract in London. The programme will provide the opportunity to work at a dynamic and growing international law firm representing significant and well-known clients on a broad range of matters, including in litigation, arbitration, corporate, finance, restructuring and insolvency, energy and infrastructure, international trade, and insurance. The firm will have an opening for a trainee to begin in January 2021.
-
ULaw guarantees September study start date
University tells students "We're focusing on your safety, so you can focus on your studies" as UK campuses set to open in September.
-
Digital emancipation: What are the rights of children of the Instagram age?
Babies born today will, most likely, make their Instagram debuts from being just a few hours old. But what happens when they realise a traceable archive of their childhood exists on their parents’ social media?
-
Firms opt for virtual vacation schemes during coronavirus
-
Akin Gump’s vac scheme goes virtual
Akin Gump’s 2020 London summer vacation scheme will now be run on a virtual basis.
-
The best podcasts for aspiring solicitors
The world has reached ‘peak podcast’, with lots of content out there serving niche audiences and legal careers is no exception. There are lots of beneficial podcasts out there for aspiring solicitors, and we’ve highlighted the best.
-
AllAboutLaw to host Virtual Law Fair 2020 in response to long-term COVID-19 impact
Students can sign up to the event now!
-
Manchester Metropolitan University - Interview with Sport and Olympic Law expert Professor Mark James
-
Breaking news: Skadden vacation schemes go virtual
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP have just announced that their summer vacation schemes based in the London office will proceed this year on schedule, but they will instead be delivered remotely.
-
Why does the CPS pursue cases even without victim support?
Last month, British TV presenter Caroline Flack committed suicide amid a media storm about her upcoming trial. Flack was accused of beating her boyfriend, who has been vocal about his lack of support for the Crown Prosecution Service going ahead with the case. This prompted a number of public explanations from notable barristers about why the CPS does pursue cases even when victims change their minds.
-
Solicitor Apprenticeship at Kennedys - An interview with Jenny Chapman
Jenny Chapman is currently working as a Solicitor Apprentice for the global law firm, Kennedys. Speaking to Jenny we were able to gain a fascinating insight into her life as a solicitor apprentice. She also explained the advantages of doing an apprenticeship and shared her tips on entering the legal profession at the age of 18.
-
Defining Foetal Rights
How should foetal rights be defined? How should they be balanced with the rights of the mother? And have the scales tipped too far in one direction or the other? We look at some illuminating examples.
-
Clifford Chance buck the trend with a virtual vacation scheme
Lockdown continues! Boris is in hospital. The nation works from home. But how does this all affect this year’s spring and summer vacation schemes?
-
AllAboutLaw Blog - the LPC and BPTC under Covid-19, the Windrush scandal and more
This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog looks at the response of the legal industry to the spread of the Coronavirus, the projected development of the UK legal market, and the response to the publication of the Windrush scandal.
-
COVID-19: “Junior lawyers cannot be left in limbo”, says JLD
With the COVID–19 virus having repercussions across all sectors and levels, the Junior Lawyers Division has outlined its concerns in a letter to the SRA.
-
Designer plagiarism: what does fast fashion have to answer for?
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: Coronavirus, the Uncensored Library and more
This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog addresses the coronavirus and its impact on the economy, the Uncensored Library of Minecraft and the live-streaming of UK court hearings.
-
Business law goes global: an introduction to the international legal services landscape
Law, like business, has gone global. Although each jurisdiction enacts its own laws, in some cases the laws of various jurisdictions have been harmonised by treaty (intellectual property law is a prime example). In other cases, the laws of various jurisdictions must be taken into account before a transaction can take place. Conflicts among the laws of different jurisdictions are frequently in need of resolution.
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: International Women’s Day, the aviation industry and more
This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog looks at the events held last Sunday to mark International Women’s Day, the necessity of innovation in the aviation industry, and Mexico’s disregard for mangroves in pursuit of oil.
-
Spotlight On: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Lawmaker
She's the congresswoman everyone is talking about. And as it turns out, AOC has done a lot for US law, too.
-
All About Law Blog: Heathrow expansion, period poverty and more
In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog, we discuss the Court of Appeal’s Heathrow expansion decision as well as Scotland’s passing of a bill to end period poverty. We also touch on a corruption scandal originating from the 2008 financial crisis.
-
International Women’s Day 2020: 5 Trailblazing Women Leading The Way
The legal sector and the commercial world have not historically been welcoming of women, and the fight to be given a seat on the table is far from over. Here are five women to watch in 2020 who are working to transform the sectors in which law operates.
-
Ask an expert: how to have no regrets in your legal career
Matthew Kay, who heads up Vario from Pinsent Masons, knows a thing or two about building a career that is regret-free. Here, he shares his expertise on choosing the right legal path, and sticking to it.
-
AllAboutLaw blog: the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus, the WikiLeaks trial and more
-
The Extinction Rebellion ban on protesting was deemed an abuse of power—will it make us see the law differently?
In light of the recent Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests, Jan Hill reflects on attitudes towards the law when it comes to the right to protest.
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: Islamic marriages, EU data protection and Trump’s tweets
In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw Blog, we address the recent Court of Appeals’ decision to only offer English marriage law protection to registered UK marriages, the EU’s privacy concerns in relation to Facebook and a call to question the legality of Trump’s tweeting.
-
Undocumented Deaths: Who’s Accountable?
The deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in the back of a lorry in Essex highlights the tragic human dimension of global migrant smuggling.
-
AllAboutLawBlog - Brexit negotiations, a New York state lawsuit, and more
In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw Blog, we address the difficulties facing the upcoming Brexit negotiations, the New York state’s plan to sue the Trump administration and the emergency terror law in the UK.
-
Delays on government infrastructure projects: what’s the deal?
The UK has been grappling with a number of huge infrastructure projects across the country, including the HS2 railway and a number of hospital new builds. What are the implications when these projects get delayed?
-
All the details of White & Case’s virtual work placement
Traditionally, legal work placements are competitive, London-centric and difficult to find. Programmes like White & Case’s virtual work placement are changing the game and making law careers more accessible. Yohanna Wilson, Graduate Resourcing and Development Specialist at White & Case, elaborates on this innovative new offering.
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: coronavirus, Airbus and more
Is the coronavirus discourse fuelling discrimination? Plus the largest settlement with a corporate malefactor and the judiciary’s diversity record, all in this week’s AllAboutLaw blog.
-
“It could be the privacy case of the century”: Meghan Markle vs the press
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: ICJ orders imposed on Myanmar, a series of phone-hacking scandals and more
Standfirst: In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw Blog, we cover the unanimous decision of the UN’s highest court regarding Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya people, the alleged Saudi Arabian phone hacking scandals and the concerns of achieving a cashless society.
-
RPC’s role in the diversity & inclusion space
We spoke to Ellinor Davey, Early Talent Lead, and Rachel Pears, Inclusion & Diversity Lead, about the diversity and inclusion initiatives at law firm RPC.
-
Vacation scheme facts: there are opportunities across the UK
-
Vacation scheme facts: you'll figure out what interests you
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: the Flybe rescue deal, a televised Crown Court and more
In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw Blog we look at the government’s intervention to save Flybe from insolvency, the decision to allow televised coverage of Crown Court judgments and the controversy of New York’s new bail reform law.
-
Why small is beautiful: making the case for smaller firms
Linda Lamb is a solicitor and director of LSL Family Law. Here, she makes the case for training and working at a small firm, highlighting some of the benefits of small-office life.
-
Vacation scheme facts: you'll be paid
-
Ask a lawyer: what’s the duty of care from landowners to trespassers?
-
Vacation scheme facts: you'll learn how to network properly
-
It’s not too late! Tips for a last-minute vacation scheme application.
If you are planning to apply for a vacation scheme in 2020, the earlier you get your application form completed, the better. But inevitably, life gets in the way sometimes. Here are some tips for the last-minute applicants among you.
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s shock statement, the implications of a changing high street and more
This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog addresses a potential trademark conflict over ‘Sussex Royal’, what a changing high street means for the legal profession and the continued growth of Africa’s start-up culture.
-
Ask an expert: Could sleepwalking lead to jail?
Mark Thomas, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Law School, sheds some light on the use of sleepwalking as a defence in criminal cases.
-
Are law partnerships in decline?
Although the partnership model remains dominant, change is in the air. We look at what this means for law firms in the UK and US
-
AllAboutLaw Blog: the legality of US drone strike, pressure on the Cypriot judicial system and more
This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog addresses the legality of the U.S. drone strike in Iraq, which killed the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the controversy of the alleged rape trial in Cyprus and the former boss of Renault-Nissan’s escape to Lebanon from Japan. Plus, the latest ruling that veganism is subject to legal protection as a belief system.
-
Vacation scheme facts: you don't have to be a law student to apply
-
Vacation scheme facts: some firms recruit entirely from their vacation schemes
-
Law students: three real-talk tips for managing your mental health
Studying for a degree (law or otherwise) as well as applying for law opportunities is difficult enough—add in social life, money matters and any other hobbies, and it’s not surprising that students are struggling with mental health issues. We certainly don’t have all of the answers—but here are some practical tips to tide you over.
-
The Internet of Things: will it transform connectivity as we know it?
If you’ve been keeping up to date with tech news and business press, you’ll perhaps have encountered something called the Internet of Things. You’re also more likely than not to have used a device that’s connected to it. So what is it? Why is it important? And what do you need to know?
-
The American opioid lawsuits: One down, 2,399 to go?
The opioid crisis in the US is reaching unprecedented levels. Get the legal insight here.
-
Libel law: past, present and future
Defamation occurs when someone damages the reputation of another by publicising a false statement. It is generally classified as “slander” when it is delivered in spoken form, and “libel” when it is delivered in written or recorded form (including a recording of speech that would otherwise be classified as slander). UK libel law has been criticised as being so plaintiff-friendly that overseas litigants are flocking to the UK to engage in “reputation laundering” in UK courts.
