My first and my last...

This post will account for day 8,9 and 10. Therefore covering my time spent at my first full Crown Court trial , right up until the last day spent with the firm.

Day 8 and 9
Due to the nature of the work the firm carried out, it was not always possible to plan ahead with the firm as to what we would be doing with our time. Providing an insight into how unpredictable a day of work can be within Criminal Law. Therefore when all of the lawyers were at the police station and there was no legal research to be carried out, we decided to attend Crown Court and get a bit of experience from a Barristers point of view.

By a pure fluke of luck I ran into the barrister we had met a couple of days ago, who would be representing prosecution for the trial about to take place. We later became acquainted with the barrister for defense as well! Both were so accommodating and took a lot of time over the 3 days we were at the trial, to talk us through the trial, answer any questions, advise us for the future and recall their own experiences.

I learnt a lot from being at the trial from start to finish and gained so much valuable experience from the contacts I made. Both of whom I am still in touch with and will stay in touch with. It is SO important to approach as many people as possible, take an interest in everything and try and find contacts until you are blue in the face! Due to the people I have met, I have landed on my feet!

Day 10
We returned back to the firm for the final day, as we felt it was important to conclude our time spent in our placement and de-brief with the partners of the firm. We later did the same at Crown Court and made sure we expressed how grateful we were for everybody's help.

What did I enjoy?

• I loved carrying out legal research. (Partly because this is my forte concerning my degree). It gave me a real buzz to pick apart a prosecution case and help to form a defense.
• The people contact was really important to me. I would love for this to be a large part of my future career. Being able to interact with clients who need your advice, alongside working with the police, barristers, probation, courts..the list could go on! It really felt like we were part of a team, who were making a difference.
• I got a real feeling that what we were doing, was contributing to the workings of our country. Which is a real honor to be able to take part in.

What did I find difficult?

Working within criminal law presented some really difficult emotional challenges. I found the pressure, people contact and intellectual side extremely manageable, particularly as I love a challenge. But I often came away at the end of the day still thinking about a lot of the cases, it was really difficult to detach myself from the people I had just met. It often presented a moral/ethical dilemma, particularly when I could see a very good defense and prosecution.

It is certainly a job which will become part of your lifestyle. After only two weeks, it has changed my perspective on many things. - But then again what more could you ask for from a job! As I said I love a challenge!

So, what next?  Next, I will be going back to uni for my last year in reading History. Applying to Law school for my GDL. Gaining more experience and making more contacts. I will be starting work with YOS and St Andrews and of course be keeping my blog updated when I can.

Day 7....

When taking a work placement make sure you ask lots of questions, search for advice and note it all down!

9:00 am: finish legal research on 'abuse of process'
10:00 am: visit police station and learn about viper. - also opportunity to talk to civilian and her views on different style of solicitors and firms as she works with them.
12:00 am: magistrates court
1:00 pm: lunch
2:00 pm: legal research on case with charge of 'in charge of vehicle whilst over limit'
4:00 pm: QUESTION TIME- find the right moment to approach the people you are working with.
5:00 pm: home.

As a history student who only knows bits of law and how to get into the law from my own research, it's really valuable to be able to ask people who are part of the industry all of my questions and queries.

Because of the advice I have been given I have started to form a personal development plan;
- work within the citizens advice bureau.
- try to get involved as an accredited representative. (particularly for criminal law)
- network network. (who you know helps!)
- try to get work experience in other areas, which are not to far away from your desired practice area.
- learn from everything and keep up the enthusiasm.

After speaking to a relatively newly qualified solicitor, I have realized straight forward work experience is not enough. I need to be able to demonstrate my enthusiasm and commitment.

So onwards and upwards!

Day 6....

Yesterday was a simple day. Crown court in the morning, with a VERY quick trial at crown court and legal research in the afternoon.

9:00 am: head to crown court.
10:00 am: sit in on trial (pleaded guilty so ended very quickly)
11:00 am: network!
1:00 am: lunch
2:00 am: legal research into abuse of process procedures.
5:00 am: home.

Networking is probably the most important thing you can do whilst on a work placement. Get to know the people your working with and around and make them like you! You want them to remember you!

I have gradually been gaining more and more confidence to approach other lawyers. Therefore, as we were leaving the court room we approached one of the barristers asking for advice on how we can further ourselves in law. Without hesitation he sat down with us to chat. On asking him whether he thinks it would be advisable to gain a mini pupilage even though I am currently more inclined to take the solicitors route, he rang his chambers there and then to ask if they had any placements - to which the answer is yes! So all I need to do is send in my cv and covering letter, then there we have it!

Just goes to show its always worth it to be bold and take a chance! Although be aware not everyone will be quite so accommodating and never take it personally!

Watch this space!

Drink with a Judge.

Saturday evening, I met up with a district judge to take advice on how to go forwards in law.

She was really friendly and so willing to help. She had dug up materials for me to read and wanted to know about all of my plans and what I had done so far. Of course, she was more than willing to answer all of my questions.

Two larger points I took away from our conversation was;
1. The job market right now is much more suitable for future solicitors , particularly as the approach 'cradle to grave' comes ever nearer. And of course there is the option of gaining higher rights whilst having the security of working in a firm.
2. Be prepared for abstract interview questions! Think about how your answers can be shaped around law and what the firm/chambers are looking for. Make sure you practice!

I found the meeting really helpful and now have a great contact to guide me. Just goes to show so many are willing to help, no matter what the level!

Day 5...

So today was a really good example of how unpredictable a day can be.

I spent the morning 8-10am with a Detective Sargent in the Child Investigation Unit. Fortunately I have worked in similar environments with similar systems, so I was able to avoid being completely overwhelmed by the office environment and computer procedures. - it was a really insightful experience. I was able to learn first hand of what goes on before something is passed through lawyers to the court. I was made aware of what they have to be careful of and how meticulous they have to be when extracting information to form cases. - part of the reason why I love the idea of working in criminal law is due to how much teamwork there is to get one case done. Not only within the firm but also with the police, probation, YOT, the list could go on!

10:00 am arrived back at the firm and went straight to court.
10:30 am I was able to sit in on a couple of briefings in the cells before a clients hearing. Including one very high profile case.
11:00 am sat in on the remaining court hearings.
1:00 pm treated ourselves to a good lunch out and a drink. - its really important in situations like this however, to not go over the top!
2:00 pm we headed over to the police station with the holding cells and were shown around, incorporating how a solicitors role would fit into police procedures on arrests and first interviews. - really good to be able to relate to the gorier parts of the job and where some clients have come from.
4:00 pm home time since its a Friday.

And now for the weekend!

Le quatrième jour....

Day 4 was spent mostly in court. As I've gained more court experience the more confident I have begun to feel with the procedure and what to expect, enabling me to express my own thoughts on the cases. (outside the courtroom of course)

9:00 am: head to court from the firm after a briefing of the cases the firm will be dealing with that day.
9:30 am: sat in on a consultation prepping the client for court.- A really interesting situation as the client wanted to plead guilty even though he stated in the consultation he was not but believed he would be sentenced anyway, so wanted to receive the credit from pleading guilty. - eventually went with no plea and case adjourned for 28 days.
10:00 am: sat in on multiple cases in the magistrates court. - one hearing, the defendants would not attend but the court proceeded anyway and charged a sentence.
1:30 am: lunch
2:30 am: read through some crown court cases and discussed.
4:30 am: Home time as most of the firm had been called to the station.

I love being in court and the interaction with clients. After looking at their cases yesterday I was able to get a really good grasp of what was going on and what the likely outcomes would be.

I've found it really helpful to record cases and experiences, particularly learning experiences so that I can call on them later either for reference or as examples of what I have learnt and taken part in. However, I make sure I don't put them into my blog or any other type of public site as I feel this is a breach of confidentiality.

One noticeable point for me from today was how much humanity there actually is in court in comparison to the classic stereotypical view. I noticed more than once how a sentence would often be in accordance with the emotional influence from the defendant towards the magistrates. (good/bad)

On another note, I have been lucky enough to get in touch with a Judge who has worked in criminal law. We have already spoken on the phone and she has offered to meet me for a drink on Saturday! It will be really great to hear her advice from the view point of a barrister and also within the context of the changing politics of law during her experience. - I will of course report back on here!

Tomorrow it has been arranged for me to go into the police station and shadow a Detective-sergeant who works in Public Protection Department Family Investigation Unit, for a couple of hours. This will be a really good chance to learn about the processes and build up before a solicitor is involved. It will also be really fascinating to see how evidence and materials are recorded which will use for/against a case.

I will also be in crown court tomorrow meeting another partner at a linked firm in the centre of the city!

Lots of excitement for tomorrow!

Day 3....

A great day today! Lots of interaction with the other solicitors and able to start to get involved within some of the processes.

9:00 am: analysed the cases for tomorrows court. Using the magistrates handbook ran through the likely sentences.
11:00 am: carried out legal research for a case of appeal on a SOPO and discussed with advocate.
1:45 pm: lunch. Make sure sometimes you give yourself a bit of space to reflect. Although don't do this at the expense of relations at the firm.
2:45 pm: ran over a couple more cases before court tomorrow.
4:00 pm: one of the solicitors took us through a case explaining how she approaches, carries out and concludes a case. We then ran through a practice case and picked apart evidence to try and form a case.
5:30 pm: heading on home.

Really proved to myself that this is that I want to do today. I love forming cases and picking apart evidence, looking for the flaws and holes. It seems that the method is very similar to writing an essay in History, finding your facts backed up with evidence and forming your argument.

Although I have really enjoyed experience within the firm, my favourite parts have certainly been in court and researching higher level cases. For this reason I am hoping to find some experience at the bar just to try out the other side!

Court tomorrow!

Day 2....

Today I was based at the firm all day, getting a taste of the less exciting parts of a career in law. Although, of course I wasn't in love with it, it was still a great learning curve and experience.

9:00 am: read through and discussed a case. It was one of my first real experiences of the seriously grim parts of being involved in criminal law.
1:00 pm: lunch (opportunity to increase connections)
2:00 pm: watched tapes of primary interviews at police station and discussed evidence.
5:00 pm: end of day.

As today most of the solicitors had to be down at the station there wasn't as much interaction available. However it is important to notice when the people you work for might need an extra hand just to do the menial task to speed up any processes. Always offer up your services, demonstrating your enthusiasm.

I also took the opportunity to ask a couple of questions about subjects that I would like to know more on.

What did I learn today?

- The importance of the right level of professionalism with clients. Keeping a good emotional distance at the same time as building a trusting relationship.

- What holes to watch out for in evidence and how to begin to form a defence.

- The structure of case files.

- The importance of the team within the firm to deal with the emotional challenge of some of the cases together.

On to day 3 tomorrow!

Day 1...

The main thing to take away from an internship is the learning experience.

My advice to do this is - ask lots of questions and write it all down when you get home so you can refer to it at a later date before an interview.

Today was the first day of my two week internship at a criminal law specialists firm.

9:00 am - introductions. Remember the importance of first impressions!
9:30 am - straight over to the magistrates court, where we watched a couple of consultations in the cells and duty solicitors. This was great for watching different techniques and styles.
11:00 am - listened to a couple of hearings in court. A good opportunity to get to grips with the processes and style of court. It seemed that the etiquette of the court often depended on who was present at the time.
1:15 pm - lunch. Make sure you take every opportunity to get to know your colleagues as they are the ones who can put you in the right direction.
2:15 pm - court opens again.
4:00 pm - read through some open cases back at the firm, enabling us to pick up the proceedings and structure of carrying out cases within a firm.
5:00 pm - home. Make sure you don't just pick up and leave, wait about to say bye and thank you to the people you have worked with.

The first day has been great! It was insightful to watch the consultations within the cells and it's surroundings. Being able to witness these interviews highlighted certain techniques and styles which vary between solicitors. The processes within court was relatively easy to pick up and enabled me to understand what may affect the level of a case.

It seemed there is often overlapping of areas in law, as today I witnessed family, criminal, EU and even contract law. I found it really thought provoking how circumstances of witnesses and offenders can change a case entirely.

Everybody so far has been extremely friendly and co-operative, all very willing to share their experiences.

When speaking to the firm they emphasised that they look for enthusiasm and willingness to work hard, which I certainly have!

Later this week I will be attending some hearings at the crown court and even getting a bit of experience about the local police station, to try and learn as much as possible.

I have asked questions for anything I am unsure of and have recorded everything, particularly some of the cases so that I can learn from it and have the cases to refer to later on when I attend interviews.

So far, I have really got a feel for this and seem to be enjoying criminal law much more than family, which I wasn't necessarily expecting!

1 day down 9 to go!

Back on track!

Since exams, my blog has been suffering from neglect! With travelling and trying to balance summer jobs I haven't managed to keep up to date with my blogging but I am still making my way up the path towards law.

So here is a quick update;

Over the summer I have been lucky enough to bag a couple of summer jobs. I am even more lucky to be able to take experience from these job roles and use it during my career path towards law.

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I have always had an interest in mental health and hope that I can incorporate this into my future career. Due to this interest I have recently taken on a job role as a Health Care Assistant at St Andrews Mental Health Hospital.

To attain this job role I had to be successful in the written application, expressing my interest and relevant experience. Then to be successful in a selection event and individual interview. Taking what I learnt from similar situations I was successful and now have the following job role.

My Position involves:
1. Aiding in the healthcare of the hospitals patients.
2. Monitoring their behaviour and intercepting to avoid dangerous situations and maintain a calm environment.
3. Entertain patients during the day, to avoid them becoming distressed.
4. Accompany patients on day trips to maintain the patients and the public’s safety.
5. My role is on bank, so the hours are flexible around my other commitments.

Skills Developed:
This role will provide me with excellent experience of the outcome of Criminal and Mental Health Law. I have always had a keen interest in mental health and wanted to take this opportunity to have an active role within the improvements of the mental health community. Many of the patients are convicted criminals or unable to leave the hospital due to risk for public safety. Working in an environment will provide me with first hand experience of the results of convicting criminals and the mentally ill into institutions, which will be extremely valuable to me and eye opening if I take a career path in criminal law. It also provides me with the experience of working in an environment with people, without the safety blanket of customer services. I plan to take the training offered for restraint so that I can expand my role and work on more challenging wards. – It is important to me that I understand all aspects of my future career and believe this role is a step towards achieving that.

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My second job role this summer is with Barclaycard, as a Recruitment Clerk in ROPS. Working at the Northampton complex provides great experience of working in an extremely professional corporate environment. The complex is huge and divided into multiple departments of varying levels. Working within this complex has also provided me with a lot of valuable experience working under confidentiality and security issues.



My Position involved:
It was my role to check merchants who are trading through websites against Barclaycards Card Scheme Trading Policy.
If a merchant was not compliant with the policy I would then have to take further action, to either access the information required to be compliant or terminate their trading through the merchant’s facility.
I needed to know the basics of Contract and Tort Law, as I often had to challenge merchants Terms and Conditions if they were not compliant with Barclaycards Policy.

Skills Developed:
This role has provided me with excellent experience in Contractual and Tort law, which has helped me to understand the basis of many other areas of law. I have learnt to be aware of any responsibility I was taking on and what the result of any of my actions may be. I learnt how to interact with a wide variety of colleague and customers across the entire department and deal with the level of responsibility I held within my position.

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Finally, I have an Internship which I am starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!

I will be working in a Criminal Specialists solicitors law firm for two weeks, attending court and looking at cases. I will of course be updating my blog daily concerning my experience.

I have prepped for the work by;

1. Researching the firm and area of speciality.
2. Contacting the firm to confirm what I will be doing.
3. Prepare how you are going to get there so you are not late in the morning.
4. Make sure you plan what to wear as presentation is one of the most important factors for first impressions.
5. Sleep well the night before to be on best form!

Really looking forward to starting tomorrow morning and can't wait to learn form it! - watch this space!

Experience employability.

Previously, I spoke about partaking in the Employability Award - a scheme which helps students to increase their employability skills through mock interviews, case studies, projects and networks. It also provided a chance to meet with top employers such as Accenture and TeachFirst who sponsored the award. The end result appears on your transcript and is reflected by your increased employable skills. Therefore furthering your ability to be successful in your future career. The award also appears on your degree transcript.

What did I get out of it?
For me, I felt I really benefited from the scheme. Although I already knew the general direction of how to attain employable skills, the scheme provided a means of focus, testing your ability whilst providing feedback and helping to build your confidence.

I particularly benefited from a lecture on networking and valued all feedback we received from project appraisals. Most importantly the focus it provided has helped me to find and develop my career path!

I would really recommend this to anybody who is floundering on the edge of where to go and what to do!

Would I have done it if I knew what I know now?
Of course! I feel I wouldn't be where I am today without the guidance of the scheme. It's easy to fit around your degree with relatively simple assignments and also a great way to meet like minded people who can inspire each other.

I've recommended it to everybody who is in a similar position, so much so that, we (The History Committee), are currently trying to link the leadership award to our mentoring scheme, in order to enhance the employability of our students!

How might I do it differently?
To get the most from the award you need to make the most of its facilities. That means try to attend everything, get involved with everything and be enthusiastic. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend some of the networking evenings or fairs last year, which I will certainly be attending this coming year.

I hope to partake in the volunteering award this year via my involvement with the Youth Offending Service and if we are successful, with the leadership award via the History Committees mentoring scheme.

If you are interested, enquire at your university's career service or find it on their website.

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/la/


I hope you have as much fun as I did!

A trip to Parliament and a thought on expectations.

A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet my local MP at the Houses of parliament. I would assume not many people get to casually bump into famous politicians, whilst having a drink and debating with their local MP on the exclusive Strangers terrace bar in the Houses of Parliament!

Dad offered me the opportunity to go along with him, via a charity event raising money for mental support for teenagers with depression. Of course I jumped at it, considering my interest in law and politics.

The building itself is awe inspiring. As a history student it was incredible to walk where so many men and women I have studied have been. I even got to see the closet were a sufrajet locked herself in overnight before the signing of the census!

I was struck by the humanity of the people working inside parliament and the community there seemed to be. Even across opposing parties.

A particular comment got me thinking whilst I was there. It concerned weighing up people's expectations alongside their well being. - many people EXPECT to be successful and are then disappointed when they realise that they may not turn out to be the CEO of a multi billion pound company. - challenging my long held belief that if you believe in yourself enough then you can do almost anything.

So what do I expect?

I know I have a fight ahead of me. I'm not an Oxbridge student, I don't have straight A* grades and I will probably get a 2:1 rather than a 1st. So my fight will be harder than many others.

However I do have the passion and the drive to do law. And I am beginning to build my experience ahead of many others who are in the same situation.

Therefore I expect getting a training contract is going to be difficult but achievable. I expect I will struggle to work my way up quickly and know that it will be a slow and most likely a difficult climb. I need to continue to expand my experience, network and knowledge base. All of which I feel is achievable.

However I also expect I will eventually be successful and be lucky enough to be involved in a career which, I will love and follow through with enthusiastic passion for the rest of my life and be able to make a difference in the world of law. I am sure that many would consider this (myself included sometimes) expecting too much.

Yet, is it better to expect too much or too little? An applicable quote which I think answers this is, 'Aim for the moon, then if you miss, you will land amongst the stars'. (Paula Radcliffe)

Managing Stress. (concerning exams)

Finally finished exams!

During the exam period and much of the academic year, I've had to deal with high levels of stress, anxiety and pressure. I am certain we've all been in similar situations at some point in our lives.

Being able to deal with and manage stress etc. is a skill set everyone needs throughout their personal and work lives. Everybody learns to deal with it differently.

For me, the moment I needed this skill set the most was during the build up to my Latin exam. An exam for which I was sure I was not going to do well in.

I dealt with it by...

1. Breaking up the workload. Therefore alleviating constant pressure and stress.
2. Exercising for half an hour. Enables you to escape from continuous thoughts of work.
3. Setting targets for work. Stops you from flitting about aimlessly between workloads and helps you to focus.
4. ASK FOR HELP. Don't struggle in silence, people are always flattered just to be asked.
5. Go in with a positive mind frame. Think success and you often achieve success.
6. Exhaust every opportunity. Answer everything even if you don't know the right answer, there is a chance your guess could be right.

Most importantly KEEP IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE. Worst case scenario, it doesn't go well - remember life goes on.

Applying this to a career in law 1-4 are essential to manage heavy work loads during your career (within reason). 5 and 6 are particularly important for interview or meeting scenarios.

Finding your plan for dealing with stress, pressure or anxiety will further you in many aspects of life.

Just DONT let the stress win.

What's important to you?

As I have already mentioned I am currently at the stage of choosing which college I want to go to, in order to do my GDL. I have already posted about my thoughts on Birmingham College of Law and since then have visited both the Bloomsbury and Guilford branches.

For reasons which I am sure differ to those of others, I am head over heels in love with Guilford!!

Whilst I have been making a decision based on where I am going to live and who I am going to be connecting with (concerning colleges). It got me thinking about the wider question - what is important to me that I get from doing law? And therefore answering why do I want to do law?

1.People.
People are the biggest decider for me. It's important that I will get along with who I study or even work with. It's important to me, that I can be with diverse, open minded people. It is always very easy to pick up where like minded people are based in colleges, work places and I am sure I will experience similar feelings when visiting potential firms. Of course my love for working with people fits neatly into the role of being a solicitor as I will be able to interact with my colleagues and also my potential clients!

2.Teamwork.
The best memory I took away with me from my experience in DFA law was the teamwork. I am a strong believer in the importance of an effective community, just as I am a believer in the importance of a good team. I have chosen to follow the solicitor route because of this. I want to be in a firm that works well as a team, being able to develop and help each other.

3.Continuing to learn and gain experience.
The best moments in life are when you learn something new, or gain a new experience. And I know I will be able to attain this through a career in law, through the diversity of people, cases and colleagues I will come across. I know that they will all provide me with new learning curves and experiences I would never have had the opportunity to come across anywhere else.

4.Expressing my skill set.
Whilst I have always prided myself on my people skills, I believe I hold many other qualities relevant to a career in law. I enjoy analytical jobs, not only analysing data and information but people too. I am good at taking my analysis and presenting it to persuade, reassure and inform. In fact I would value this as my most proficient skill and believe it to be entirely applicable to a career in law.

I am certainly aware I need to explore these ideas further and develop them with more clarity. However it is always important to ask yourself these questions, double checking your still heading down the right path for the right reasons. And of course you will be able to answer the age old question that everybody wants to ask - why do you want to do law?

Onwards and upwards!

Furthering my career in law has become a little quite as of late, due to the dreaded EXAMS! So, I thought it was time for a review.

So what have I achieved since deciding to do law?

- I have secured a two week work placement.
I have already had a small amount of experience within a local solicitors firm which focused on family law. It was a great insight into the workings of a firm and the dealings of cases. I loved the way the firm worked so effectively as a team through consultation, yet at the same time being able to work successfully as individuals when needed. (a work pattern which is perfect for me!) I was also able to learn the basic ins and outs of family law and experience how emotionally challenging some cases can be. Yet I was always aware of the importance of professionalism.
I have secured a two week work placement in a solicitors firm which specialises in criminal law. I couldn't be more excited! I am really looking forward to being able to explore another sector of law and have the opportunity to really get involved within a firm over the two weeks.

- I have researched what I want to do.
I have obviously spent time reading books, magazines and websites informing prospective lawyers about routes in and what a career in law might involve.
However, I can not stress enough how valuable it is to speak to the experienced! They offer their own real experiences and provide advice tailored to you. HIGHLY recommend it.

- I have joined the YOS as an Appropriate Adult.
Due to my upcoming placement in criminal law, I wanted to expand my experience and knowledge.
In short, acting as an appropriate adult involves providing support to young offenders taken into police stations. Informing them of the process and acting as a non bias support figure. This will provide invaluable experience at the same time as providing the rewarding experience of voluntary work.

- I have used social networking sites to further myself.
First of all, TWITTER IS WONDERFUL!
The amount of people I have met through twitter who are interested in law is incredible. We are able to share experiences, thoughts and plans. Whilst getting to know prospective employers and widening your contact base. Some people have even been kind enough to promote my blog through twitter!
LinkedIn I am still not entirely sure how to use. It seems contacts need to be made outside of LinkedIn before you can network with them through the site. However it is a great way to put your cv online, widen your contact base and they publish really good articles relevant to your career sector and interests.
Blogging has been great fun. It's perfect for tracking all the details of your experiences and enables you to share your experiences with others who might be interested.
However... It is important to remember that, whilst social networking sites are great for widening your knowledge and contact base and sharing experiences. It is not a way to get a job or placement! The classic old fashioned ways are still the best for that.

- I have enhanced my cv.
I am taking evening French classes, now of intermediate level. I participated in the employability award and I won the campaign to become treasurer of they history committee. All of which have been great experiences in themselves and are valuable skills to put on my cv.

So, overall I have gained experience, researched my future, started networking and attained valuable skills. I still have a long way to go and a lot more to do but I've taken the first steps. And I have enjoyed every minute so far!

Take everything you're given...

Recently I applied to become a student ambassador at my university. I was successful for the initial stage of applications and asked to attend a selection event.

The event was two hours and split around fifty of us into ten small groups. Within these groups we carried out three consecutive activities such as, presentation planning and dealing with theoretical situations.

For each group a judicator was placed on the table, marking each person individually. We were marked on team working skills, confidence, presentation, communication and time management.

Personally, I felt the selection event went really well. It was highly competitive and I felt I had done the best I could at the time. I was confident I had been successful.

Unfortunately I had been too optimistic. I didn't get through!

I've watched many of my friends be knocked back by experiences like this and turn their back on their goal, giving up. Although, initially I was of course upset, I took this as a positive experience.

It is so important to take everything as a learning experience, whether positive or bad. Learn how to improve and do better next time, consider what your strengths and weaknesses are. Sometimes it also highlights how you may not have been entirely suitable to the role you were applying for, emphasising how you need to find a different role more suitable and tailored for you.

Although I felt I had done the best I could, I know I can always do better. I will attend the feedback session with the intention to learn and improve.

Most importantly, I know I have the ability to deal with disappointment and rejection. Which i am sure is going to be extremely beneficial in the future when applying to training contracts and firms!

So always remember, everything has a silver lining!

Employability Award

Leicester university, alongside the majority of other universities offer an Employability Award. This is a course which provides valuable learning for skill set improvement and practical workshops aiming to improve your employability for the future. When completed it appears on your degree transcript and is a certificate which is recognised by multiple employers.

If you're interested approach your universities careers service and they will be more than willing to point you in the right direction.

Today I took part in the last workshop, Assignment 3. The aim was to carry out a 5 to 10 minute presentation on your development during the award. We were judged on structure, presentation style, confidence and of course content. We were then asked a couple of question reflecting our presentation.

I am really pleased to be able to say it went well! I received excellent feedback from the moderators and a great response from the audience.

Something I took away with me from this is recognition of what I could improve. Although I was told I seemed confident, relaxed and held good eye contact, I personally felt I spoke at break neck speed. This may have been because I was struggling to process all of my thoughts due to nerves. Therefore in order to improve upon this I want to find situations in which I can improve my confidence in public speaking and slow down my thought process. Such as joining the debating society and getting involved in the universities mooting, or the LUDA.

I'm going to go over in more depth the benefits of taking an employability award after its completion in June. Meanwhile I learnt a lot from myself today concerning public speaking...
- I felt I spoke too quickly and came across a little bulchy (I am a harsh critic of myself but it never hurts to improve) = therefore I have decided to take up more opportunities for public speaking in order to build confidence and skill.
- I struggled to provide clear examples of why I want to do law and examples of team work and leadership, even though I knew it so clearly in my head! = my moderator gave me great feedback concerning this. A technique she suggested was CAR. I can't remember exactly what C was for but I will hazard a guess. C stands for case, what the problem or situation was. A stands for action, what YOU did to deal with it (great emphasis placed on YOU here, your employer wants to know about you not your entire group) and R stands for result. A clear structure which is easy to remember and valuable to anyone in any similar situation.

I can't stress enough, how important it is to learn from your experience. This is exactly what this award has helped me to do and provided me with the ability and motivation to prioritise my career planning.

I would recommend the employability award to anyone! I will expand upon this post more when my head isn't so clouded by other essays!

Meeting the experienced...

One of the most important factors I have found within law, is to have valuable contacts and networks. These contacts can provide advice and support and help to widen your existing networks. Using your networks effectively can put you miles ahead of anyone without them.

Today, I met with an old family friend who had 50 years experience within legal practice. I wanted to meet up to be able to have a personal, down to earth conversation about the reality of life within legal practice. This is exactly what he gave me.

He talked about how he has dealt with difficult cases, which can often be very harrowing on your personal life. We chatted about the differences of locations, firms and sectors. And most importantly the value of working with all types of people as a team in a wide community.

I found this meeting so helpful! It was wonderful to have an honest point of view from an experienced practitioner without professional or promotional barriers between us. It helped to confirm my views of the legal practice and build my confidence in myself that I was on the right path and going the right way about it.

I'd recommend an opportunity like this to everyone. You can ask any questions you like and respond just as freely and openly as you like, which you may not be able to do in work placement. It provides a real chance to understand the nitty gritty bits of your future profession which you may not have learnt until much later. It's a great preparation technique for reality.

If you don't know anybody personally, either link up with somebody in the profession on twitter or through small local firms. You'd be surprised how willing and supportive so many people are. Their career is important to them and they will be flattered you felt you could ask them. Although don't expect everything, they do have to keep some degree of professionalism.

Joining YOS as an Appropriate Adult.

YOS stands for the Youth Offending System. Acting as an appropriate adult involves acting as a neutral support to under age offenders. Working from a rota, attending police interviews with the offender, providing advice and support.

I wanted to get involved with this as it would provide invaluable experience for my future career in law.

Alongside this I am so excited about the opportunity to help make a difference and offer the support that the young offenders need. It is important to me that I help provide equal opportunities to as many people as possible. Therefore, acting as an appropriate adult alongside my work as an ambassador at university provides me plenty of opportunities to act on this belief.

So, today I had the interview at the county hall in Leicester. I was asked about why I wanted to take part in the scheme and about my previous relevant experience. Alongside running through a CRB check they seemed more than happy to have me on. The interview was very positive and I'm looking forward to starting training in September.

Open day at Birmingham College of Law...

10.30 this morning, I arrived at the College of Law in Birmingham. After arriving by train and walking around the back of the business sector I was a little dubious about its surroundings (and I've always counted environment as a main selling point).

However, within 2 minutes of being inside the building, I quickly realised looks aren't everything.

Met by a confident student we were led to the reception for refreshments. This was quickly followed by a short talk introducing the course, it's structure and expectations. Integrated into the talk a recent student from the GDL course recounted her own experience. All of which was extremely helpful.

Importance was placed upon the benefits they provide to students through the Careers Service, Student support and their excellent involvement in the Pro Bono system. I'd already joined their 10 step career guide so I knew how resourceful they were.

Something I took away with me was the excitement and passion of the lecturer , 'law is with us everyday, even just buying your coffee or a train ticket.'
It has confirmed my desire to work within the legal practice and heightened my excitement!

The college itself seems well structured and efficiently run, with the knowledge of what the students need. I made sure to note a couple of names down of tutors, staff and graduating students so I could get in touch later.

Something which caught my eye was the French exchange programme. This is exclusive to the Birmingham and Chester branch. The exchange is over one month in different legal practices in Lyon. Such a wonderful experience! And gives me the opportunity to practice my french from my evening classes.

Because of this experience I have confirmed law is right for me. I have begun to increase my knowledge of different sectors and Pro Bono schemes I may want to be part of in the future. Although exams and coursework seem less than my university experience so far, the preparation and level of self teaching is far greater!!!

The core sectors taught for this GDL is ; tort, crime, land, public, contract, EU, equity and trusts. Particular emphasis was placed on the depth of land and crime and how land particularly can provide basics for other sectors. Public law was highlighted as a much more discussion based module which I look forward too. Also something which seems unique to the college is its focus on practice based learning which will be so valuable for my future career!

So Birmingham seems a definite possibility and I would be delighted to go there. I'm looking forward to comparing the branches of Bloomsbury and guildford. But I will still be exploring what BPP can provide.

Next stop, Bloomsbury.

First stepping stone...

I attended a lecture a couple of months ago on networking. One of the main ideas put across was the importance of social media. By using Twitter, Blogger and Linkedin I can introduce myself into networking circles, professional communities and voice my relevant opinions, thoughts, interests and experiences.

So that is what I've done. My first stepping stone to becoming connected and involved within the professional world. I'll keep track of all the benefits I gain from this, so watch this space.

Twitter: @BecciSmart  www.twitter.com/BecciSmart
Linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/beccismart