Insights
Legal Career Insights & Expert Advice
Practical advice and fresh perspectives for ambitious law graduates.
Welcome to our Insights hub—a curated collection of articles, resources, and expert tips for aspiring legal professionals. Whether you’re drafting your first CV, preparing for interviews, or navigating scholarship applications, our insights are designed to help you feel confident, prepared, and informed every step of the way. Stay ahead of the competition with practical guidance, industry trends, and advice you can trust.
How to Get a Training Contract at Travers Smith
Travers Smith is one of the most respected independent law firms in the UK, known for its premium work in private equity, corporate M&A, disputes, and commercial advisory. With a single-office model based in London, it fosters close-knit teams, real trainee responsibility, and a strong sense of identity. Its culture
How to Get a Training Contract at Macfarlanes
Macfarlanes is one of the most respected independent law firms in the UK, known for high-end private client work, private equity, M&A, and complex cross-border transactions. With a single London office and a selective recruitment process, Macfarlanes offers trainees early responsibility, close partner contact, and exceptional training. If you’re aiming
How to Get a Training Contract at Slaughter and May
Understanding the Slaughter and May Approach Slaughter and May is unique among the Magic Circle firms. With a distinctive approach to legal training, a generalist model, and a strong focus on long-term development, the firm offers an exceptional environment for ambitious law graduates. But the competition is intense, and standing
How to Get a Training Contract at Linklaters
Linklaters is one of the most prestigious and recognisable law firms in the world. As a Magic Circle firm, it offers top-tier legal work, international exposure, and outstanding training—but also attracts thousands of applicants for each training contract. To succeed, you need more than strong academics; you need to demonstrate
How to Get a Training Contract at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer—known simply as Freshfields—is one of the most prestigious law firms in the world and a key member of the Magic Circle. With a rich history, elite international client base, and complex cross-border work, the firm attracts top-tier candidates from across the globe. Competition for training contracts is
How to Get a Training Contract at Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance is one of the most recognisable names in international law, with a vast global presence and market-leading expertise in areas like finance, M&A, and litigation. It’s also known for being innovative, inclusive, and forward-thinking. But with thousands of training contract applications each year, standing out requires clarity, strategy,
How to Get a Training Contract at Allen & Overy
Securing a training contract at Allen & Overy (A&O) is no small feat. As one of the UK’s elite Magic Circle firms, Allen & Overy (A&O) is a major player on the global legal stage. Known for its work in finance, capital markets, corporate law, and innovation, it consistently ranks
How to Balancing Final Year Studies with Legal Job Applications
Time Management Tips for Final Year Law Students If you’re in the final year of your law degree, you’re likely juggling lectures, coursework, exams—and the intense pressure of applying for training contracts, pupillage, or graduate legal roles. It’s a lot. Between looming deadlines and endless forms, it’s easy to feel
How to Write a Strong Personal Statement for a Legal Scholarship
What Scholarship Panels Really Want to Read Applying for a legal scholarship can open doors to valuable funding, mentoring, and networking opportunities—especially for aspiring barristers applying to the Inns of Court or diversity programmes. But to get there, you’ll need to write a personal statement that’s more than just “personal.”
Top 5 Mistakes Law Graduates Make in Applications
Applying for training contracts, pupillage, or paralegal roles can feel like a full-time job in itself. And with competition so high, even small mistakes can cost you an interview. The good news? Most of the common errors law graduates make are completely avoidable—once you know what to look out for.
What Law Firms Really Look for in a CV
The Key Ingredients of a Strong Legal CV Your CV is your first chance to make an impression—and in the legal sector, first impressions matter. With hundreds (sometimes thousands) of applications for each training contract or paralegal role, recruiters spend just seconds scanning your CV before deciding whether to read