Are you an eager law student, curious see how solicitors really operate?? I certainly am.
I’m Megan King, and I'm currently a 3rd year law (with psychology) student at the University of Southampton.
I recently found myself with a week off from lectures, so I reached out to Kim Simmonds, the CEO of Law 365 to see whether I would be able to get any work experience at such short notice. Kim was more than happy to help -- within a week, I was in the office.
I was thrilled. I know just how tricky it can be to get work experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a very difficult time for university students, especially so for those trying to find work experience. I was fortunate to complete various online internships during my second year, but as I faced my final year of study, I wanted to know what life was like in an actual office!
This is what Law 365 allowed me to do.
I cannot stress enough how friendly the whole team at Law 365 are. It can be very nerve-racking on your first day at a job, especially when you haven’t even graduated from university yet and are working amongst experienced lawyers.
These nerves, however, vanished as soon as I stepped foot in the office and was greeted by multiple smiles and cups of tea.
Tasks I completed as an intern at Law 365:
• Wrote several blogs for their website. These ranged from areas of law such as Intellectual Property Rights and the necessary skills required to be a good lawyer.
• Conducted legal research of the Supreme Court decision in Lloyd v Google LLC [2021] UKSC 50. I then created a case note to set out the relevant facts, the judgement and summarised how this may impact businesses.
• Having previously had no exposure to employment law, I requested some tasks surrounding this area of law. I was then asked to compose a note of advice to assist a client on its legal position regarding employee breaks, annual leave and working hours for night workers. This involved extensive research of the Working Time Regulations 1998.
• Learnt how to use the Companies House register to gather the relevant company details necessary for a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
These tasks were incredibly beneficial and typical of trainee lawyers. During my week at Law 365, I have come out the other side as a more experienced lawyer and have expanded upon my skillset. Skills I have strengthened include legal research, commercial awareness, and attention to detail. I look forward to putting these skills to use during vacation schemes and, hopefully, a training contract.
My advice for other students who are looking for work experience?
• While the work comes from the tasks you get given, it is the people that really put the experience in ‘work experience’.
• If you are after the type of work experience that involves making coffee, or standing by the printer, Law 365 is not the firm for you. I was thrown into the deep end and given full responsibility over my own tasks. This is the best way to learn and to help you determine whether a career in law is right for you.
Thank you, Law 365!
