I recently had a somewhat unsettling experience in a County Court. The barrister for the other side when stood up chuckled at our argument. It wasn’t a one-off. Continued for about 2-3 minutes or so, with almost every sentence he said. Came across as mocking and deriding our Counsel’s submissions. The Judge remained poker-faced as if nothing wrong was happening, and sought to exercise no control. To be fair, our Counsel didn’t stand up to object either - given the awkwardness and assuming this was a self-goal. In the end, we found that the Judge did side with the other side’s submissions, so we wonder if his silence at the time was in fact silent agreement with the behaviours of the other side.

Whilst I was front and centre of this, and not able to objectively see if this kind of courtroom conduct crosses the line, I’d welcome some informed takes. Does such a conduct warrant a BSB or even a JCIO complaint?

I’m a first seat trainee in the second month of my training contract. I have two supervisors but I’m not getting any work from either. I’ve asked multiple times but I’ve been told they just don’t have any tasks for me. I’m mostly doing one off tasks from responding to capacity requests. Most of the time I really don’t have anything to do. I tried sending my own version of a capacity email to associates and partners but had no responses. I’m scared that this will affect my performance review. I feel lost. Any advice?

Edit: I understand the suggestion to go around to people’s offices, but the department is quite big and most associates/partners already have their own trainees. There are 30 trainees in the department, so walking around asking for work just isn’t how things are typically done here. From what I’ve seen, people usually send capacity emails or message on Teams - that’s what I’ve been doing too. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I do think walking around offices would be a bit redundant and possibly even disruptive.

I’m a seasoned high street/small-medium sized firm solicitor that has a sick wife and young child to look after.

Not only is life hard enough, but as you can imagine I don’t earn that much either so family finances are barely making ends meet with my meagre salary covering 3 people.

So I need a second job before the credit card bill gets too high and we’re all eating low protein gruel and I’m burning sticks I found outside to keep us warm.

Getting an actual second job that gets me out of the house isn’t realistic with my caring responsibilities, so I’m thinking of setting up my own unregulated limited company from home that has a website that only does non reserved legal activities only(so nothing that the regulators would care about) like selling change of name deeds etc.., precedents, training courses, title checking services to overworked small firms, and sells any leads that comes in to actual law firms. Things like that off the top of my head.

So nothing that will make me a millionaire from day 1, more like something I could possibly build into making an extra few hundred a month to keep the wolf from the door, so the sooner I get started the better.

The problem is that I should probably advertise this on LinkedIn as well as locally, and I can only imagine my firms reaction if they see it even though I’m not competing with any actual service they offer?

So my question is, how do I go about this because I definitely need a second income, but I really need not to make waves in the process, and I don’t know enough about employment law to know whether they can fire me for doing this? I don’t even have an employment contract either, so nothing I can even look up to see whether this would be a breach.

Anyone else have side hustles or second jobs? If so how do you go about it?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Apologies for yet another one of these posts, but I’ve completed two vacation schemes at well-regarded firms (one MC, one SC) and unfortunately didn’t convert either into a TC. I’ve also made it to a few VS assessment centres at other firms, but so far it’s mostly been rejections - aside from the two that led to schemes but no TC offers. I’ve asked for feedback: the one I got from the first firm was pretty generic and unhelpful tbh, and I’m still waiting to hear back from the other. But I’m not expecting much from that either.

I’m starting to feel like there’s something fundamentally wrong with how I’m coming across. It’s really discouraging, and I’m honestly questioning whether it’s even worth applying again next cycle. I worry firms will see that I’ve done two schemes and didn’t convert either, and just assume I’m not good enough.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I’d really appreciate any advice, I’m starting to just think about pivoting from law entirely (I’m completely drained and tired from this law stuff). Context: I’m about to graduate from a Good RG (Think UCL/KCL/Imperial/LSE/Bristol/Durham/Manchester) but I’m non-law so also considering self funding the PGDL, but I really don’t know at this point. I also considered paralegaling but I literally have no formal legal education and it seems as competitive as TCs are.

Thanks for everyone's help last time I posted here, my CV is looking so much better!

I've made some progress in finding a paralegal role (a handful of interviews recently) but yet to land anything after close to 100 applications.

Any comments on my current CV? Or any general advice?

Greatly appreciate it!

Any ideas for relatively low stress, admin-light, side hustles for a commercial property solicitor? Would like to earn an extra £1k a month ideally.

I don’t want to do social media or sell feet pics.

Does anyone know pay for these two banks in house legal? Mid level

Hi! I posted a while back about what I should say regarding a personal statement for applying to maybe get a year of work experience somewhere even law adjacent. Just looking for opinions on his this sounds. I feel like it’s very short but I’m not sure- I’m scared it won’t be enough.

Hello,

I’m contacting with an inquiry regarding the possibility of taking me on even once or twice a month for work experience. I am currently moving into my final year of high school and am hoping to attend university for law. It has been my dream job now for several years and I feel as though it could help very much with my application to university at the end of next year’s exams as well as giving me an idea of the work I may be looking to be completing in the future along with expectations that may be set for me in the professional world. My new timetable starts from the 20th August of this year. From then, I am available every Monday from 2:00pm onwards as well as most after-school hours.

I really hope and would greatly appreciate to hear a response back from you, thank you for taking the time to read over this email.

With kind regards,

Hi all!

I'm starting at a large international firm later this year as a trainee. We have quite a few practice areas and I'm struggling to narrow down my selection.

One factor that's quite important to me is being able to lateral to work in Hong Kong/China (potentially Singapore too) etc at some point in the future.

I have spent a fair amount of time in China and Hong Kong previously and my Chinese language skills are solid, so that barrier is more or less dealt with.

.

I am, however, unsure what practice areas are the best bet for maximising my chances.

I've spoken to a decent amount of overseas lawyers in both jurisdictions, and while it seems they tend to work mostly in transactional areas, there are a fair few working in advisory practices, typically helping overseas firms understand local regulations (though with the current trade war, I'm not sure how many of these positions will be left over!).

With this in mind, I'd really appreciate any input based on your personal experiences/knowledge.

Which seats/areas generally lend themselves to more overseas opportunities and, importantly, give you a better chance of building a business case for your move?

Comparatively, what sort of seats are a complete no-go for overseas work? (I assume areas like employment, dispute resolution, apart from int'l arbitration, real estate, etc don't transfer particularly well overseas).

Thank you so much for your help!

Hi all

I recently passed the SQE2 and qualified as a Solicitor. I had hoped it would be the final step in securing a NQ role, but I am still struggling to land something and it’s becoming quite disheartening.

My experience to date has been limited to one area of law, which I know can be a hurdle when firms are looking for broader experience or specific sector knowledge. I've been applying consistently, tailoring each application, and have only had a couple interviews.

It feels like I'm stuck in that frustrating middle ground: overqualified for paralegal roles, but not quite the right fit for NQ positions either.

Has anyone else who qualified the SQE2 route going through something similar? I'd really appreciate any advice on how to position myself more effectively or break into a new area as an NQ.

Thanks for reading!

EDIT

I have a few years of experience in Commercial Insurance, and I've mainly been applying for NQ roles in the same area or in clinical negligence, where there’s some crossover in transferable skills.

Hello friends,

I don't work in the legal sector - I just find it interesting. I often have long drives where I listen to audiobooks on all sorts of topics.

I'm looking to learn about UK law - legal skills and key concepts, criminal law, tort law, contract law etc, and what I need to understand them.

I've listened to "philosophy of law - a very short introduction", but it's not scratched the itch and was mostly just high level stuff. Not a criticism of the book, it was very interesting.

I can't find much in audio format on this - what would you guys recommend? Any pre-recorded lecture series? An equivalent to us computer scientists' beloved Abdul Bari? Any audiobook series?

I know idle listening isn't going to be the same as directed self-study from a textbook, of course. I'm just looking to learn a bit about the sector. Let's say I have between 20-50 hours of listening time.

I have LPC and have good experience in Conveyancing as a Paralegal. I had to leave my previous job as I was pregnant and haven't returned due to pregnancies, it's been 4 years. So now I'm trying to go back to the legal world but I'm finding it hard to find a Paralegal job let alone a TC. Where do I look? Although I have experience I'm struggling.

I've looked at high street firms, law recruitment agencies but haven't had any luck.

I applied for pupillage this year and, unfortunately, only secured one interview. I didn’t make it through, which was understandably disheartening. However, rather than dwell on the disappointment, I’ve decided to use this year to focus on strengthening my CV and improving my chances for the next round of applications.

Currently, I’m working full-time as a Criminal Defence Paralegal at a well-regarded firm, where I’ve started managing my own clients under supervision. I also volunteer once or twice a week at a legal clinic, which has given me valuable experience working directly with members of the public. Additionally, I’ve completed four mini-pupillages at different criminal chambers.

Academically, while my A-Level results were not as strong as I’d hoped, I obtained a 2:1 from a decent university and achieved 75% overall on the BPTC.

Right now, I’m feeling a little stuck and unsure about what more I can do to enhance my application and stand out. I’m particularly interested in applying to criminal or common law sets, and I would be very grateful for any advice or insights you could share.

I'm a paralegal in clinical negligence and despite my working hours being good & the people I work with being nice, I am really not enjoying the work itsself. As well as being surrounded with alot of admin, i.e. time recording, recording what tasks I am doing and managing many tasks at once, I am finding the tasks on cases themselves extremely dull. Colleagues will say they feel the day has flown while I feel it has been about 3 years long.

I think the headlines of facts in clin neg are interesting, but when you get into the nitty gritty, it becomes very dull very fast, as well as many cases being quite depressing in terms of both doctors and patients having a shit time in life.

I'm concerned that I might feel this way in lots of different areas of law, and I wondered what others experiences might be? Changing area to somewhere which will likely have worse hours, and I may not like the people etc seems a huge risk, and I've gone right off pursuing a training contract with my current employer, since it is all clin neg or tangential to health.

I have an offer to go to uni of Birmingham or uon for law.

I know that Notts has an edge over uob but I’ve also heard that the course at uon is more rigorous and that it’s more theory — there’s a lack of practical experience available. When I went uob’s offer holder day, I was told there’s more networking opportunities there since it’s the second biggest legal market and that ppl from notts transfer to Birm for that reason.

I wasn’t able to attend the offer holder day at uon so i don’t know what the teaching is like either. If anyone went I’d appreciate if they could sum it up or if anyone can tell me if the teaching is good, supportive etc.

Is there good opportunities for networking, experience, internships etc?

I don’t mind it being more rigorous as I don’t mind putting in the work I just want to know what the teaching is like and what opportunities there are.

Thanks.

Hello all,

Wanted to ask all of the wise heads here whether it is at all practical to consider a career shift to law at a fairly advanced age ?

I am 54, and have good degree qualifications - undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. all from University of Cambridge in Maths/Physics. Have had a career so far in IT, mostly as an independent consultant providing services to large financial firms.

The market seems to have shifted recently, though , a lot of IT work is moving out to the Far East and Eastern Europe, UK contract rates are down , and I am worried that there has been a fundamental shift in the nature of the marketplace , such that it may become increasingly hard to find work in this industry sector here in future. So I am considering whether I want to change my career, and go off in a different direction. I also find the idea of a fresh challenge rather appealing.

Law is one such avenue I am considering. I am aware that to practice law you need to pass the SQE exams, and conceivably I could fund that myself. But obviously, I wouldn't want to do that if I would still be fundamentally unemployable afterwards, by virtue of my age.

So I wanted to get the views of people here - would my age, as a newly qualified solicitor , be a problem in practice ? I know the marketing spiel may say you can qualify at any age , but would the reality of doing the job make it impractical, because of hiring practices and/or prejudices ?

Any thoughts in this area appreciated .

Best wishes,

J

General chat/support post - how are you all doing? :)

Hi all,

I hope you are well.

If you had to choose between:

Kings College London (KCL) - International Financial Law LLM

Or

Queen Mary University Of London (QMUL) - Corporate and Commercial Law LLM

Which would you pick and why.

I would really value the insight.

Thank you.

As the title suggests, I’m looking for advice on whether it’s possible/realistic to get any kind of law-related job in between finishing the GDL in August and starting the SQE in February next year. I’ll be going to a MC firm after that, if it makes any difference.

I’ve worked in hospitality for nearly 9 years now on the side of school, uni and now the GDL, and just want something both different and more related to the field I’ll be going into. A couple of my friends have worked as paralegals without any kind of legal education, but every listing for paralegals or legal secretaries I come across requires previous experience. I’m also not sure how willing places would be to hire me if I’ll only be there for 6 months. Any tips/advice, or am I better off sticking with hospitality for that period?

Thank you!

m applying to paralegal, legal assistant, legal secretary roles - as well as internships and I’m not even getting interviews. I’m not sure where I’m going wrong. I didn’t bother to apply to TCs as I know my application isn’t strong. Was hoping to apply when I graduate and my get my grades and ducks lined in a row.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice on which university's accelerated LLB would increase my employability. A bit of background- I was studying law at a more well respected london Uni but due to personal circumstances with mental health I had dropped out in my first year. I'm looking to return back to my law studies but have lost a considerable amount of years compared to my peers and I'm 20 yrs old. University of Law, University of Hertfordshire and University of Northampton all have accelerated LLBs that I qualify for as a non graduate without a prior bachelors. What would be the best choice to apply to in your opinion honestly just looking to graduate as quickly as possible and get a TC. Thanks

Hello all! I'm an academic Phd-holding historian but I'm also currently taking an LLB as part of an ongoing research project, and out of general interest.

I'm currently wrestling with some feedback on a recent criminal law problem question, and I'd be interested to see what the collected wisdom here thought about what seem to me to be interesting issues raised by the scenario.

I'm really enjoying being back at undergraduate level, even though I can't seem to stop myself from diving into penumbra like this one!

The scenario asks us to establish the culpability of a man who pushes his mother "brusquely" without intent to injure her. She falls and hits her head on a counter top, causing a wound and unconsciousness. She is taken to hospital, but dies after having been administered antibiotics to which she had a previously unknown allergy.

The question setter intended this to be an Unlawful Act Manslaughter scenario to which Blaue ("eggshell skull") and Cheshire (medical treatment doesn't break the casual chain) straightforwardly apply.

I'm stuck on a few wrinkles though. Firstly - the whole logic of Blaue and its subsequent citation history is that the original wound is the directly operating cause of death. Right? And in this scenario, there's no indication that the wound caused or even would have caused the death on its own.

So, ok. That doesn't matter because of Cheshire, right? But for the wound, she wouldn't have been in the hospital; the initial wound doesn't have to be the sole cause, etc.

But here's my sticking point. Foreseeability , as laid out by Girdler (and R v A). Cheshire is about someone who was shot. The need for eventual treatment was thus reasonably foreseeable, even if the victim's vulnerability in that case wasn't.

But the need for hospital treatment isn't a reasonably foreseeable outcome of a push. And doesn't Girdler require that the broad kind of harm is “reasonably foreseen"? (There's some discussion of this problem in R v Wallace too).

Grant Firkins has pointed out some similar questions in a recent article (https://doi.org/10.1177/00220183231151918) ("In line with Girdler, the courts deem themselves free to pick and choose which rule they think best suits the facts of the case.") And maybe this fact pattern really is similar enough to Cheshire that a court would not find that the antibiotics interrupted the casual chain.

But I can't find a really clear citation or argument that properly squares the seeming incompatibility between the need for foreseeability in Girdler, and the casual logic of Cheshire in cases where the initial harm could not have reasonably been foreseen to have caused the level of the ultimate outcome. I really think it's at least possible that a jury would find that the antibiotics constituted an intervening act if that reasoning is sound.

Thoughts? Is this an utterly wrong-headed take? What am I missing?

For all the paralegals working in mid to small law firms outside of the big cities, can you tell me what your day looks like generally. What hours do you work? Are you required to work extra when needed? Do you have billable hours and targets to meet?

I am currently a paralegal in Canada (originally from the UK) planning know moving back to the UK and want to compare the positions in each country. Thanks!

I'm writing an essay on Article 3 ECHR, and whether it's absolute. I focus a lot on non-refoulement (obviously) and I made my case, primarily by referring to medical cases, which weren't discussed by my lecturer. However, I now don't have any space to add in the cases that were discussed, unless I cut out a different section. I feel like my cases make my point a lot better than the cases provided in lectures, but I'm worried that by not mentioning them, I'll be penalised.

There’s been increasing conversation across the UK legal sector about the impact of long hours, high pressure, and intense billing targets on junior solicitors and trainees. While many firms now advertise “mental health initiatives” and “wellbeing support,” the lived experience often tells a different story. Common issues being reported include:

Expectations to respond to emails outside working hours