Things I Learned at a Law Firm

Things I Learned at a Law Firm.

            Last month I had the opportunity to spend a day with Blake Morgan, a law firm established in 2014 when Blake Lapthorn and Morgan Cole merged, with 6 UK locations including London, Cardiff and Oxford which practice in 71 legal disciplines.

During this Insight Day, myself and several other first year law students were invited to the London office, given an insightful presentation about the firm, the services they offer, and hints and tips for training contract applications. As well as this, we were given a half-day’s work experience alongside the current trainees.

As a first-year student, this day has been one of the most useful since the beginning of my degree as it has given me first-hand knowledge of law in practice, and an insight into how a legal career would progress and what is expected of me in firms such as theirs. This information is hard to find elsewhere, and you can google as much information as you like but hearing it directly from the people who matter was so valuable to me. I hope to carry the things I have been taught by Blake Morgan all the way into my legal career, which thanks to the Insight Day, I have never been surer that I want to pursue.

First of all, the staff at Blake Morgan made us feel incredibly welcome, and for most of us it was our first time visiting a law firm, and the approach taken with us was appropriate to our level of knowledge, so we didn’t feel overwhelmed nor did we feel patronised. The Graduate Recruitment and Development Officer, Siobhan gave us the presentation in the morning, and guided us through a group task which was reflective of what can be expected at an assessment centre. She made these activities interesting, was able to answer our questions well and gave us very detailed information about the firm and what to expect after graduation.

The work experience portion of the day was eventful, especially as I didn’t stay in the office. I assisted a paralegal in arranging court bundles and delivering these to the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where I had never been before. Whilst we were there, I was given a lot of useful information about the courts and court proceedings which I wouldn’t have known had it not been for this unusual work experience. When back at the office, I was guided by a current trainee in Commercial Litigation and taught how to write letters in a legal setting, which is another skill I couldn’t have been introduced to had it not been for this experience.

Overall, my experience at Blake Morgan has further fuelled my ambitions to work in Law once I graduate, and I cannot thank the team at the London office enough for providing me with more information and insight than I ever thought I could get as a first-year. I would encourage everyone in their first year to get involved with Insight Days as it will inspire you and encourage you more than only going to University will. First hand experience is always the best when it comes to careers, and Blake Morgan provided this in so much depth and detail, I can’t wait to graduate and get started.

If you’d like to know more about Blake Morgan and stay up to date on what they’re working on, then visit their website: https://www.blakemorgan.co.uk/ and follow their twitter: @BlakeMorganLLP and @BM_Careers

If you’ve had experience with a law firm in your first year of your degree, let us know how it helped you and what you learned, in the comments!

LC - @AlmostLawyers