Congratulations! You have been accepted into the University of York and are about to start the most exciting three years imaginable! The York Law Society is a helpful place to begin your time at University, offering a comfortable balance of career-focussed events (they are really not that scary) and socials to “build your network” (i.e. make friends). To make the transition to university a little bit easier for all of you aspiring lawyers, legal academics and those interested in a legal-orientated career, we have developed a first year guide.
Useful Information for Aspiring Solicitors
Do not overwork yourself in your first year. Spend some time getting to grips with workloads, organising your time effectively (with the use of reminders, calendars, and diaries for example). Not only will this allow you to give ample time to your academic work, but it will also allow you to develop a crucial skill for lawyers: time management.
Join the York Law Society. This is not necessary to become a solicitor, however the assistance we give to our members speaks for itself.
Extra-curricular activities. Find something you enjoy doing and thrive at it! This could be related to sports, arts, volunteering or even the Law Society. Society hustings and interviews usually take place just before the Easter break, giving you roughly two terms to get involved in extra-curricular activities, and then pursuing a position on a university society committee if you so please. Doing extra-curricular activities alongside your degree allows you to develop relevant skills for solicitors, such as problem-solving, organisation, teamwork and leadership.
Law Firm Open Days/Insights/Mentoring Schemes/Scholarships. Legal work experience is always a good place to start once you have settled into university life. These opportunities require applications in most cases, which can be quite gruelling. Joining our Application Acceleration Programme (AAP) is a great step to take to gain an understanding of how to construct a great application, and develop your soft skills (i.e. how to network – this is an important one) through the help of a friend and a mentor. There are also several online resources, such as Lawcareers.net that are a useful starting point to learn more about first year opportunities.
Brand Ambassador Opportunities. These offer the chance to learn more about a particular law firm by representing them on campus, as well as the opportunity to further develop relevant skills, such as communication, event planning and problem-solving. Also, most opportunities are paid. Applications for brand ambassador roles open throughout the year and you will see some published on our socials (Instagram and Facebook.) Keep an eye on law firms’ websites and organisations such as On-Campus Promotions for brand ambassador roles.
Useful Information for Aspiring Barristers
You do not need to do all of these. Remember that barristers’ chambers are looking for a well-rounded applicant more than anything else.
Mini-pupillages
Mini-pupillages provide an insight into the life of a barrister by ‘shadowing’ them for a few days or weeks. You can secure a mini-pupillage through link days organised by the university, through applying via the chambers’ own applicant portals or through any personal network that you have available to you.Marshalling
Marshalling includes shadowing a judge for the day. These are less common than mini-pupillages.Court visits
This is by far the easiest way to gain an insight into court life. Court visits will give you a more developed perspective of the application of law beyond what you will study, and also provide you with the opportunity to network with barristers you may come into contact with.Vacation Schemes
Although this work-experience is usually catered towards aspiring solicitors, there is no harm in gaining an insight into this legal career path, if only to establish why it is that you do NOT want to go down this route.Volunteering (preferably legal)
This includes any pro-bono work that you may be able to gain including a quasi-paralegal position you may be able to find. However, as first-year law students, this will likely prove difficult to come by.Mooting
Mooting will again provide an invaluable lesson in advocacy that chambers will value as it demonstrates commitment to the Bar from an early stage.
