Reimagine Law

There are so many opportunities to find out about the legal profession and what it involves, but you need to know where to look for them and find which ones interest you.  Looking early and matching opportunties to your values can really help maximise your development.  Laura Bruce gives a fantastic overview of the work of the Sutton Trust who provide many opportunities to future lawyers and Blessing gives a great insight as to what it is like to undertake them.

This episode encourage listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode.

- Confidence is important, and difficult to gain. Reflect on the different areas that you feel you lack confidence in and think about what opportunties might help you increase your competence in that area.
- Opportunities are there and they are open to you.  Look at the search terms and organisations mentioned by Laura Bruce to see if any of them interest you. 

Resources
- Have a look at the Sutton Trust website here
- Have a look at Prime
- The Pegasus Access and Support Scheme at Inner Temple is here
- Middle Temple have an access to the Bar scheme here
- There are lots of pro bono opportunities listed here

Can trader training help you with your legal career? Should work experience be re-named experience of work? This episode welcomes graduate Arun Sohan-Pall and David Ampaw, a partner at DLA Piper explore the importance of students seeking to understand the work place in order to gain genuine commercial awareness. 

This episode encourages listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode. 

1. Reflect on how to understand the business of law. Who can you speak to and how can you source information to further understand the business of law? What operationally works and is important to law firms.

2. Think about an area you have a natural interest in and use the information available to really understand what that area is about - go on get under the skin!

Useful resources:
- Have a look at the Prime website for students: https://primecommitment.co.uk/for-students.
- Explore the careers, news and graduate sections of the Totally Legal website: https://www.totallylegal.com/careers/news/

How much do you really know about what judicial roles exist? What areas of life and law do they cover?  This episodes gives an overview of the judiciary and spends time considering the value and importance of a diverse judiciary in society.  Judge Ikram shares an insight into his own background and how he doesn't think he looks like a judge!

This episode encourages listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode. 

1.  Judge Ikram emphasised the importance in his role of understanding different perspectives across society.  So to develop your own career successfully, consider: “How broad are my networks and sources of information? And who could help me to connect with other perspectives, so I see issues from other angles?”
2. Take some time to sit in the public gallery of your local court.  Absorb the atmosphere, the staff, the judges.  Did anything surprise you?

Useful resources:

- Read about Judge Tan Ikrams career and background at these two links: here and here.
- At the time of recording these were the latest statistics on judicial diversity: here
- Read about the different types of judicial roles that exist on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website: here 

This episode demystifies what an apprenticeship in law actually involves, and how it can lead to you becoming fully qualified (with no student debt!). It promotes the very real benefits that it can bring to students and future lawyers. The team are joined by Maya Taylor and Muhammad Merali who are at different stages of their apprenticeship at Kennedy's Law. This insightful episode brings to life the realities of an apprenticeship and encourages listeners to consider this important route.

This episode encourages listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode.

1. If life is a race, speak to 2 people already into the early stages of their career and consider which route you want to be in the 'race' for.
2. Connect with some current apprentices and ask them about their journey and why they made the decisions they did.

Useful resources:
- More information on Law Apprenticeships from BPP here
- More information on Law Apprenticeships from the University of Law here
- Prospects has some useful information on legal apprenticeships here

The ReImagineLAW team welcome guests Joseph Toft, second year LLB Law student and Jessica Piggot a solicitor at Reed Smith LLP.

Joseph discusses the actions from episode 3 and speaks with Jess about her career pathway of not undertaking a law degree. 

This episode encourages listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode:

1. Topics you initially aren't considering might surprise you: talk to a fellow student or tutor about a module in next year's course you know little about.
2. Talk to someone working in the sector you are considering: and then ask them "What other routes did you consider?".
3. Do something which stretches yourself and takes you out of your comfort zone in relation to you educational and/or career path. 

Useful resources:

- There is some more information on the Graduate Diploma in Law here
- Doing a law conversion course
- What if you have a Law Degree but don't want to practice law?  This might be a useful article for you to read

We encourage listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to this episode. 

1. Start investigating which organisations share your values.  How did you know that? 
2. What is the follow up question to the obvious question that you might ask? 
3. Develop the two questions habit (whether at an event, or online or by email).
4. Do a personal SWOT analysis (strengths / weaknesses / opportunities / threats). What limitations might you face? 

Useful resources:

1. 7 habits of highly effective people
2. 7 Networking Tips for Getting a Job (Tip number 5 is particularly crucial)
3. The power of questions
4. Here are some useful links on networking:

• Target Jobs - Networking Tips for Aspiring Lawyers
• Harvard Business Review - Networking Myths Dispelled

Take a look at the Drop Box for this episode which contains a SWOT analysis template that you can use and a note on CVs, Cover Letters and Interviews.

Do you know yourself, your values and what drives you? How do you match these values up with potential career choices? There is a lot of pressure on school leavers, students and graduates to follow certain career paths, but how well suited are these paths to the actual person?  This episode explores the importance of understanding who you are and using this to inform your path, whilst encouraging listeners to undertake some practical actions. 

1. Consider where you get your energy from?  Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Are there certain times of the day / activities / people / topics who energise you? 

2. What values are important to you?  Can or do these link to a certain career path? 

3. Consider the different groups of people who you can trust and go to for advice.  Who is your personal advisory board?

Links and Useful resources: 

1. Next Step Support - A collaborative website which provides support services to students and recent graduates 
2. Ted Talk: The power of introverts
3. Here are some interesting links on personal advisory boards: 

• MentorLoop
• LiveCareer
• Success.com

Look at the Drop Box for this episode which contains 3 document; Career Focus tips tricks and resources, Edgar Scheins table of career Anchors, Schwartz table of Career Values.