Legal Scene interviews : @legallyliana

• Current university, degree: Study of Religions with Politics and Law at SOAS, University of London

• Training Contract holder at : International Firm

• Brief introduction of yourself : I started my blog Legally Liana after securing my training contract this year. I wanted to provide a voice and platform to show that people from diverse backgrounds and non-Russell Group universities have the potential to go into law as much as everyone else. I had tried to find information on getting into law but found that a lot of it was really off-putting and focused on how having all A grades at A Levels was key and that being from Oxford or Cambridge was the defining factor for getting into law. I wanted to change that perception and put out an honest blog on how I got my training contract and how the face of law is changing for the better.

Why did you choose to be a lawyer ?

At the start of my degree I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I spent a lot of time researching different jobs, attending careers fairs and applying for internships and work placements in a variety of things that I was interested in. I was drawn to law because of my interest in politics and how this affects international relations, economies and societies, and law actually became a way for me to tie all of my interests together into work that was both international, intellectually challenging and hugely relevant. I entered a law essay competition in my second year at uni and won it, and that made me realise how interested in law I was and how there are many different things you can do within law.

How do you manage your time as a student ?

Last year I had really detailed schedules because I was juggling uni with my part time job and a day-a-week volunteering placement. It was quite a lot to keep up at times, but I made sure that I kept quotas of what I needed to complete each day and when my next deadline was so that I remained organised. Not everyone likes to work to an exact ‘quota’ telling them how much they need to do a day but I really like it, I find it helps me structure my time and I definitely work more effectively when there’s pressure on me to complete something.

What is your best advice for aspiring solicitors ? (e.g how to stand out in applications)

Think about why you really want to go into law. You need to convince them that you are the right person for the job and you can only get that across by being truly passionate about law or the kinds of topics law works in. If you have a niche interest then definitely pursue it and mention it on applications and interviews – they want to see that you are original, interesting and have an edge on other applicants.

Coming from a non-law background, what is your top advice for non-law students?

Keep on top of your commercial awareness! I don’t think it’s harder for non-law students to get a training contract, but sometimes it can be more natural for law students to keep on top of legal and commercial news. Be aware of what business and legal issues are in mainstream debates and articles at the moment and how they might be relevant to the law firm you are applying for.

What work experience did you do ? Do you think they are important to applications ?

I worked for a charity called ReachOut which is a children’s mentoring charity as a Project Leader. I did have other voluntary experience but this was the only work experience I was asked about in depth. This is because they were really interested to see my commitment to the charity (I was with them for two years) and the skills that I had developed in that time. In particular, I won an award for my work with ReachOut which helped my experience stand out from others.

How do you deal with rejections ?

I only applied to one firm (risky, I know) BUT I would say if you get rejected, take some time to review your application and how you could have improved it. Don’t be afraid to apply to new firms or to that firm again the next year, just make sure you have taken the time to think why you would be a good fit for that firm and use your self awareness to be critical about where your application went wrong and what they might have been looking for. Often a large part of the research is understanding the firm’s work and their culture and values – too often I hear people saying that the culture and values of a law firm are just their for show and don’t mean anything, but you are likely to be picked up on them at interview so don’t think they are irrelevant!

Also, don’t forget there are other amazing jobs in the legal industry such as graduate recruitment, legal engineers, and jobs as paralegals and legal assistants that can be stepping stones to a training contract.

We love your Legal Rundowns. Can you share with us a bit more about it and how our readers can subscribe to it.

I created Liana’s Legal Rundown because I wanted there to be a comprehensive weekly guide on what the latest news is and how this relates to commercial issues. It can be hard when you’re starting out to keep on top of all the news, as well as to know what it is you should be thinking about, so my Rundown’s are there to put you in the right direction. I also give weekly legal application advice to help people applying for vacation schemes and training contracts. The most recent Rundown discussed questions and issues that arise from Mergers and Acquisitions which is something that is commonly asked at interviews or as part of case studies at Assessment Centres. You can subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/a9b1c95c95cd/lianaslegalrundown and find all my top tips for interviews and applications at my website https://legallyliana.com

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