Law Careers Fair boosts students’ professional development
Law students at the University of Huddersfield attended an invaluable Careers Fair as part of a range of recent activities designed to enhance their professional and personal development.
Students from the Law School were given the opportunity to network with a number of local, regional and national law firms and local authorities during the event held in the Oastler Building on campus in February.
The Careers Fair saw law firms share their expertise and help students across all four years of law study regarding their career options after graduation, with many of the exhibitors being alumni of the Law School.
The day began with a panel talk, led by the organiser of the Careers Fair, Natalie Prowse, who is the undergraduate Course Leader in the Law School. Guest speakers were Tom Morrison from Stone King Solicitors, Rebecca Wardle from Switalskis Solicitors, Josh Gott from the Crown Prosecution Service and Michaela Veal and Alex Pound from Covea Insurance.
The panel talk highlighted to students that the speakers had different routes into the law and were from a range of legal specialisms, showing the diverse nature of the profession and giving students valuable insight into the variety of career opportunities available to them.
After the panel talk, students moved into the Careers Fair, where law firms were available to provide students with important knowledge to help begin their own legal careers, including tips to enhance their employability within the profession.
A total of 20 established law firms attended the event, including Ramsdens Solicitors, Pinsent Masons, Ridley & Hall, Eaton Smith and Fletchers, who provided insightful advice to widen law students’ prospects and discussed the differing roles available to the students.
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West Yorkshire Police were also in attendance, as well as representatives from Leeds City Council and Calderdale Council. They made students aware of the opportunities available to them regarding working in a legal position for a local authority.
Ms Prowse, Course Leader for Undergraduate Law and Law with Criminology, commented: “It is important for us to bring these employers on to campus for our students to have access to and to see that there are legal jobs available. Our students are inspired to see that many of the lawyers who attend the fair are our graduates and were in their position only a few years ago.”
Earlier in the year, the Law School held a Professional Mentoring Event which saw 30 students across Year 3 and 4 sign up to the scheme, alongside 30 lawyers to act as their mentors, most of whom were University of Huddersfield alumni.
The event itself involved a speed dating format so each student could speak to each lawyer and express a preference, before the mentor-mentee partnerships were created. Of immediate success was the fact that three of the students were offered work experience on the spot by their mentors.
In addition, a number of Year 3 and 4 students spent a week work shadowing at Leeds Magistrates' Court, where they were able to observe a variety of criminal cases, including bail applications, sentencing, case management and prison to court video links. The students were also able to meet three judges and a number of lay magistrates.
The group also spent a day at the Leeds Employment Tribunal and the Bradford Combined Court Centre, where they took part in a family mock trial.
Ms Prowse added: “The work shadowing scheme with the HM Courts and Tribunals Service has not only enhanced our students' employability at a time when work experience can be difficult to come by but has also highlighted to them the role of the trainee legal adviser as an alternative to the traditional role of a trainee solicitor in private practice."