Supermarket Law

New legistlation allows supermarkets and banks to offer consumer legal advice, having been restricted by legislation and regulation previously.  The Government says the new Legal Services Act will increase economic growth in the sector and further promote Britainas a first-class legal services market, believing it will also offer wider choice and better value to the public. Under the new trading bodies, known as Alternative Business Structures (ABS), lawyers will be able to work in mixed-practices offering financial, legal and other advice, or be based at different kinds of businesses, the first of which will be covering services such as property law and probate.

The Bar Standards Board says that these changes could also see barristers, who have traditionally been self-employed, take up single roles in businesses or eventually form partnerships themselves.

However, the Act, having been dubbed by critics as “Tesco Law”, it is feared will undermine the quality and independence of advice.Despite the name, Tesco has said it has "no current plans to offer legal services", whereas the Co-Operative has been one of the first to show interest in offering such legal services.

Internship with Sidley Austin

From Lawyer2B:

Aspiring lawyers at the City Law School are being invited to compete for an internship with Sidley Austin.

Director of the LLM programme professor Alan Riley said: “This internship gives the winning student the opportunity to blend the knowledge that he or she develops on our courses with first-rate practical experience at one of the world’s top law firms.”

The firm is offering a bursary of £5,000 for the placement, which will take place in Sidley’s Brussels office.

To apply students will need to submit an essay from their course and those who achieved top grades will be invited for an interview. 

This may be of interest to any Law graduates looking to find paid work experience and have a particular interest in working abroad.

A Level Results Day

How did everyone do?

Court: Now Open Sundays

The London Courts have, for the first time, opened on a Sunday to deal with the people accused of involvement in the riots last week. Britain's Police Chief also called for around-the-clock Courts to deal with the large number  of people accused.

Your Experience with Work Experience

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.

I am aware that data input and photocopying is a favourite job to give to Work Experience students as they tend not to be  trained in the field of Law. So I was wondering if anyone has had any Work Experience that was incredible and which they will never forget?

Many Thanks,

Max

My Experience with Work Experience

Today was the last day of my work experience at a London City Law Firm. I found it greatly beneficial and thought I might take the opportunity to share my thoughts on the importance of work experience in law. It can be both beneficial for your university application, as well as, giving you an insight into the work of lawyers and barristers.

First I’ll cover the benefit of having an example of work experience in a law-related environment on your university application. When applying to university, the Admissions Tutor will be looking to see evidence of your enthusiasm and love for the subject. Work Experience is one example of many you can provide to illustrate your interest in Law. It will also show the Admissions Tutor you have initiative and many placements, such as those abroad, will illustrate your independence and maturity.

Nevertheless, one must not forget that the experience in itself can be very rewarding. If Law is something in which you are greatly interested, you will learn how the British legal system works. It can also open many doors for you in the future as it will allow you to make contacts, who may be able to help you find a training contract after university.

I hope this has been of interest and whether your aim is to use work experience to enhance your personal statement, or gain an insight into whether it is a subject that interests you, it is still invaluable.

Max

Off Topic: The Apprentice Final

I was rather surprised at first when Lord Sugar announced Tom as his chosen future business partner. However, after giving it more thought it made more sense. Tom had the ideas which, with Lord Sugar's business knowledge, could be brought to life. He showed more potential than the others and in my opinion was the right choice.

What are your views on Lord Sugar's choice?

Max

Apprentice Lawyer

I recently read in a copy of Lawyer2B an article on the future of the Law degree. It was a topic that I had been thinking about for a while and one that I find very interesting. With the increase of tuition fees and high graduate unemployment, many A Level students are considering not going to university for the fear of a lingering debt they will never be able to pay off. This could damage the legal sector, as many potential solicitors may choose a more economically secure training route such as an apprenticeship. What I have been wondering (and was also addressed in the article) is whether an apprenticeship in Law is a viable alternative to a Law degree?

I would be Interested to hear your views please.

Many thanks,
Max

Work Experience London (WEL)

A few weeks ago I created a group on LinkedIn and a twitter account under the name Work Experience London (WEL), linked under connect on the right hand side of my blog. Its aim was to try and bridge the gap between work experience providers and students (A-Level student in particular). I realised recently during my search for work experience in a legal environment, that it is incredibly hard to find and often hard to know where to start. I created WEL to try and help students find placements, especially in a legal career, and hope that it will soon help A-Level student throughout London and late the UK find invaluable work placement opportunities.

Please dont hesitate to comment if you would like to get involved.