Brighton alumni return to campus to give students tips and insights into legal practice

On 25 September, Brighton Law School hosted the first legal event of the academic year. ‘From Brighton to the Legal Profession: Alumni Journeys’ saw four Brighton alumni return to campus for a panel discussion focusing on their routes into the profession, perceptions of the future of legal practice and top tips to secure training contracts.  

The panel consisted of Alan Larkin, Director and Head of Innovation & Technology at Family Law Partners, George Harrison, Trainee Solicitor at The Jonathan Lea Network, Lauren Andrews, Trainee Solicitor at East Sussex County Council, and Elizabeth Garniss, Senior Paralegal at Britton and Time Solicitors.

Over 90 minutes, the panel shared their insights into the profession and discussed their current legal roles, ranging from adult social care to private clients to commercial disputes. It became apparent that while the areas of law may differ, the skills to succeed remained constant, ranging from prioritising to keeping an open mind and being open to new opportunities.

The session also looked ahead to the profession’s future, and budding lawyers will be pleased to know that AI is not expected to completely disrupt legal practice. While technology can assist with functional legal tasks, it was felt that AI is perhaps ‘overhyped’ about eroding the soft skills required of a lawyer.

The panel went on to acknowledge that it is a challenging landscape for graduates, with competition for legal roles fierce, and so it was welcomed when the alumni delivered their top tips for securing and excelling in a training contract:

Top tips from our panel for securing and excelling in a training contract

• Understand your personal brand – a training contract is an investment by the firm, so demonstrate during the interview what you can bring to the firm and why they should invest in you
• Research – read up on the firm you wish to join and ask questions of those interviewing you to show you are interested in them specifically
• Experience is valuable – …but this does not need to be legal work experience. Other roles, such as part-time work, can also demonstrate skills that law firms are looking for
• Make yourself indispensable – during your training contract, be proactive in seeking out tasks and asking questions. Offer a solution rather than another problem.
• Consider other roles within a firm – many firms recruit from their paralegal pool, so do not disregard those roles as a means to ‘get a foot in the door’ and develop some experience. Equally, operational roles can help you gain familiarity with the firm before applying for a training contract.

Overall, the panel was an insightful session for current Brighton law students looking to qualify as a solicitor. And to end? Some final words of encouragement from the panel for students applying for legal roles:

‘keep going with the applications… it is easy to lose hope, but you will get there’.

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