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International Edition

The inside line - what law students need to stand out in a tough market

Specialists involved in recruiting trainees to law firms are trying to become more honest. "We have all been saying the same thing to students - that we are fantastic," says one manager. The inevitable result, she feels, is that trainees are unprepared for reality. She has seen many students taken aback by daily life when they start the training contract: "It's a shock to the system on the first day." But Legal Week research for the 'Law Student Report 2010' suggests that both firms and prospective trainees are now trying to become more open with each other. By spending a few days together - in a placement scheme - the students and the firms can size each other up.
9 minute read

International Edition

London calling still worth following: why the capital is the place to be for pupillage

It may be expensive, but the capital is the place to be for pupillage, says Field Court barrister Ayeesha Bhutta...
5 minute read

International Edition

BPP gains university status as part of private sector education push

BPP College of Professional Studies has been granted 'university college' status, creating the first private sector university college for more than 30 years. The new arrangement means BPP Law School is now part of BPP University College. However, the law school's name will remain the same and no changes will be made to the way it operates. This is the first time a private institution has been awarded the university college title since Buckingham University College - now the University of Buckingham - was created in 1976.
2 minute read

International Edition

Manchester Met Uni offers lifeline to Halliwells trainees with law firm work placement scheme

Manchester Metropolitan University is offering assistance to the Halliwells future trainees who saw their training contracts cancelled last week with the launch of a new scheme for unemployed graduates. The university will give £1,000 to firms that take on unemployed law graduates for a month-long work placement. The award will allow the receiving firm to pay the graduates a minimum wage salary for four weeks, without incurring costs. The source of the money is a £300,000 grant given to Manchester Met by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to help unemployed graduates gain work experience.
2 minute read

International Edition

Forty-five future Halliwells trainees see training contracts cancelled

Forty-five Halliwells trainees who were due to start their training contracts during the coming year have had their offers terminated in the wake of the firm's asset sale. The trainees spread across three intakes in August this year and January and June 2011 were informed on Monday (19 July) that their training contracts have been cancelled. They will be able to reapply to the purchasing firms through the normal recruitment process, but with no guarantee of the original commitment being honoured.
2 minute read

International Edition

CC increases retention rates to 79% for September qualifying intake

Clifford Chance (CC) has improved its trainee retention rates with 79% of September qualifiers due to remain with the magic circle firm. The offer rate at the firm stood at 82%, as CC offered 60 jobs to 73 qualifiers, from which 58 have accepted a role with the firm. The numbers mark an improvement of almost 10% on the rates at the City giant in March this year and in September 2009, when the retention rate stood at 70% on both occasions.
2 minute read

International Edition

Beachcroft defers one third of trainees from September intake

Beachcroft has deferred a number of trainees who were due to start their training contract at the firm this September. Ten of the 29 trainees from the firm's September intake have agreed to defer for one year, while four more are likely to take paralegal roles - including one in Auckland and another with a Beachcroft client - before commencing their training contract in one year's time.
2 minute read

International Edition

Norton Rose teams up with Cass to pilot partner training

Norton Rose is set to pilot a global partner development programme after entering an agreement with Cass Business School in London. Partners at the City law firm will be trained in areas including efficiency and management under a new scheme to be rolled out later this month.
2 minute read

International Edition

Garrigues launches MBA management programme for law firm leaders

Garrigues' former managing partner is set to launch an executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) to train lawyers and other professionals on leading advisory businesses. Miguel Gordillo, who stepped down from his role as managing partner at the Spanish giant in September 2009, will launch the programme in October this year alongside former chief executive of Deloitte in Europe Alberto Terol.
2 minute read

International Edition

A legal gig - why Blur's drummer decided to train as a lawyer

It's the first day of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BPP Law School's Holborn branch. To break the ice, the tutor suggests that each person tells everyone else what they did over the summer. Cue the usual tales of vacation schemes and exotic holidays. Finally, it's the turn of the scruffy older guy in the corner. "I did some gigs in Hyde Park, then headlined Glastonbury." "A few people thought I was joking at first," explains Dave Rowntree, LPC student and drummer in the band Blur. "But they googled me and found out I was telling the truth. Not that it was a big deal - after a day it was obvious I wasn't going to turn up in a diamond-encrusted Rolls Royce and laud it over everyone. I'm serious about the law and love learning."
6 minute read

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