15. Essential economics and finance

This chapter focuses on the economic and financial environment, looking at the basics of economics, financial markets, and the major players within those markets. It examines the fundamentals of money and finance: what money is, how to organise and account for it, and what happens when things go wrong. It also discusses the potential political, social, and economic impact of Brexit.

12. Making yourself more employable

This chapter focuses on the additional skills needed to embark on a career in practising law. It discusses personal characteristics; team-working; delegation; meetings; client care; networking; marketing; IT skills; and the use of social media. It also considers the meaning of commercial awareness and how this might be explored at interviews.

6. Legal services

This chapter examines the development of the legal profession in the UK. It discusses lawyers as professionals; the importance of legal services and their regulation; the legal profession in England and Wales; the role of ethics in lawyers’ work and the changing face of the legal profession within society.

16. Law firms as businesses

This chapter first discusses the business aspect of law firms. Law firms have the same financial motivations and pressures as any other business. They need money (investment) to set up, and then to survive and grow. Law firms need to make a profit, attract clients, and stay ahead of other law firms. They operate within the legal market, producing a product—legal services—the ‘consumers’ of which are the clients. The chapter considers who those clients are, and why they chose a particular firm.

13. Understanding clients: individuals and businesses

This chapter uses a client case study to explore life events that will require individuals and businesses to have recourse to the law. It also looks at how both individuals and businesses raise money, showing that there, many reasons why individuals and businesses will have recourse to the law. Often the need for legal services is triggered by some form of important life event, such as moving house, divorce, or setting up a business. All life events will have a legal and financial impact on individuals and businesses. Lawyers need to anticipate their clients’ needs in the light of this.

9. Problem solving

This chapter first explains how to deal with problem-solving questions, as traditionally set for students on undergraduate law programmes. This includes consideration of the IRAC model. It then explores some of the practicalities faced by lawyers when problem-solving in practice, such as: clients providing insufficient or too much information, taking account of clients’ personal and commercial objectives, and considering other stakeholders’ interests. Next, the chapter considers in more detail the conclusion of problem-solving in practice: advice to the client.

17. CVs, applications, and interviews

This chapter covers the graduate careers employability process, looking at CVs, application forms and interviews. Considering law firm and other graduate employers, it suggests ways of ensuring that applications and CVs best show a candidate’s knowledge, skills and commercial awareness. It also provides guidance on approaching interviews and related selection activities, such as presentations, group work and psychometric tests.

11. Writing and drafting

This chapter focuses on the development and improvement of writing and drafting skills. The discussions cover writing legal essays; the characteristics of good writing; professional writing; drafting; dictation; and writing and drafting templates.

10. Advocacy, mooting, and professional communication

This chapter focuses on advocacy, mooting, and communication skills. It first explains the term ‘communication skills’ and then discusses their application in presentations, advocacy, mooting, face-to-face communication, and communication by telephone. The section on advocacy skills considers the preparation and use of skeleton arguments and case bundles.

7. Reading and understanding law

This chapter describes techniques for reading and understanding law, discussing the practicalities of reading; sources of law; statutes; statutory instruments; case law; and EU law.