Networking in the legal sector

About me

Hi, my name is Abigail Wonga and I am a writer for The Student Lawyer’s Diversity and Inclusion Team. I am currently in my first year of university, studying a non-law degree with the aspiration to work in legal sector. As my first year of university has nearly come to an end, I would like to talk about what I have learned so far and what you will need to do to make your application stand out.

What, like it’s hard?

Without a doubt, pursuing a career in law is difficult. You are competing with many skilled, competent and diligent students. Russell group or non russell group, the legal industry is known to be very rigorous. As someone from a non-law background, I am at an advantage whereby I bring something different. Not having to take the conventional route, I believe that this distinguishes me from other applicants.

However in reality this is not the case. Law as a career looks beyond than just your grades. The career path assesses your personality, likeability, extracurricular activities and how well you can just about sell yourself for the position which you are applying for. The important thing to note is that not everything you do outside of university should be related to law; working a part-time job during university is also relevant.

What is networking?

Networking is defined as the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. In the legal sector, networking is crucial to paving a way for yourself and future career. Personally, my journey in law began through RARE Recruitment x Hogan Lovells’ ‘ Ladder to Law Programme ’ in Year 12-13 which is a development initiative targeted to students of African and Caribbean descent from a low socioeconomic background. I have been able to become members of other programmes targeted to ethnic minorities of such background. For instance, being a member of Aspiring Solicitors provided me with the opportunity to attend the Allen and Overy ‘Women in Law Event.’

I am currently participating in the GROW Mentoring programme, where I have regular contact with my assigned mentor, a lawyer, who provides valuable tips and advice on navigating a career in law, including submitting applications and strengthening my CV.

If you are an aspiring lawyer from an underrepresented background, I suggest you sign up for initiatives such as:

• Aspiring Solicitors;
• GROW Mentoring;
• SEO London;
• The Brokerage;
• City Solicitors Horizons (which is under SEO London); and
• Uptree.

Read this article ‘ A Guide of Resources for Underrepresented Law Students ’ t o find out more about these organisations.

Networking tips

At first navigating my way in the legal sector was tricky. Being a university student, working part-time and trying to find balance, is very overwhelming. But, with good connections, motivation and discipline, asking yourself why do you want to get to where you want to get to, I am more than certain networking in the legal sector will feel like light work for you.

• Create a LinkedIn account - your network is your net worth and it is important to make sure that you stay connected with those you network with. This can include your class mates from secondary to higher education, your colleagues at your part-time job, your friends at university and many more. LinkedIn provides you with the opportunity to be connected with a range of people and you will never know where the people you connected wth can take you.
• Sign up for events and mailing lists - websites such as Bright Network, specific law firms, Aspiring Solicitors, GROW, SEO London and many more can filter out law specific events you would like to attend.
• Connect with others - If you are a university student, connect with students in the year above - they will know what to expect when pursuing a law/non-law degree and how to pivot in the industry.
• Do not be discouraged - along the way, you may face rejection, but guess what? That’s okay. Continue applying and applying for schemes. It’s like they say, ‘’Out of every no’s, there will be one yes.’’

I wish you all the best in networking in the legal sector.