Jovana Dilas on making the most of law fairs

We’re firmly in “Law Fair season” and, if you’re looking to attend your first one, Jovana (Content & Research Lead at Inclusie) has kindly put together a few tips for making the most of the experience.

P.s. Legal Cheek’s Virtual Law Fair and Virtual Pupillage Fair are next week and there’s still time to sign up (here and here).

What is a law fair, and how do I find one?

Law fairs are events where you can meet representatives from different law firms, organisations and chambers.

You can ask questions about each one and find out what it's really like to work there. If you're still studying, your university may run its own law fair. You can also attend various virtual or in-person fairs run by organisations like Legal Cheek.

Some organisations at fairs also recruit solicitor apprentices and paralegals, so they're worth attending even if you're not following the training contract or pupillage route.

How should I prepare?

You won't have time to speak to every stand, so look at the list of attendees in advance and pick out the ones you might want to apply to. Then research them. The more you know going in, the more informed and useful your questions will be.

What should I ask?

Ask about anything that genuinely matters to you and will help you decide whether to apply. Remember, this is your chance to interview the organisation too. It's also worth thinking about what information might help when you come to write your application.

Avoid asking things you could easily find online, such as when vacation scheme or mini-pupillage applications close. It can suggest you haven't done your research and it takes up time you could spend on a more useful conversation. Your research will often throw up good questions naturally, for example:

• Intake: Does the organisation take a notably small or large number of trainees or pupils each year? If you're speaking to a trainee or pupil, you could ask how this affects the responsibility they're given or the dynamic between them.

• Training structure: How is the training structured? For trainees, are there rules about which seats you can do and what seats did they choose and why? For pupils, how many supervisors will you have, what does the second six look like, and how is the tenancy decision made?

• Strategy: How is the organisation's strategy affecting their day-to-day work? Is an area you're interested in one that the organisation is looking to grow?

• AI: This is a hot topic right now. How is the organisation using AI, and what do they see as the opportunities and risks for their organisation or practice area?

If you're interested in particular areas of law, prepare questions on them, but have some general ones ready too. You may meet people with no experience in those areas who can't answer them.

It also helps to have a few questions you can ask at any stand:

• Why did you choose this organisation?

• What are typical trainee/pupil/apprentice tasks?

• What are you most looking forward to in the next few years of your career?

• What drew you to the practice area you work in now?

• Has anything about the organisation surprised you?

• What distinguishes the firm/chambers/company's culture?

Another member of the Inclusie team, Maryam, put together a cheat sheet before the event with each firm she wanted to speak to alongside specific, researched questions. That went down great at Legal Cheek's Law Fair in Birmingham this week!

On the day

Whether the fair is virtual or in person, a few things are worth keeping in mind:

Arrive on time. Fairs usually run for several hours, but it's better to come early as you don't know how long each conversation will take or how busy each stand will be.

Be friendly, polite and listen carefully. Thank people for their time and use open, engaged body language. Feel free to jot down notes, but don't spend the whole conversation writing. Asking follow-up questions based on what someone has just said shows you're actively listening and usually leads to more interesting answers. It's also worth listening to other people's questions, as they may ask something you hadn't thought of.

Warm up first. If you're feeling nervous, don't head straight to your favourite organisation. Start with another stand, ask a few questions, and build your confidence before you get to the one you care most about.

Use all the time available. If there's time left at the end, think about what else could be useful. There may be workshops to join, or you may have new questions for an organisation you've already spoken to. Representatives often change during the day, so you might get to speak to someone from the recruitment team or a solicitor or barrister in a practice area you're interested in. At virtual fairs, you can also join an organisation's booth just to listen to other people's questions.

After the fair

Save your notes from the day and connect on LinkedIn with the people you spoke to.

Most importantly, use what you've learned. Add anything useful to your research notes and keep track of points you might want to mention in your applications. You've already done the work and had the conversations, so make sure they don't go to waste.

Thank you so much to Jovana for writing this piece. Hopefully these tips make your law fair experience feel a little less daunting!