Weekly Newsletter #17

Here’s what to expect this week…

Let’s get into it 👇

📍 Work experience, insight days & bursaries

🎓 Weightmans (Various)

Thinking about an apprenticeship? Weightmans is running in-person open evenings for their Solicitor Apprenticeship Scheme across Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester through September and October, plus an online session on Thursday 8 October, where you can meet the early careers team and current apprentices. It's a great chance to get your questions answered ahead of applications reopening for the September 2027 intake. Apply ASAP.

⚖️ Radcliffe Chambers (London)

Their one-day mini-pupillages give you the chance to shadow a member of Chambers and get a real insight into life as a commercial/chancery barrister. They offer £100 on completion (plus you can apply for a separate mini-pupillage grant if needed). Applications close 31st October, but apply ASAP.

✏️ Attwells Solicitors (TBC)

Attwells are opening applications for their work experience programme on 1st September 2026. Worth keeping this one bookmarked and being ready to apply when it goes live next week.

🏦 BCLP Open Day (London)

You’ll get the chance to hear from partners, network with trainees and learn more about their work. A great way to get a sense of firm culture before deciding whether to put together a training contract application. Deadline: 25th September.

💼  Trainee, Apprenticeship & Pupillage Roles

🏘️ North Yorkshire Council (North Yorkshire)

North Yorkshire Council is offering a two-year graduate placement, with work ranging from housing policy and affordable housing projects to social housing allocations, tenancy matters, case management and debt recovery. Open to graduates from any degree discipline. Strong communication, analytical and problem-solving skills are what they're really after. Apply by 20th September.

🏦 MUFG (London)

Not a strictly legal opportunity, but worth flagging if compliance work interests you. You'd join MUFG's Client KYC Group, helping the bank meet its legal and regulatory requirements by reviewing client information, carrying out financial crime checks, and learning the fundamentals of Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering work, all while studying towards a Level 3 qualification. No prior experience needed, just GCSE English and Maths and three A-levels. Deadline: 14th September.

⚖️ Paralegal & Entry Level Roles

📜 Wrigleys (Leeds)

Wrigleys is hiring a Junior Paralegal for their Private Client team in Leeds, one of the most successful outside London, handling complex and high value estate administration. You'll help draft wills, powers of attorney and estate accounts, and support solicitors with their caseloads. A law degree and strong IT and organisational skills are what they're after. Deadline: 4th September.

📚 LexisNexis (London)

A slightly different role for anyone who enjoys writing as much as researching. LexisNexis is hiring on a 12 month contract to help develop Lexis+ UK, its online legal practical guidance and research product. You'll draft and review legal practice notes, checklists and precedents across Banking & Finance, Restructuring & Insolvency, Financial Services and Insurance. Apply ASAP.

💼 Elliot Mather LLP (Derby)

Limited details on this one as we spotted it in a LinkedIn post. They are looking for a part time Receptionist/Admin Assistant up to 3 days a week. It could be a great way to get your foot in the door at a firm and pick up client-facing experience. Apply ASAP.

🌿 Natural England (Various)

Interested in environmental or public law? Natural England is hiring a Paralegal for its Legal and Access to Information team, supporting legal research, litigation, enforcement work and drafting agreements, with a current focus on the Planning and Infrastructure Act. You'll need six months to a year's relevant experience for this one. Deadline: 21st September.

🏥 NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (Cardiff / St Asaph)

A really interesting entry point into legal work within the NHS. You'd join the Inquest Team, assisting with the day-to-day management of inquests for Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts across Wales. This could involve opening new enquiries, liaising with Coroner's officers, attending inquest hearings and helping witnesses navigate the process, all under close supervision of a Senior Lawyer. A law degree (or equivalent) is essential, but they're looking for some general office experience rather than years of specialist practice. Welsh language skills are a bonus but not required. Deadline: 31st August, so be quick!

⏳ Gordons LLP (Bradford)

Again just a LinkedIn post, so limited details available. Gordons is after paralegals or recent law graduates available at short notice to work on a temporary project. Full-time in Bradford. Register your interest by emailing [email protected] with an up-to-date CV and your availability.

💻 Harrison Clark Rickerbys (Wye Valley / Ross-on-Wye)

HCR is a full-service regional firm with 13 offices across England and Wales, and they're hiring a Paralegal for their Corporate team, advising everyone from private companies to private equity houses. You'd be drafting legal documents, carrying out research, and supporting fee earners with day-to-day file management. A legal qualification (LLB or CILEX), or working towards one, is required. They are looking to start someone between August and September 2026, so apply ASAP!

📋 St Philips Chambers (Birmingham)

A different entry point for anyone interested in the Bar rather than solicitor practice. Chambers clerking gives you a front-row seat to how barristers' practices actually run, handling diaries, instructions and client liaison. They’re looking for a 2nd Junior Clerk. Deadline: 4th September.

⚖️ Nelsons Solicitors (Nottingham)

Nelsons is one of the East Midlands' largest and fastest-growing firms, and they're hiring a Paralegal for their Court of Protection team, supporting vulnerable clients, alongside other matters such as advising Boards of Trustees. No prior experience is required, but they note client care skills on the job description, so it could be a great opportunity for someone who is currently working in a different sector with the relevant skillset. Apply ASAP!

👨‍👩‍👧 Nelsons Solicitors (Derby)

A second opening at Nelsons, this time in their Family Law team in Derby, handling care proceedings and related matters. You’ll need the ability to manage fast-paced work, whilst maintaining accuracy and empathy. No prior experience required. Apply ASAP.

📄 Taylor Emmet (Sheffield)

Taylor Emmet is hiring a Paralegal for their Wills and LPA team in Sheffield, managing your own caseload of straightforward wills and guiding clients through the LPA process from drafting to registration. You'll work closely with senior colleagues on more complex cases involving trusts or Inheritance Tax. Strong communication and organisational skills are key. Apply ASAP.

My response: I think everyone has their own style in a group exercise. Some people are naturally more confident and outspoken than others, and that's completely okay. Remember that group exercises are as much about how you interact with others as what you actually say and contribute to the task.

I’ve experienced group exercises which are focused on a specific case study, requiring you to really focus and think commercially, as well as one where you had to debate your favourite superhero (unnamed US law firm)! It really is difficult to prepare for every scenario.

That said, here’s a few practical suggestions from me…

🗣️ Say something early, even if it's a simple question. Getting a contribution in, even a small one, will build your confidence and make it much easier to speak again later.

💻 Take your time to read the task. It’s better to say less and make some really considered points, than to speak lots and miss important details.

🤝 Bring quieter people in. A simple "what do you think?" to someone who hasn't spoken yet shows collaboration, not just confidence, and assessors notice it.

⏱️ Watch the clock, out loud. Saying something like "we've got five minutes left, should we start pulling this together?" shows structure and leadership without dominating the discussion.

🙅 Don't fight to be right. If someone else makes a good point, say so. Assessors aren't looking for the person who "wins" the exercise. They're looking for someone they'd want on their team.

✨ Remember that you've earned your place there. I always used to feel so intimidated in these settings. It felt like everyone else was more confident and eloquent than me. But you earned yourself that interview, and you deserve to be in that room, so show them what you could bring to the firm/company.

Above all, as difficult as it is in an interview setting, try to be yourself.

We’ve put together this piece about the Pupillage Gateway. I hope it’s helpful for those of you considering applying for the first time or in the future.

🎓 What actually is the Pupillage Gateway?

The Pupillage Gateway is the Bar Council's official online system for applying for pupillage. It's the single place where every pupillage vacancy has to be listed, which is designed to keep the process fair, transparent and open to everyone, rather than relying on personal connections or word of mouth.

Chambers and other approved training providers (technically called AETOs or “Authorised Education and Training Organisations") advertise their vacancies on the Gateway. Most of them also run their actual recruitment through it too, though a handful ask you to apply to them directly instead, so it's worth double-checking each individual advert for how to apply.

Once you've created an account, you can search vacancies by location, pupillage award, length, start date and practice area, and build up your academic and work experience history in advance, so it's ready to attach to every application the moment the window opens.

📅 Know the timetable

The Pupillage Gateway application window for the 2027 recruitment round opens in January and closes towards the end of January. But you can start preparing your account and uploading your academic and work experience from September 2026, and chambers’ vacancies will be available to browse from November 2026.

First things first, save these dates:

7 September 2026 – Applicant accounts open
23rd November 2026 12:01am – Pupillage advertisements become available
4 January 2027, 11am – Applications open
28 January 2027, 11:59pm – Applications close
7 May 2027, 9:30am – Initial offers are made

You can look at the Bar Council 'Pupillage Gateway' for more detail.

❓ Next steps

That means you have months to prepare - so what should you actually be doing? Here’s a few ideas of how you could organise your time to make sure not everything is left until the last minute…

September:
Set up your Gateway account and make sure your academic and work experience history is complete. Start making a list of chambers you are interested in.

Start building up your CV too. Of course securing legal work experience is great, but we know how challenging that is. Alternatives you could consider are volunteering for organisations like Transform Justice, listening to legal podcasts like Law Pod UK, joining relevant webinars or getting experience outside of the legal sector. Each of these could be adapted to build your applications. Make sure to keep a note of everything you do!

October:
Research your shortlisted chambers properly. Consider the chambers’ practice areas, the type of work they do, their recent cases, their culture, their values, their approach to pupillage and the type of clients they represent. Start identifying what genuinely attracts you to each set.

November:
Read the advertisements when they are published on 23rd November. Check eligibility, practice areas, awards, location and, importantly, the specific questions each chambers asks.

December:
Draft, redraft and get someone else to read your applications.

Remember to ask yourself - amongst so many applicants, what will make you memorable?

This should go beyond your academic achievements and legal work experience. For example, for Erin, competitive dance taught her discipline, resilience, performance skills and how to work under pressure. Performing in front of people also helped her become comfortable being watched and judged - something that is very relevant when you are standing up in court! Working with children has developed her patience, communication and ability to adapt how she communicates depending on who she is speaking to. Being a makeup artist has taught her how to build relationships with clients, manage expectations, work independently, communicate clearly and stay calm when things don't go exactly to plan.

Your part-time job, sport, volunteering, societies, caring responsibilities, hobbies or other commitments might seem completely unrelated to the Bar, but they could contain some of your strongest examples. Take time to work out what makes you stand out from the crowd.

January:
Submit early. Don't make 28th January your personal deadline. Give yourself time to check every answer, make sure you have actually answered the question and check that every application is tailored to that chambers.

If you're starting to attend networking events, insight evenings or open days, here's a small habit worth building early: write yourself a quick note in the days after on who you spoke to, briefly what about and which firm, company or chambers they're from.

It doesn't need to be anything formal. A couple of lines is plenty.

It's so easy to meet lots of new people in one evening and think you'll remember the details, only to find weeks later you can't quite recall who mentioned they like netball, or which pupil said to reach out if you had questions.

Having a note to look back on means you can follow up genuinely (rather than a vague "great to meet you!" message on LinkedIn), reference the conversation properly if you apply to an opportunity later, and keep building a real network over time rather than a pile of half-remembered names.

As many of you know, I grew up in South Yorkshire and moved back here from London a few years ago. As we move into Autumn and see more open day and networking event opportunities, I’m very conscious that many of them are based down in London. I know how expensive it can be to travel down to London for events, especially if law firms and companies offer little to no travel expenses.

Can you help us understand how much of a problem this is by filling out our poll? 👇

Thank you - we may add a few polls over the coming weeks to get a better understanding of what’s important to our community!

That’s all for now. See you next week.

^{The careers advice shared in this newsletter is intended as general guidance and should not be treated as formal legal or recruitment advice. I do my best to keep all opportunities and deadlines accurate and up-to-date at the time of writing, but always double-check the employer’s website before applying.}