UCL Careers Service
Law Careers for
International students
Eric Evans
UCL Careers Service
What skills do you have?
Professional Skills
 Legal Knowledge
 Drafting Skills
 Negotiation
 Attention to Detail
Organisational Skills
 Planning and
organising
 Working as a team
Interpersonal Skills
 Articulate
 Listening Skills
 Written
Communication
Client Orientation
 Commercial
awareness
 Client relationships
What skills do you need to develop?
What experiences can you gain that will
…give you the knowledge about your career
…develop your skills
Make use of your Careers Service
Focus on Law Week
 Lunchtime Forums 2-6 November
Law Fair 16th and 17th November
Law Faculty programme
 in co-operation with Student Law Societies, the
Department Careers Tutor and Patrice Ware
Be proactive to grab more experiences
 Get experience, mini pupillages, pupillages, relevant
experience, voluntary work
Getting the experiences
Vacation placement, mini pupillages and training:
Pro bono programme within faculty
chambersandpartners.com/student
Drink in as much
lawcareers.net
information as you can
studentlaw.com
UCL VSU
www.freerepresentationunit.org.uk
Information on firms and latest legal developments
gti.co.uk
tsg.org
venables.co.uk/legal
Talk to any lawyers and
Icclaw.com
trainees you know
doctorjob.com
Keep thinking about your skills
Develop examples that:
prove these skills to yourself and
successfully communicate to an employer
Compile, polish and practice 10 highlights from
Academic, work, and extra-curricular experience
Outline examples by:
Situation - the setting
Task - the problem or task
Action - the focus of your example, what specific steps did
take to solve the problem
Result - how effective
These examples provide the foundation of your
Covering Letter, CV, Application Form, even Networking
Covering Letter
Tailor each letter to each position
Structure clearly to say:
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Who you are/why you’re writing to them
Why you want that particular role
Why you want to work for them
Why you are suited to both the role and organisation
Be formal; remember it’s a business document
Be accurate; spelling, punctuation and grammar
Can be a speculative letter
What is the purpose of a CV?
 Present yourself well on paper
 Be specific to the job
 Give enough relevant information – qualifications, skills,
work experience
 Give the right impression –motivation, knowledge of role
and organisation
 Set the agenda for the interview –what do you want to be
asked?
An effective CV should win you an interview
What’s different about a UK-style CV?
 UK employers expect a CV to focus clearly on
relevant skills and experience.
 Employers expect a CV to be targeted to their
vacancy.
 Employers don’t expect a set format but expect to
see certain required information.
 CV’s are seen as a professional business
document
The Golden Rules
 Maximum 2 pages
 No photos
 Check spelling, grammar and punctuation
 Don’t waffle – stay to the point
 To catch a fish think like a fish
Basic CV structure
Essential
 Personal details
do need how to contact you
don’t need Date of Birth, Nationality, Gender
 Education history
may divide into relevant and other
give concrete examples for skills developed
 References
available upon request
Optional
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Personal profile – make it specific and sharp not generic and dull
Positions of responsibility
Volunteering
if you list it, explain the relevance
Interests / Leisure Activities
Applying for work and experience in the UK
and in your home country
Know the differences
Prospects country specific information
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Explore
working_and_studying_abroad/Country_specific_information/
Economist Country briefings
http://www.economist.com/countries/
Global Resume and CV Guide
Live & Work in….
…more in the Careers Service Library
More possible resources
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International recruitment consultancies
Individual country directories, eg Graduan (Malaysia)
Chambers of Commerce for information on UK-based companies
operating overseas
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for lists of companies
according to country - www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
Foreign and Commonwealth Office website Directory - details of UK
based Embassies representing overseas countries and lists of British
Embassies overseas
International JobOnline - www.careers.lon.ac.uk/ijo
UCL Alumni http://www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/
International job search websites
http://international.monster.co.uk/
http://www.overseasjobs.com/
http://www.rileyguide.com/intlinfo.html
Groups for information and networks
European Law Students Association
http://www.elsa.org/
Society of Asian Lawyers
http://www.societyofasianlawyers.org/
The Association of Muslim Lawyers
http://www.aml.org.uk/
International Law Students Organisation
http://www.ilsa.org/
London Young Lawyers
http://www.lylg.org.uk/
UCL Law Society
http://uclawsoc.blogspot.com/
UCL LLM Society
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/current/graduate/llm-society/index.shtml
Sell your UK experience
 You have gained valuable academic knowledge.
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Reflect the precise skills and techniques you have
developed.
You have broadened your knowledge by learning
something of another culture. An awareness of different
cultures is one of the main criteria in many careers.
You have improved your language skills.
You may have taken on part-time jobs or work experience,
developing more skills.
You might also have been on student committees,
organised events or been a course representative.
UCL Ranked 4th - QS World University Rankings
International Challenges
 Be clear about your immigration options
 Guide to Post Study Work: 16th & 30th November
 Visa Options Post-Graduation: 10th & 17th May
 Visit UCL Rights & Advice unit
 Not all employers willing to deal with visa issues
 Your search will be more demanding than that of a UK
graduate – prepare for this
 Make the most of the Tier 1: Post Study Work scheme
International opportunities
Register of sponsors from the UK Border Agency
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersan
sponsors/pointsbasedsystem/pbsregisterofsponsors
Directory of International employers
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/careers/is/getting-a-job/directory-of
-international-employers
International Internship Section of the American Bar Association Website
http://www.abanet.org/intlaw/internprofiles.html#uk
SEO London offers training, mentoring and summer vacation scheme
placements with a range of corporate law firms in London.
http://www.seo-london.com/corporate-law-vacation-placement-scheme
Becoming a Solicitor
 Legal Practice Course (1 year)
 Training Contract (2 years)
 Including Professional Skills Course
 Qualified Solicitor
Becoming a Barrister
 Bar Professional Training Course - 1 year
 Pupillage -1 year shadowing a pupil master in
chambers
 Tenancy in Chambers or Employed Bar
Timeline for penultimate year - Prospects.ac.uk
Autumn term
 Research and apply for Christmas vacation placements
 Attend Career Fairs and events
December
 Apply for Easter/Summer placements
Spring
 Investigate alternative work experience/visits
May/June
 Research training contracts. After exam results, submit online
applications for training contracts commencing 2012
 Most large firms have 31st July deadlines
Summer Vacation
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Make full use of Summer vacation for relevant experience
Timeline for final year - Prospects.ac.uk
August/September
 Interviews for training contracts
October
 Apply for full time LPC course www.lawcabs.ac.uk
 Plan your financial arrangements for the course
 Continue to research/apply for training contracts
Spring
 Enrol with the Solicitors Regulation Authority by 1 April
 Accept offer of LPC place
Autumn
 Start LPC
 Continue training contract applications/ interviews as necessary
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/sectors/law_sector.jsp
www.lawsociety.org.uk
Solicitors Regulation Authority www.sra.org.uk
Qualifying for the New York Bar
The Law Society
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Lawyers with foreign law degrees may qualify to take the bar
examination if they can demonstrate that their legal education is the
qualitative and quantative equivalent of the legal education
requirements to those who have received their education in the USA.
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If not, applicants must complete a programme of a minimum 20 credit
hours at an ABA-approved law school.
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Solicitors qualified in England and Wales must have 3 years' formal
education in order to sit the New York State bar examination.
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Solicitors who have qualified via the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL
formerly Common Professional Examination) route are not recognised
as having an adequate legal qualification in order to sit the bar
examination. These candidates must complete an additional 20 hours
of study.
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Solicitors who have qualified via the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test
(QLTT) would have to demonstrate that they have a first degree in law
acquired after three years' full-time or four years' part-time study.
New York Bar continued
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Candidates can have their legal education evaluated by the New York
State Board of Bar Examiners, forms to do this can be downloaded
from the Board's website.
http://www.nybarexam.org/foreign/foreignlegaleducation.htm
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A Foreign Legal Consultant license allows lawyers qualified in a nonUS jurisdiction to provide legal services in the State of New York on
their home country law or the laws of other jurisdictions in which they
are qualified if they are a member in good standing of a recognised
legal profession in a foreign country and have been engaged in a
practice of law for at least three of the five years immediately
preceding the application.
What can the careers service do for you?
 Quick query session
 CV and application form
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checks
Recruitment events,
presentations, careers fairs
Practise psychometric tests
Careers discussions
Practice interviews
4th floor ULU Building
Malet Street, London
WC1E 7HY
telephone: 0207 866 3600
email: careers@ucl.ac.uk
www.ucl.ac.uk/careers
Opening times:
Mon - Thurs 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
 Law Faculty programme
 Law Fair
 Our programme for other Law Employer
Presentations and Skills4Work
 Society programmes and Firm open houses