Careers Fair Cacti at the University of Warwick

Earlier this week, Mohammed, Katy-Mae and I attended the University of Warwick Lax Expo 2022, a careers fair designed to give students considering a career in law the opportunity to speak to individuals who work in the legal sector. It also gives the attending organisations a forum to engage with current students and discuss work experience, training and job opportunities.

Feldon Dunsmore were one of around 30 organisations who attended the event, representing a wide range of size and type of firm. Following a few years attending the fair virtually owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was great to be able to attend in person this year. We spoke to around 70 students at various stages of their studies - from enthusiastic, bright-eyed first years to keen (albeit slightly stressed) final years. We chatted to students about working in a niche law firm as well as the process of qualifying as a solicitor and the day-to-day working lives of paralegals, trainees and solicitors generally.

Mohammed and I both undertook our undergraduate studies at the University of Warwick, Mohammed graduating in 2018 and myself a few years earlier in 2014, so it was a good chance for us to re-visit and see how the campus has changed and evolved over the years since we left. We also reminisced with some of the current students and were pleased to hear that some of our favourite lecturers were still teaching at the University.

It has become tradition for attendees of career fairs to offer free items to students. When I was at university 10 years ago pens, keyrings and donuts were typically offered. Over the years, the range has broadened in line with the times – this year there were tote bags, reusable water bottles, wireless phone chargers and even passport covers on offer. We wanted to offer something a little different to students this year and, with environmental considerations in mind, opted for cactus plants. Our branded miniature cactus plants attracted many students to our stand who we then were able to engage with, and quickly became the talking point of the day. We would highly recommend The Gluttonous Gardener (https://www.glut.co.uk/).

Throughout the fair, many students asked what my advice would be for someone starting out on their legal career journey. My answer was (and still is) to look to obtain work experience in as many different types and size of organisation as possible. There are so many different types of organisation - from large international firms based in a city to in-house legal departments to multidisciplinary firms and niche law firms of various sizes, and there really is no better way to evaluate the culture and make-up of a particular firm, what they offer and to decide which type and size of firm is the best fit than having the opportunity to experience working in them. Work experience can also provide an insight into different areas of law in practice which can be invaluable in deciding which area of law to specialise in, as practicing in a particular area can be very different from studying it from law books and lectures.

With that in mind, we were excited to share with students details of our vacation scheme which will be running in Spring and Summer next year, and are looking forward to reviewing applications received. Further information about our vacation scheme can be found here: https://www.feldondunsmore.co.uk/site/about/join-us/vacation-scheme.html