Interview soundbites galore
Any aspiring lawyer will know the tough graduate recruitment process is far less daunting for candidates who have hotshot commercial awareness skills.
You’ll likely fail to get through a training contract interview, maybe even an application form, without being asked about it — so why not brush up now by reading these eight articles?
1. A lesson in commercial awareness from someone who never used to understand it
“Hours can be spent agonising over what exactly you need to show an awareness of, but I think it can be broken down into four basic steps.”
2. Where will corporate law firms be ten years from now?
“Social media offers all sorts of ways of generating new clients, perhaps most obviously through the promotion of a range of free legal services, potentially involving the use of big data. Kids coming into the profession who are brave and bold enough to embrace some of the possibilities could find themselves very well-placed.”
3. Why junior lawyers shouldn’t be afraid of AI, by a law student
“In our homes, Amazon Alexa has become our virtual assistant. IBM Watson and Google Deepmind are pushing the boundaries on what computers can do and countless start-ups are finding exciting applications for AI that can be used today.”
4. Fintech: Can legislation really drive innovation?
“The term ‘fintech’ is no longer enough — instead we see the spawning of ‘regtech’, ‘paytech’, ‘insurtech’ and others to describe the changes that are coming.”
5. What ‘commercial awareness’ means when you’re a trainee
“One of the great experiences as a trainee which helps your commercial understanding grow is that the legal sector attracts people with interesting backgrounds.”
6. Worry more about AI going wrong, says Slaughter and May
“Among the red flags raised by the magic circle firm and perhaps the biggest threat posed by adopting new AI technology is if the software doesn’t work. Computers, like humans, are bound to be stubborn and fail at some point.”
7. Dates for your diary: The big legal affairs stories to look out for in 2017
“Here are some of the biggest of the big landmark legal affairs stories set to hit press in the next 12 months.”
8. How students can turn Brexit to their advantage when applying for training contracts
“There’s never been a better time to impress with your commercial awareness.”
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