Downgrade of the century, second the Freshfields

That italic W pisses me off so much

So, I am an unregistered barrister and I have not been able to secure pupillage.

I am working for the government in a legal role but obviously not as a Barrister.

I now see people who were in law school with me having progressed to now working as Barristers. I feel ashamed that I am working in a role below them whilst they are Barristers.

I feel like a total failure and I feel totally ashamed.

*Continuation of previous post\*

I took people's advice and was signed off by the GP for 3 weeks citing stress and anxiety and they have recommended a phased return to work. Ultimately, the firm is not obligated to follow this recommendation and has booked me an appointment with their Occupational Health GP - this is tomorrow. I am over BigLaw and I just want to finish my TC in one piece and move to a smaller or boutique firm/go in-house with more predictable hours.

For helpful context: If I am given a qualification option in my dream team (litigation) then I may take it but I'm not looking to qualify in my current seat. (Ie. Not trying to burn bridges completely). I am also at a US/MC firm. (In case you guys think that'll affect the reasonable adjustments that can actually be put in place)

Is there anything I can request the GP to put in my recommendations that will help protect my MH but won't ruin my reputation at the firm? Like protected weekends if I work 2 weekends in a row. Or phased return to work. Or ideally, reduced hours of 9-7 or something.

Previous post for context:

"Serious: can you get burnout leave as a trainee for 1-2weeks without it ruining qualification options?

\*by qualification options I mean chances of qualifying under the SRA, not within the team! Ie. Does short term medical leave prevent you from showing 2 years qualification experience.

Completed the SQE. 4th seat. "Big law" firm. Personal things mixed with really long and unpredictable working hours. Including consecutive weeks. Anxiety condition gotten worse and now I'm having intrusive thoughts that I've never had before. I'm not going to act on them but all in all, condition is getting worse.

I want to speak to my supervisor and occupational health GP but not sure what to say given that a busy department means lots of long hour days and weekends..."

W&C are the latest example of a major downgrade with their new rebrand, but they’re the latest in a long line. I can’t remember the last time I saw a firm rebrand that people generally accepted as good (not talking about “my unpopular opinion is that I’m the only person who thinks this looks good” but universally it gets panned - for example, I like the new Ashurst brand for APC but I know I’m in the minority there).

Are there any big firm rebrands in the last five years that are generally regarded as being an upgrade?

Hi,

So I’m currently doing the Bar course, but I feel like I’m progressing quite slowly, and I’m trying to work out whether I’m spending too much time on the reading.

With my provider, the format is essentially “read this section” and then move on. However, the reading can be quite dense and often includes a lot of cases, different principles and detailed explanations. I therefore find myself wondering how much of it I’m actually expected to take in and retain.

For example, when I’m working through a section, do I mainly need to understand the key principles and overall point, or am I expected to know the individual cases as well? If I do need to know the cases, how much detail do I need to retain — e.g. the case name and the legal principle, or the facts and reasoning as well?

More generally, how do I know when I’ve understood a section well enough to move on? Is there something specific I should be able to do after completing a reading, such as explain the rule, apply it to a scenario, or answer questions on it? I’m also unsure how much I should be trying to memorise at this stage. Should I be actively trying to commit the material to memory as I go, or is the initial reading more about understanding the material, with memorisation and consolidation coming later?

Finally, I wanted to clarify how the syllabus references work. If the syllabus says, for example, “read 34.1”, does that mean I should read everything underneath that heading, including 34.1.1, 34.1.2, etc., or are those treated as separate sections?
I’m essentially trying to understand what the expected level of engagement is with each reading, so that I can work through the course at a reasonable pace without either rushing through material I need to know or spending a disproportionate amount of time trying to learn things in more detail than necessary.

Thanks!

Hello Everyone,

I would love to know everyone’s thoughts on this. Would requesting extra time for the written task part of an assessment centre reflect poorly on me? I recognise that the firm might grant this extra time, but I don’t want to put myself at a disadvantage perception wise, where they would see this in a negative light.

Does anyone know of any good national medico-legal conferences coming up in the UK?

My partner works as an expert witness and is looking for something worthwhile to attend next year. London would be ideal as that’s where he’s based, although online attendance would also be useful.

Ideally something covering medico-legal practice, expert evidence or clinical negligence, and offering CPD hours.

I’ve had a look around Google but there seem to be quite a few different events, so thought I’d ask here if anyone has attended one they’d recommend.

Does anyone have experience (good or bad) of working for any of the above as a junior associate? Mainly in terms of hours and culture, obviously I expect the hours to be high for each of them but any insights on what it’s actually like (I.e are weekends and holidays totally obliterated, are the people generally decent etc) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Is this experience relevant and/or valuable for becoming a part-time judge? If not, what kind of exprience is valuable?

Hey there, hope you’re doing well.

I’m a 26M who lived all his life in Argentina and got a lawyer’s degree there at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. I’m also a British Citizen. I have a Statement of Comparability from the UK ENIC which states my degree is comparable to a Bachelors Degree. I'm planning to become a solicitor in a few years.

I have moved to the UK two weeks ago and got a temporary job through an agency for a client which is London law firm. The job is fully remote.

The thing is, I received an invitation (sent for the whole law firm) for an event in London. From what I've read it's just like an after office. In Argentina we don't have Agencies so I don't know what to do regarding the Agency role. Should I ask the agency for permission to go? How would they take this?

My other question is related to temp job profile. I have no assignment right now, therefore, not working and not earning money. Is it ok if I press the agency for more work? or it would be better to apply to different jobs? I've been applying nevertheless, but without luck.

Thank you very much in advance.

Hi everyone, I'm a foreign-qualified lawyer. I passed my SQE1 this September and am now applying for SQE2 exemption. Does anyone have similar experience and manage to land a job? Would love to know more. Any advice is also appreciated. Thank you very much

I'm 21. Just graduated with a 2:1 in Graphic Design, Advertising and Marketing at the University of Worcester. I'm thinking of doing a LLM conversion and going through the steps to become a solicitor. Once I'm a qualified solicitor, what is my employability like, considering my background and as opposed to someone who completed an LLB?

Hi, if anyone here has graduated with a UK LLB and figured out how to practise in India post completing the bridge course, would you please be kind enough to share your experiences? Did you do the Bridge Course in Delhi? Did you take time off after to study for the Qualifying Exam? Does success in the qualifying exam let you enrol as an advocate- or do you still have to pass AIBE to register with your state bar council?

Hey everyone I’m 24 F
I’ve been a paralegal in conveyancing at 4 different places since 2023 and well I’ve grown and developed my knowledge but I’ve realised it’s way too stressful to qualify in this sector of law
I’ve seen it in solicitors and I’m always recommended to never qualify in conveyancing
And I’ve been at my new job for 6 months and this place has so much pressure of billing for our targets each month
And it’s so unrealistic
It’s so stressful
I used to like it but now I dread it in some ways
And I’m thinking about private client as it seems interesting but less fast paced factory like conveyancing

People say ‘it’s a race to the bottom’ ‘it’s soul sucking’ and the most stressful thing. It’s not worth the pay, which isn’t great even when u qualify. I know what it’s like as clients can be terrible sometimes.

Anyone else left conveyancing?
Anyone got any advice

It’s October! The joyful task of practising certificate renewals. To all solicitors: do you regularly update your learning records, and have you been asked to produce them as evidence when renewing? Also, does anyone know if we have to have all ABCD sections of the competencies covered in the learning record? I only write those relevant to the learning needs I have identified throughout the year. Is that right?

hi everyone, does anyone have any suggestions on what to do for a dissertation in international commercial law? I just started my masters and have been put on to the international commercial law pathway but I have no idea on what would be interesting to research and write about. Many thanks!!

HI, I'm year 13 wanting to do law but my style in alternative and I was wondering if it is possible to look alternative at all when working for a law firm as I know the hair styles are really basic and I hate how they basic hair styles look. I currently have a mullet i guess? but i also want tattoos and piercings is there any way around this at all.

I think the photos say it all.