How to get ahead in your legal career

27 Mar 2018

Did you know, if you want to be successful in the legal world, you need more than a high grade and an in-depth knowledge of law? I didn’t. Craig Sharpe, a marketing specialist from Darlington Solicitors LLP, attended the University of Winchester to talk to budding solicitors about the reasons why...

The increase of competition in the legal marketplace has meant that law firms have needed to make sure that most aspects of their business are flawless. This is due to the increase of technology alongside legal information available online. If you have a bad review, your client will move onto the next firm. If they want to solve a problem, they will do all they can themselves before spending their hard-earned cash. Craig also mentioned that “there are eight times more solicitors than there were in 1960” creating a saturated market.

students in a lecture taught by Darlingtons solicitors

In this saturated market, innovative marketing is becoming more important to the success of winning business in the legal profession. For example, Craig mentioned that he videos solicitors introducing themselves for their firms website, building rapport before the client even walks in the door. This type of creative approach is part of the future in the legal profession and one which should be embraced.

So, you heard it here first. With the increasing competitive nature of the legal world and the importance of marketing becoming apparent to firms, it is vital to start enhancing your professional skills now to be competitive.

About the author

Bethany Puckett - First year LLB (Hons) Law student

Here's what Darlington's Craig Sharpe had to say...

"Having visited and given talks at a number of universities in the last year, I had the pleasure of visiting the University of Winchester.

Getting out and about and meeting students is enjoyable but also very worthwhile for law firms such as ours because we are actively looking for future star performers. The formal cv process is very useful but isn’t always the best way of finding future employees. A more informal approach often allows students to relax a bit and offers a better insight into personality.

This is one of the main reasons why we like to arrange these talks because in a fast changing, highly competitive world, attitude matters just as much as aptitude. This often comes as a surprise to law students to hear bearing in mind the traditional perception of law. Adaptability is also a key trait for most careers, not just law, in an era where a “job for life” is much less common.

The law students at the University of Winchester were impressive, friendly and had a positive attitude, which reflects well on them, but I suspect also the environment at Winchester. They freely engaged during the seminar and a number connected afterwards on social media. The pre-event organisation and the welcome I received from Jessica and Elliott from the Uni Law Society was also excellent.

As a firm we very much look forward to continuing to develop an ongoing relationship with the university and of course its students. One day soon we may even be able to do a joint press release about a Winchester student becoming a trainee at our firm!"

Craig’s background in the legal industry and business development has allowed him to develop a unique view on just what it takes to reach that next stage of employability and, during his lecture, Craig helped to impart this knowledge on to our students.

The university would like to thank both Darlingtons and Craig for their participation on the day and for the learning opportunities they helped create. We hope that students who attended will go away with just that little bit extra in mind to develop alongside their current skills here at Winchester. The Law department looks forward to the next time we are able to welcome Darlingtons and wishes Bethany Puckett, Jessica Osmond and Elliot Hatfield, the best of luck during their work experience.

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