Get your self some experience...

As you may or may not have noticed I have been rather quiet this week, thats because I've been doing work experience at a Law firm in Nottingham. I have absolutely loved my week, the solicitors I was with made sure I had a varied week in lots of different departments and lots of things to do. So big thank you to them, also I got to spend a week in Nottingham which is a beautiful city.

 With the level of competition in gaining Training Contracts it is now essential that you have some form of work experience on your C.V, whether its a vacation scheme, internship or just straight forward work experience. 

So I'm going to give you my top tips for gaining work experience and how to ace your work experience. 

How to get Work Experience 

1. If you don't ask you don't get, when you get the opportunities to meet solicitors, barristers, chartered legal executives, chat to them and ask them for work experience. This is how I got my most of my work experience. I asked if there was any chance of me coming for a week and 99% of the time they say YES. 
2. Once you've asked get their contact details and follow up with an e-mail and cover letter, I always follow up within a few days so that its fresh in their mind. 
3. Be enthusiastic, so you don't want to work in property who cares still tell them how much you will value the opportunity.
4. Respond promptly to all correspondence, solicitors are busy busy people so they may take some time getting back to you. You do not have the same luxury always reply within 1-3 days of receiving the e-mail.
5. Be flexible with dates if they offer a number of dates try and be as accommodating as possible, obviously if its a week before exams they will understand. 

So you've got managed to get some work experience...whats next??

How to ace your Work Experience..

1. Be on time! If you have to get up early to get the earlier Train/Bus/Car/Taxi/Tram then do it, nothing looks worse than turning up late on your first day. If you turn up early/on time it will make you look keen and ready for work, if you turn up late they will think you don't care.
2. If you are running late because your transport got delayed or something happened outside your control then contact them, it shows that you value the time they have set aside for you and that your still on your way. 
3. Dress smart (super smart) first impressions count for a lot (yes you shouldn't be judged for how you look, but you will be). If you turn up smart and on time they will think "hey this person cares and is ready to learn". If you turn up scruffy and late they will think "this person obviously doesn't care". So set aside some time the night before to iron your shirt and polish your shoes. 
4. Take a note pad with you, when someone asks you to do something take notes so that you get the task right. If you attend a meeting, court, client interview or conference call take lots of notes and then type them up for the solicitor your with. If they haven't asked you to take notes offer beforehand it goes down well. 
5. If your given a task and you think there is something extra you can do ask them if you they would like you to do that little bit extra, it shows intuition and dedication to the task. 
6. Thank everyone for giving up there time for you, they are busy busy people and they will appreciate the acknowledgement. 
7. If you have questions then ask them, every department I worked in I asked people lots of questions about their department, how they qualified, if they had an tips and what they enjoyed about the area of law they worked in. Advice is invaluable I gained an incredible insight into qualifying routes and day to day life which you won't get from just going to lectures. 
8. Grab every single opportunity if both hands, if someone asks if you want to sit in on something say yes! One morning I had to get up at 5 am so that I could travel to sit in on a hearing, did i want to get up that early ...not particularly. Did I still say yes and love every second...of course. 
9. Work on every task given like your being graded for it, there is a chance that you might apply to this firm for a training contract or vacation scheme. You want them to remember you as always working to high standard. 
10. Enjoy learning how a law firm runs and how various areas work. I love seeing law in practice the reality of tort law in theory to in practice is incredible. You might not enjoy that area in theory but in practice you might think is the best thing ever. 

So those are my tips for getting and acing work experience  I hope they help and if you have any tips let me know. Good luck in getting your foot in the door, the first step is asking for it. Sending huge sleepy Leicester cuddles. 

Lady Law Student 

xxx

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So you're going to be a law student...

You've spent two years cramming for A Level exams, drafting personal statements, visiting prospective universities, panicking about exams, and then the long wait. Maybe you've taken a gap year or a few years out, either way the time is finally here your going to be a law student. 

So what should you expect? Are the horror stories true? Are you going to have a life, or will it be three years of tears and case studies? How will you cope? 

In my first year lecture, over two years ago (where does the time go), our the head of our Law school warned us that while other courses would get to enjoy the carefree fun of first year we would be cramming morning noon and night. Was this true? well yes and no. Yes you have to work hard, but you knew that already, but your not going to spend the entirety of your three year degree staring at the Library walls. It's about balance.

My Ten Top Tips for Surviving 

1.  Go to lectures - this might seem like a silly point to make, but if you go to the lectures at the time tabled slot then you wont have to spend valuable hours catching up on Black Board.
2. Do the reading - no one wants to sit in a silent tutor group, it will be the longest hour of your life if no body speaks. It will also help hugely when it comes to revising later on. 
3. Get to grips with OSCOLA - I spent so much time stressing over my referencing, if you get to grips with it now when it comes to writing your first essay it will make your life easier. Also reference as you go, saves time and you wont have try and frantically remember where you got that case from. 
4. Buy your text books second hand - Law books are expensive there is no beating around the bush, however if you pick them up second hand from Second and Third years you will save your self some valuable pennies. 
5. Manage your time - You can still have a life, you can still go out, you can have it all...just make sure you manage your time. Of course you can go out on Wednesday dressed as Mario, if you do your work little and often you wont suddenly be faced with 30 pages of Land law hungover on a Thursday morning. 
6. Start revising early - Those summer exams roll around quickly, I mean really quickly your there enjoying your Christmas break eating mince pies and then BANG exams are here. Start your revision before the Easter holidays and do little and often and you will ace those exams (and you wont be panic cramming right at the end). 
7. If your stuck ask for help - E-mail your tutors, they are there to help but do it with plenty of time. If you send them an e-mail a day before something is due to be handed in don't expect a response!! 
8. Join the Law society - Not only do they put on great networking events, competitions, sporting events, and the yearly law ball (a well deserved chance to let your hair down). It will also give you the chance to meet important contacts for when it comes to applying for training contracts. 
9. Buy lots of highlighters and sticky tabs - when it comes to organizing your notes and finding that quote from some obscure academic or judge you will thank your self if you stuck a sticky tab next to it for future use.  
10. Enjoy your self - Your time at University will fly by, three years might seem like a long time but it will fly by. I swear time is sped up at Uni, so get stuck in and enjoy your self, make friends, join societies and take part. 

  

Enjoy your time at Uni, good luck and work hard. Let me know if you have any tips for being a law student, or if you have any general student tips. 

Lady Law Student

xx

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July Favourites

What a month July has been, after the excitement of June (getting older, holiday and engagements) I thought July might have been a bit of anti-climax. However Ive still managed to cram lots of exciting things in-between working lots and lots to save for my final year. So seeing as we are now in August I thought it was time for my July Favorites. 

So without further delay....

Beauty and Beauty Accessories

July Beauty Favourites

Brush Cleaning Mat

Firstly I must apologize for how dirty it is but that also shows how much I use it, this little mat has become part of my weekly brush cleaning routine. This mat works wonders, it has six different textures that help clean all your different make-up brushes without damaging the bristles. It has suction cups on the reverse that means that it attaches to your sink for easy cleaning. This little gem was a present all the way from Canada from my beautiful Canadian Soul Sista, and it was well worth the long trip that it had to travel to get to me. 

NYX Photo- Loving Primer

On a recent trip to the NYX counter in the Boots at Fosse Park, if you live in Leicester you and you like makeup you need to take a visit to the Boots there its massive. Like a Bee to pollen I headed straight to the NYX counter which is stocked with pretty much every single NYX product you could ever dream of trying. I recently decided that I needed to add a primer to my routine so I picked this one up, I highly recommend this product it keeps my makeup on all day and makes putting on foundation a dream. 

NYX - Lingerie

 In the very same shopping trip I picked up these two matte lip products from NYX, they are slightly heavier than the NYX Matte Lip Cream (which I love) which makes them perfect for a night out. I'm a huge fan of nude lips during the summer, I move to a much darker lip in the winter. They have fantastic staying power and could easily be a cheap dupe for Kylie Lip Kits. 

Clinique Beyond Perfecting

Ah Clinique...I tried so hard to stay away, I even tried to find your replacement but alas it was not to be. As you may or may not know I tried to find a replacement for this that was slightly cheaper from NYX, and I lasted all of one week before I had to return to my old friend. I wont beat around the bush I simply hated the NYX foundation from my Pay Day post, the shade was flat and washed me out, the coverage just wasn't good enough and it felt like it just didn't sit right. So I reinvested in my old friend, and to be honest one bottle lasts me around 3-4 months so I don't feel too bad about it. 

 Food and Drink

Edamame Beans

Edamame Beans and Rock Salt

Before my lovely Canadian Soul Sista returned to her snowy home land she got me ridiculously addicted to these beans. If you have been to Wagamamas, Yo! Sushi or any other Japanese restaurant you've probably come across these pods of deliciousness. They are soy beans still in there pods that you can eat hot or cold (but they must be cooked), you pop open the pods and munch away on the beans (I cover mine in either salt or a sprinkle of Parmesan). Recently I found them in the Chinese supermarket next to DMU for £1.70 per frozen bag, and I just had to bulk buy and stock my freezer. These are now my favorite snack food, and better for you than crisps. 

Hazelnut milk

I have had such a massive sweet tooth at the moment, I ate an entire bag of cookies on the walk home yesterday (much to Simon's amusement). The one thing that has helped curb it is Hazelnut milk, I've been popping this on my cereal in the morning for a morning burst of sweet goodness. Normally I'm a sucker for Almond Milk but being the rock and roll person I am I decided to mix it up. It successfully transforms your boring healthy bran flakes into a morning treat ..so for that its made it into my favorites.

Brambles Favorites

This month Miss Bramble discovered that she rather liked the taste of our door frame, we decided that while she might like the taste we preferred it teeth mark free. So to curb this new chewing habit we picked up some bitter apple spray from Wits End  it works an absolute dream, she hasn't gone near the door frames since spraying it on. I've even managed to protect my plants from her sharp little puppy teeth with it. 

The second thing on Bramble's list is the Ruffer and Tuffer rope toys  we picked up two toys from this brand and she loves them, the rope colors make it easy for her to see. The second bonus is that it helps with her teeth coming through and saves our furniture from destruction. So this brand gets Brambles paw of approval! 

So that's all of mine and Bramble's favorites this month, next month's favorites will be slightly different so stay tuned for that. Let me know what you've enjoyed this month, and if you have tried any of the things in this post. As always you can follow me on Blog Lovin,or FaceBook you can hit subscribe :). 

Sending lots of Leicester cuddles

Lady Law Student & Bramble 

xx
 

  

 

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Pay Day Treats

Twinkle lights, lashes and cushions

Goodies

Its pay day (woohoo) and its taking all my strength not to press checkout on my ASOS wish list, so instead of spending horrible amounts on 100's of white t-shirts and midi skirts I decided to venture into town and pick up some budget treats. Hopefully this will quieten the inner shopping demon (mines very large and very persistent). 

First of all apparently I live under a rock, this is the only conclusion that possibly makes sense as I have never ventured into the Homeware section of Primark . I love Primark PJ's, socks, and makeup bags so its beyond me why I never ventured to Homeware, so today I finally did..and WOW!! 

Homeware Treats

Cushion - £5.00

Hello Sign - £12.00

Rose Fairy Lights - £6.00

Cushion, lights, and hello lights

Candle - £1.50

How cute are these little treats, the home ware section in the Leicester Primark isn't the largest but I still managed to find plenty of goodies to take home with me. I'm obsessed with cushions and once I saw this I had to have it for my little office/study/spare room, I plan on spending more time studying at home than the library this year so I'm trying to make my study cosy as possible. 

 Next i picked up this adorable little Hello sign, this one was the last one left so I popped into my basket before anyone else could. This is now proudly sat on my desk looking all twinkly and lovely, the best part is that the its battery powered which means you can place them wherever you want without worrying where the nearest socket is (also potential wedding decoration idea). 

Finally I picked some lovely rose fairy lights and this sea salt and lavender candle, I love candles and I have lots of sweet and pretty Yankee candles. So I wanted to pick up something a bit fresher, this has a very clean scent and isn't overpowering. 

Makeup Haul 

After a spent hours lusting over homeware in Primark I popped across the street to Superdrug and Boots. As I'm trying to save for my final year my beloved Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation is being rationed, so Ive been looking for a high street foundation for day-to-day wear. I (like most people) am a big big fan of NYX cosmetics, they have the best matte lip creams and I use their contour palette pretty much every day...so I thought why not try out the foundation. 

Fingers crossed this is as good as there other products, I also picked up the lasting perfection concealer from collection. Ive heard the most amazing reviews about the concealer so I thought lets see if its worth the hype. 

Finally I picked up an eyeshadow palette from Sleek, I never never never wear eyeshadow but I really want to experiment more with eye makeup (my current routine is mascara...thats it!!). The shades in this palate are neutral and golds which Im hoping will suit my blue eyes. In light of making more an effort with my eye makeup I also picked up some false eyelashes in Superdrug, I can't wait to try them out this weekend. 

Sorry this is such a long post, hope you've enjoyed having a look through my little hauls, let me know what you pick up this week or if you have any of these products. As always you can follow my FB page Lady Law Student or on Blog Lovin. Sending lots of Leicester love and cuddles to you all. 

Lady Law Student 

x

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Paddling Pools, Sunny Walks and Spaniels

Hello all you beautiful people, I hope you've all been enjoying the sunshine this week doesn't it feel like summer has finally arrived? I really hope its here to stay, please pretty please be here to stay. I really love living in the city in the summer, mainly for one reason...GELATO. Leicester has turned into such a Gelato hub its amazing. I especially recommend checking out Gelato Village. 

Paddling Pool

 I've spent a lot of time this week sat in a paddling pool in my back garden in an attempt to keep Bramble and me cool ( and splashing around like a big kid). 

Paddling Pool

Budget Swimming Pool

Bramble keeping cool

I love this paddling pool, I bought it from Amazon a few months ago for the puppy to splash around in when it gets too hot, and Ive finally been able to crack it out. I absolutely love it and so does she, we spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday splashing around and enjoying the sun. My neighbours were no doubt looking out of their windows thinking "what a strange strange girl she is" but quite frankly I don't care :).

Sunday Walks

My favourite day of the weekend is Sundays, yea sure Saturdays are great and you can spend the day shopping, lunching, exploring and seeing friends. However, I much prefer lazy Sundays with Simon and Bramble. We've been trying to explore more of Leicestershire recently, its got so many hidden gems that are worth a look. So this week we made the short drive to Groby and went for a walk around its beautiful countryside. 

Dapper Chappy

Country walks

Bramble and Simon

Groby Pool

I love going on unplanned walks where you just find your way around and don't follow a set path. Bramble absolutely loved bouncing around in the long grass and splashing through some streams. However if you do visit Groby Pool make sure you don't let your dogs (or yourselves) into the actual pool as it has Blue Green Algae which can make you both very poorly.

There are still lots of lovely streams that your dog can splash around in to keep nice and cool, so I highly recommend taking a trip down there. 

Hope your all enjoying your Sunday, let me know what your favourite thing to do on a Sunday is. Don't forget you can follow my FB page Lady Law Student and on Blog Lovin (if your on there). Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, sending lots of Leicester cuddles to you all. 

Lady Law Student

xx

 

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