How to prepare

The Law Fair is an in-person event on campus. You'll get much more out of the recruitment fairs (and make a great impression!) if you prepare in advance:

• Check who is coming - find out about the exhibitors in Handshake and identify which interest you the most
• Research the firms' websites so you can talk with their representatives about what interests you and ask relevant questions
• Think about the questions you'd like to ask, possibly including
  
  • the recruitment process, skills, experience and qualities sought
  • career development, training and qualifications, organisation ethos
• Think about yourself, your skills and what interests you so you can answer questions about
  
  • what attracts you to working in the legal sector, and what you know about the sector
  • your relevant skills and experience
• Update your profile in Handshake to reflect your experience and interests; add your CV in your documents and make it public to employers. (Make use of our CV guidance and CareerSet first!)
• Look at our Networking page for tips on talking to employers

If you'd like to chat with one of the Careers and Placements team before the fair, come to a drop-in (11am - 1 pm, Mon - Fri in Semester 1) or send us a question via Handshake.

Visa Options

If you hope to stay on to work in the UK after your degree or Masters, please read the information on our pages for international students (Working after studies section). We recommend you read this information before the fair. Your main options will be the Graduate Route visa, which does not require employer sponsorship, or a points based Skilled Worker Visa if the employer is prepared to sponsor for graduate roles.

Think about what you can offer a UK employer, your strengths and motivation: as well as skills acquired through your course, you might bring cultural knowledge and awareness, language skills, understanding of global markets…

Talking to employers

Be aware that asking about salary and visa sponsorship is not the best way to start a conversation with an employer at the fair! They want to hear something about your skills, experience and enthusiasm, and to see that you have a genuine interest in their firm. Ask questions about the company’s values and culture, and their training programme.  Some of the people on the stand are probably recent graduates so ask them about their experience of the training contract.

The employer representatives at the fair are unlikely to be immigration experts and are probably not the best people to talk to about visa sponsorship. So do your research, decide which organisations you are most interested in (see the section above, Prepare for the fair) and leave questions about visas and sponsorship until later in the recruitment process (interview or job offer).

To find out about the law firms and training providers attending, please see the full list of exhibitors with links to their profile in Handshake. Remember that many of the organisations attending this fair are recruiting from both Law and non-Law subjects.