The grass is always greener as they say. The traditional view of paralegaling for many in the UK is as a stepping stone to becoming a fully qualified lawyer. However, that is not to say that there aren’t also plenty of satisfied paralegals out there who have no desire to become lawyers. When it comes to assessing who has the juciest leaves to chew, our North American cousins have come up with a new comprehensive ranking of jobs at …

If our rather more serious article below was not enough to put you off then this might just seal the deal. Those with a keen eye for vernacular (somewhat expected with students of the law perhaps?) will notice that the article is aimed at our American cousins. However, upon closer inspection, there is no escaping that lawyer hopefuls are faced with similar challenges on both sides of the Atlantic. As the writer at Legal Geekery helpfully puts it:

"To preface, …

As nervous associates (and partners in some cases) sit out the downturn with crossed fingers and twiddling thumbs, it is no surprise that entrants into a legal career might be questioning the future. With the carnage at the end of 2008 and more job losses expected it does look somewhat bleak out there.

According to The Lawyer nearly 70 per cent of potential lawyers are concerned about their chances of securing a training contract. Only 26 per cent didn’t think …

In an age of equality, it makes sense to have a well thought out dress code in the office. A recent development at Freshfields has ruffled the odd collar however. According to Marie Claire Freshfield ladies are being encouraged to wear high heels and skirts to embrace their femininity.

Apparently, "although accentuating your leg length is highly recommended, necklaces are to be avoided for fear of drawing attention to the bustline," and ladies are encouraged to wear stilettos …

Some of you will have had your Christmas parties already so we’re guessing that the damage has already been done or you managed to juggle the situation without too much trouble.

For everyone else, here is some lighthearted advice from ATL :

"Casino Themes . Casino-themed parties are landmines. People lose all reason when they hear that a "Dinner for Two at Rosa Mexicano " or an iPod Nano is at stake, and I’ve personally seen the power of fake money …

Deferred training contracts obviously provide pretty poor publicity for the firms resorting to such measures but there are dangers for the prospective trainees also. Although rumours abound that a number of firms may be considering going down this path, so far only Muckle and Ward Hadaway have actually pushed back training contracts. We are keeping an ear to the ground on this front as it seems likely that other firms will follow suit as the recession bites harder.

Luckily for …

The first step in dealing with a problem is normally identifying that problem. Procrastination is something most law students (probably any students actually) will become well versed in by the end of their degree and its a habit that is difficult to break even when one starts work (how many files gather dust until a transaction actually begins in earnest??). With nearly everything being computer-based these days internet access is at our finger tips most of the time so …

Now that is not supposed to sound like some sort of life-sentence, it is in fact meant to give a bit of hope to those junior lawyers who are in fear of seeing their ambitions cut short by the current economic crisis. Simple Justice has considered this idea with particular insight:

"You are lawyers.  You were lawyers before.  You are lawyers still.  No one can take that away from you.

What you are not is employed.  What you are not is …

It cannot have escaped your notice that there is a lot of negativity surrounding job prospects at the moment. There are many examples of lawyers and and other professonals being given the boot both here in the UK and in the US at the moment – if you need convincing click here or on the redundancy tag at the top. This might not be the end of the world but what are the options for new entrants into the …

The difficulties of dressing sensibly for the office are one thing  – dress down Friday, office parties etc, etc…(click here for our voluptuous guide to dressing). How about dressing for Sunday brunch at a senior Partner’s house? The at the very thought of spending some of your valuable weekend off with a senior colleague probably fills some of you with dread. However, for others it will be one of those critical opportunities to impress someone who may have a …

Most people apply the adage ‘you’re never to old to start’ to learning the piano or some other skilled hobby. A plucky, if somewhat older, Yorkshireman has taken this to a new lengths by beginning a legal career at an age when most people would be starting to look forward to endless days of [golfing, cruise holidays [preferred retirement activity ]].

Steve Willey aged 56 from Skipton has secured a training contract with west Yorkshire firm Last Cawthra Feather and …

Whilst it may be high season in insolvency and employment practices at the moment, what does one do to pass the time if you are stuck in a dry spot?

We’ve all been there, counting the clock, waiting until it looks like an ok time to pick up and leave but how do you fill the time and how do you (pretend to ) look busy doing it?

Well there are exceptions to every rule and many variables in circumstance (so …