But for students with a disability or a long-term health condition, it doesn’t end there. You’re also trying to work out which businesses will support you properly. Who’ll enable you to manage your condition in the workplace? Who’ll empower you to do your best work? Are there prejudices to overcome in the profession?
If you’re wondering about a career in law, we can help. This interactive event provides undergraduates with disabilities and long-term health conditions with direct connections to law opportunities. You’ll talk to knowledgeable employers. Meet successful lawyers with disabilities. And you’ll get a sense for how to get ahead in a career that’s right for you.
Participating firms for 2019 include: Host Pinsent Masons, BCLP, Clifford Chance, Weil and White & Case
To join us at our Access to Law event, there are a few things we’ll need you to be:
What do we mean by that? Well, first of all, don’t worry – we’re not going to ask you to prove anything to us. We’re looking to help anyone and everyone with a physical or mental condition that has a substantial long-term effect on their day-to-day life.
Your condition could be all kinds of things, many of them not covered here, but just a few examples include: mental health conditions, visual and hearing impairments, mobility impairments, Asperger’s Syndrome, diabetes, epilepsy, dyslexia, dyspraxia, mental health conditions, speech impairments and major illnesses such as cancer and MS.
A career in law is accessible for everyone – but that doesn’t change the fact that it can be competitive sometimes. The firms you’ll meet at the event will all support you, but you’ve got to be bright and curious too.
That said, we do know that not everyone has had the same opportunities to demonstrate that, and many people find themselves barred from academic success. So, with all that in mind, while we generally ask for good grades at A Level, we’ll carefully consider any and all mitigating circumstances.
You could be in the first, second or final year of your degree, and you could be studying law or a non-law subject. Either way, whether you’ve made up your mind that a career in law is for you, or you’re just curious to find out more, this event and its surrounding opportunities are all tailored to your life-stage.
This day-long event is carefully crafted to provide all sorts of vital information about your potential future profession, from how you’ll be supported to how to apply, and whether to declare your condition. Each of our firms is here to get to know you personally, and provide you with all the honest insight they can.
Sessions include:
Get the low-down on this endlessly fascinating profession and the variety of opportunities it presents.
Discover why it’s good to be up-front about disabilities and health issues and what kind of support you can expect.
Learn more about each stage of the recruitment process, and how to maximise your chances of success.
Hear from senior representatives from the firms and previous event participants about their conditions and experiences of the profession.
Practise your newfound skills as you talk over drinks and canapés with representatives from participating firms.
Our organisers run a whole series of events to help young people from all kinds of backgrounds to crack their chosen industry – and plenty of them go on to internships and graduate programmes, thanks to us. Here, you’ll meet students from our previous disability-focused events:
First of all, could tell us your name, job title and the firm you work with?
Kadir Abdul, still looking to find a work placement.
Where did you go to university and what was your subject?
Bachelors of Law, The Open University
What was it that appealed to you about a career in law?
I believe in the transformative power of law, to positively affect the lives of individuals and empower those who are relatively disadvantaged. I am wholeheartedly committed to a legal career, having completed my law degree while working as well as caring for two young children (nursery and primary school ages) and my elderly, disabled mother.
Where did you hear about Open to You and why did you attend?
The Open University careers service
What are the most important things you got out of the event?
The motivation and confidence to pursue my legal career dream
How does your disability/health condition impact your life and work?
It has not had a detrimental effect, I have adjusted to the condition and adapted.
What kind of support have you received from your firm/colleagues?
CV updates
What advice would you give others who are thinking of a career in law?
keep focused and keep on trying, until you have reached your goal, then set new ones.
How do you see you career progressing from here?
I have no idea, but I will continue applying, attending events and networking.
We’ll also reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs to and from the event. Usually, that only covers standard-class transport fares and not accommodation, but obviously sometimes there are exceptional circumstances – whether it’s because of a disability or because you’re travelling a particularly long distance to be with us.
If you aren’t sure if we can cover your expenses, all you need to do is get in touch and ask us at events@staffordlong.com. This won’t affect your registration at all, and it’ll be kept in confidence by the event organisers, so please just let us know.
Collecting and protecting your data
Access to Law is organised by our parent company Stafford Long & Partners. In the run up to the event, we’ll be collecting certain data about the people attending. To register for the event all we need is your name and email so we can let you know when applications are open. We’d also love to keep you posted about other events that might be of interest. So make sure you tick the box that says you’re happy for us to stay in touch.
If you want to find out more about how we hold and process your personal data you can view our full Privacy Policy here.