It was great to catch up with Amir Taavoni, who graduated from the School of Law in 2022 with an LLB Law. Amir is currently in the final stages of completing the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL), the law conversion course in English law and has secured a role as a Future Trainee Solicitor in London.

Hi Amir, thanks for taking some time out from your studies. Looking back on your time at Edinburgh, can you share how you developed a career in law?

Studying at the University of Edinburgh is a remarkable achievement and a gateway to tremendous opportunities within your reach.

During my ordinary studies, I found private and commercial law particularly interesting. This encouraged me to focus my honours studies on subjects such as Commercial Law, International Investment Law, and Commercial Trust law. These subjects alongside my involvement with the Commercial Law Society of Edinburgh University, shaped my desire to pursue a career in commercial law.

Alongside my studies, I also sought relevant work experience. Law firms, particularly the larger ones, provide annual summer and/or winter work experience programmes. I highly recommend that students take advantage of these excellent opportunities. Participating in such programmes not only demonstrates your interest in the legal field but also assists in shaping your preferences for the type of law firm and area of practice to pursue.

Amir, what advice can you give to students who are in the process of applying for training contracts or considering future summer placements?

I would give the following tips:

1. What area of the law most interests you?

Begin by setting out the area of law that you wish to pursue. For example,

• Do you wish to be a transactional or a disputes lawyer?
• Do you wish to collaborate with individual clients or corporate clients etc?

This does not have to be overly specific but the more you know what you want, the more your application will stand out.

At this stage, it is also desirable to flush out some of your commercial interests (more commonly referred to as commercial awareness), and how this encourages you to pursue that particular area of practice.

2. Identify the law firms that provide the services that interest you.

There are great resources online to find this out. The website that I find most useful is Legal 500 where you can identify the law firms that dominate a particular practice, their key clients, and people with considerable influence.

3. Tailor your application towards the firm to which you are applying.

You will certainly be applying to several law firms during an application cycle. However, it is important to make each application unique. Some of the things to focus on may include:

• the particular seat rotation during the training contract (e.g. are there any compulsory seats?)
• the largest department of the firm
• the clients of the firm
• the model of the organisation
• the markets that the firm operates in

4. Bring your personality into the application.

When appropriate, incorporate your personality into the application process by highlighting relevant experiences. For instance, you may have participated in a sports team, a music band, or other similar endeavours. These factors contribute to making your application stand out!

Parting advice…

Finally, securing a training contract/vacation scheme is highly competitive, and you will undoubtedly receive more rejections than acceptances. However, it is important to remain resilient and continue applying. Use your rejections as learning opportunities and strive to enhance your future applications.

Thanks Amir.

Amir highlighted the importance of commercial awareness. For more information on how to build your commercial awareness, check out our webpage.

We are delighted our Careers in Law Fair is returning on campus on Wednesday 25th October 2023. Taking place in the stunning McEwan Hall on Bristo Place, this fair will allow you to connect with organisations with legal career opportunities in Scotland, UK and/or international legal jurisdictions, whether you are seeking insight experiences, placements, internships or other work experience, legal training contracts or other graduate roles. As well as being relevant to LLB and law students, the Law Fair is open to those of other disciplines considering legal careers. With information providers and the Careers Service team on hand, this is a great opportunity to explore your potential route into law.  More information is available here: Careers in Law Fair (25 October 2023) | The University of Edinburgh.

 

 

 

 

Jul 6, 2023

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