The Flex Legal blog

Flex Legal welcomes responsible AI use in applications for our Trainee and CoSec schemes, but your authentic voice, honesty and integrity matter most. Learn how to balance AI-assisted research and grammar checks with personal storytelling to stand out and showcase the human skills we value in future legal talent.

Law firm assessment centres are notoriously challenging. They are designed to push you and to establish how well you perform under pressure. It can’t be denied that they are incredibly competitive… but they're not impossible. Here are our top 5 tips to give you the edge and help you succeed!

For the last instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches, we were joined by the notorious Peter Watson, CEO of Watson's Daily. Here are his top tips on how to effectively improve and hone your commercial awareness.

There's a lot of theories about how to best be commercial as a lawyer, but no uniform agreement. In this Junior Lawyer Lunch follow-up blog post, we cover four of the best theories on how to drive positive commercial outcomes for your organisation.

Application season is well underway! If you're looking to break into a career in law, you're going to have to contend with open days sooner or later. Here are our top tips for getting the most out of them, and how to make a great impression!

Reflective learning? That’s just a waste of time, right? Wrong! It’s very easy to get caught up in the working world, so people rarely stop to think about what they’ve learned and achieved. This blog article explores what reflective learning actually is, and its personal and professional benefits.

The legal industry is a behemoth, and timesheets are the lifeblood that course through its legislative veins. Working in law means you'll be filling out a lot of timesheets. There's a definite art to doing this, so read our 10 timesheet tips now!

Facing a job interview for your first law position is a scary thing – especially when you’re still a student. Whether it’s for an internship, a paralegal role, a training position, or anything else, landing an interview can be both exciting and scary in equal measure.

We were recently asked: “How do I secure a paralegal role without any law firm experience nor the LPC?” The simple answer is: it will be tricky. However, we have set out some clear steps you can take below to build your experience and really make your applications stand out.

Everyone knows that behind every good lawyer, is a good paralegal. Flex have connected thousands of paralegals to busy legal teams since our inception, and there's no shortage of ways they've helped. Take a read of the definitive A - Z of paralegal tasks.

Are you looking to apply for training contracts? This guide takes some of the hard work out of the equation, and breaks down the different types of law firms out there!

Law firm assessment centres are notoriously challenging - but they're not impossible. These 10 tips can give you the little bit of know-how to give you the edge you need to succeed.

Both times I worked with F-LEX, I was impressed by F-LEX’s level of communication, the calibre of the clients for which they select candidates, and the support and directness along the way.

In the continuation of our Virtual Lunch Series, hosted by Sophie Gould, Head of Learning & Development at F-LEX, we talked about being comfortable talking about difference.

Innovation and creativity are terms often thrown around without being understood in a practical context. During this week’s Virtual Lunch for paralegals and junior lawyers, we heard from Amy McConnell, Head of Legal Operations at Vodafone Business, on how her company is driving innovation among its in-house counsel…by laying out a simple road-map for them to follow.

During this week’s virtual lunch in collaboration with Crafty Counsel and LexisNexis UK, we heard from three of the Legal Technologist’s Top 10 Innovative Junior Lawyers in the UK on innovation and legal tech.

These sessions connect paralegals, trainees and junior lawyers, and encourage top tips, resources and camaraderie to be shared in the legal community during these challenging times.

New year, new you, new Training Contract.  In this article I go over 5 of the most common questions we receive.  

October, and if you haven’t started thinking about Vac Schemes then you should start now. An increasingly large number of firms are putting a greater emphasis on their vac schemes, with many city firms recruiting solely from them, such as HSF and Mischcon de Reya.

As September nears many of you will be gearing up for the next “Big Push” (The first of many cliches). You all know what I am talking about of course, applications. It’s a time that strikes dread into the hearts of even the hardiest of souls.

We sat down with Hashim, Marija and Naoise, three of our wonderful Bookings Team, to talk through their hints and tips for the application process! All three have secured training contracts and have been through the process from start to finish with many failed attempts between them. Here is what they’ve learnt and want to pass on to you.

Pro bono is derived from the Latin term “pro bono publico”, meaning “for the public good.” Pro bono is where persons in the legal sector volunteer in various ways to improve access to justice.

We couldn’t think of any lessons to learn from the cabinet meltdown, so here are a few (shoe horned) tips for our paralegals from England’s performance in the World Cup:

Applying for a training contract is a daunting process and you’ll be spending at least two years at the firm that you secure a training contract with, so make sure that you are applying to the right firm for you.

Ever wondered about the difference between eDiscovery and document review? Or puzzled over what it means to 'tag' a document? These are common questions for those stepping into the legal world. With the rise of AI, these processes are becoming faster and more precise, making them essential in today’s legal practice. Read this blog to discover everything you need to know.

It’s no secret that the legal industry has a long way to go when it comes to managing the health and wellbeing of its legal professionals. As a paralegal new to the industry, it’s important to maintain a healthy workflow without feeling fatigue and burnout, but how can you achieve such a serene state of mind?

Document review is a bread and butter task within the paralegal world. As a legal professional, the importance of having a good grasp of document review cannot be overstated. Read our comprehensive guide to paralegal-level document review here!

In our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch, Harry Mellor and Holly Moore talked about how the O Shaped Lawyer promotes a more rounded approach to legal work, and the importance of client-centric skills for future lawyers. Here's a summary of the key takeaways.

Legal job interviews are terrifying affairs riddled with intimidating questions. But they don't have to be! Here's our comprehensive guide on giving good answers in legal job interviews.

Law firms aren't just places where the rule of law is argued for, they are also businesses. Each law firm needs to operate profitably, and everyone in the firm plays their part in this. Learn how law firms work as a business here!

With the SQE examinations rapidly approaching, it's wise to be thinking about the flexibility of the QWE requirements on offer. Read this article to learn more about your QWE, and how to get the most out of your SQE qualification!

Graduating your law degree is a big step, and finding your first law job might not be as easy as you thought. Click here to learn 6 reasons why you should consider about a great alternative - joining a legal temp agency like Flex Legal.

Working as an interim lawyer through Flex Legal can give you more variety in your work, more time working on the projects you're interested in, and a better life / work balance. Read more about making the transition to the interim lifestyle in this blog post.

Networking is critically important part of any professional journey. The sooner you start doing it, the better. This post explores how to successfully network and make valuable contacts in the age of remote working.

Building a Personal Development Plan is essential if you're looking to advance yourself professionally. But what's the best way to build one? We begin to address this huge question in part one of this series.

Many professionals are horrified with the thought of feedback - regardless of if they're giving or receiving it. But no matter what your job is - at some point you're going to have to confront feedback. It's time to learn how to master the art of feedback.

We were delighted to welcome Sarah Hunt, Neil Campbell and Emma O’Connor as guest speakers at our latest Virtual Lunch in collaboration with LexisNexis and Crafty Counsel. Sarah is Head of People Development at Osborne Clarke; Neil is Managing Legal Counsel at RBS; and Emma is a Talent Development Manager at Dentons. The topic for the call centred around the key skills that junior lawyers need to succeed, with the speakers drawing on their own experiences to offer excellent insights to attendees.

Joanne Theodoulou is the General Counsel and Company Secretary for Simply Business, the largest online business insurance provider in the UK. As an experienced leader of legal teams, we ask Joanne in part two of this interview, what tips to do have for junior lawyers starting their career in-house?

This week’s Virtual Lunch for paralegals and junior lawyers, in collaboration with LexisNexis UK and Crafty Counsel, saw Iain Larkin and Sandra Martins from Radius Law cover important employment law topics that you should know.

This week in our series of virtual lunches in collaboration with Crafty Counsel and LexisNexis UK Katie Barker, Corporate Associate at Addleshaw Goddard and Advisory Board of Aspire in-house junior lawyers network, shared her top tips for networking!

Found yourself with a lot of free time on your hands recently! Don't worry - you're not the only one! We've put together a list of things you can spend this time to doing, both to advance your career and unwind!

Sophie Gould – Head of learning and development at F-lex spoke to Nir to get his insights into how a good lawyer behaves and how the legal profession needs to change and adapt to survive.

As part of his induction to the team, Harry sat new comer Louie down to have a chat about the LPC.

As many of you are sitting the GDL and LPC exams in the coming months. We here at F-LEX thought we would give you are top tips to revision.

Law firms and other legal employers now put a great deal of emphasis on candidates being ‘commercially aware’ - but what does this mean?

I knew a friend who told his interviewers he “always wanted to be a lawyer.” His interviewers cut him off. “Always?” they asked. “But you weren’t always on this planet!” He stuttered. Got agitated. Went red. His palms got sweaty. It was as though every second lasted a hundred seconds longer. He just couldn’t wait for it all to be over.

This might sound very obvious but being prompt is really important. If you are meant to be at work at 9, then you should really be there before 9

Law Firm job interviews are notoriously tough - but they aren't impossible! Tip the odds in your favour and get prepared for law firm job interviews using these essential and important tips.

The role of the Company Secretary is on the rise. As a route for those interested in businesses and how they operate, it offers the perfect alternative if you are on the look-out for a career outside of the law. But what is a Company Secretary? Who can follow this career path? And how can you become one through Flex Legal?

At Flex Legal, we truly understand how competitive the legal industry can be for aspiring lawyers, and how draining it is sending out hundreds of CV’s a week, only to receive piles of rejections in return. Take a read of this blog post for our top tips on how to ensure your CV stands out from the crowd, for all the right reasons!

For the latest instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches, we hosted a Q&A session with Maaike de Bie, GC at easyJet. Take a read to learn all about Maaike’s legal career so far, and what skills she believes have been key to her success.

LinkedIn is now synonymous with professional life in the legal industry. If you optimise your profile well, you can use it to attract new opportunities, roles, and connections without needing to search for them. Here's our top tips for LinkedIn Lawyers!

As more and more technology roles enter the legal profession, the industry and its expectations are evolving. Tech skills are now essential, which means future-proofing your career is now essential. Read how you can future-proof your career now!

When you're a junior in the legal industry, it can be daunting to make sense of the hierarchies at work within them. Fortunately, we've broken law firm structures down into an easily digestible guide. Have a read!

There's a lot of key differences to working and training in-house or in private practice. There's a number of cultural differences between both, which affects what it's like to work in those environments. Read this article to learn which one is right for you.

Athletes have mindsets that allow them to excel at high levels. Thanks to cutting edge research, we now know how to harness that mindset, and use it excel in non-athletic fields. Read the secret to harnessing an athletic mindset here!

'Being commercial' is one of the most important aspects of professional life in law - but what does this actually mean? Our most recent Virtual Lunch delved into this huge topic, so read our comprehensive summary of the main takeaways here.

Staying productive is tricky during a pandemic. Fortunately, lawyer and neuroscientist Dominique Ashby spoke at our most recent Virtual Lunch and gave us some tips for maximising your brain's productivity. Read what she had to say, and help yourself keep productive!

We put some of YOUR burning questions about law firm assessment centres to two brilliant legal professionals - Jess Heap, ofLatham & Watkins LLP, and Chloe Lloyd of Gowling WLG. Read what they had to say!

Making mistakes is an unavoidable part of any professional journey - and the legal industry is no exception. Despite this, it can still be difficult to own up to mistakes when they happen, and many junior legal professionals are unsure how to address them.

Connor Smith, Clifford Chance Lift Intern at F-LEX sat down with Nick O’Neill, Governance and Legal Practice Manager at Wirral Council to learn more about his legal career in local government:

Starting your legal career is the hardest part of the journey. We recently hosted a virtual careers session to get expert opinions on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to applications and assessment days. Read what they had to say now!

This week in our series of virtual lunches in collaboration with Crafty Counsel and LexisNexis UK Alex Low, LinkedIn Guru and Professional Services Lead at DLA Ignite shared his tips for building your career on LinkedIn!

This week in our series of virtual lunches in collaboration with Crafty Counsel and LexisNexis UK Charlotte Lakin, trainee solicitor at Global and founder of inlaw, shares her 5 top tips for raising your profile in the legal industry during lockdown.

Working from home is an important part of flexible working. Although it’s standard practice for some of us already, many of us have had the concept of working from home unexpectedly thrust upon us by Coronavirus, with little time to adapt.

We share our 5 bitesize tips for training contract application glory!

In this article one of our Manchester team Sam tell us all about her time in China. She discusses the merits of working abroad and the potential impact that an experience like that can have on your training contract applications and future career.

In London, Bristol and Leeds, Mary and Harry represented F-LEX at the LPM Conferences. We would firstly like to say a huge thank you to the team at LPM for inviting us on to the panel. Over the course of the three panel discussions we covered a variety of topics related to the future workforce. Below are our reflections on what we feel are the biggest takeaway points.

Friends and family may lend a sympathetic ear to your career-planning, but it is important to reach out and connect with people who can offer objective career advice. By branching out and conversing with a range of people in your profession of choice, or even beyond, you will secure important guidance and advice for the future, and even make some great friends too!

Start with your contact details, the subject that you have studied and then your academic results.

We look for people who can demonstrate they are: fast learners, are interested in our clients and the legal industry, have managed some interesting projects (either at work or at uni) and have experience of an office environment - not necessarily in a law firm, though.