Fieldfisher
(Legal Professional, Graduate Scheme)

Why did you choose to study law?

I initially graduated with an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science, but I was put off the prospect of working in a lab. Thus, I sought a degree in law which would allow me to go into IP or regulatory law and work in house in the big pharma sector, allowing me to continue to be at the forefront of discovery and innovation whilst enjoying it a little bit more! Since then I have found real enjoyment working in the commercial side of law as a whole and so these plans have changed somewhat.

How did you end up in Fieldfisher?

By complete chance! As I had only really been exposed to law for 2 years I felt I was not ready to apply for a training contract yet. I was looking for graduate schemes or paralegal jobs and found one at Fieldfisher. I had first heard about the firm from a friend of a friend and upon looking at the website immediately felt like it was exactly the type of firm I was looking for, one that is innovative, forward looking and focused in part, in the technology and life science sectors.

What does your current role involve?

I'm a legal professional on the graduate scheme. As part of the scheme we do two seats from some of the firm's major practice areas. I finished my first seat in the CAST team before Christmas and worked alongside the corporate, IP and real estate teams. The work varied from completing verification of documents for companies listing on AIM and completing contract reviews, to generating trademark reports to be sent to clients. We also completed document review and Data Subject Access Requests using various legal technologies. I am now working alongside the Belfast regulatory team for a government regulator.
 

What’s important during selection/recruitment, or to demonstrate at a job interview?

If you get to the interview stage it's important to remember the main purpose of it. Those conducting the interview will have seen your CV so the fate of any interview is dictated by how you put yourself across as a person. The assessors will generally be trying to ascertain whether you will be a good fit for the office, how you would fit into a team and what sort of work would you succeed at most. I would say it is important to relax.

Do extracurriculars matter? (in bolstering a student’s CV)

They matter in that it's harder (if not impossible) to draw back upon a variety of experiences for any selection process without them. Extracurricular activities help shape your interests and develop skills, often communication skills which are vital in all career paths.