September 2
What is eDiscovery and Document Review?
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.
December 14 2022
Tips on stress-free productivity for paralegals
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?
May 17 2022
The ultimate paralegal guide to Document Review
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!
February 8 2022
How can future lawyers develop client-centric skill sets?
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.
January 4 2022
How to: give good answers in legal job interviews
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.
September 8 2021
How do law firms work as a business?
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!
August 26 2021
How to get the most out of your SQE qualifying work experience
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!
July 19 2021
6 Reasons to Choose a Legal Temp Agency When You’ve Just Graduated
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.
May 28 2021
How to become an interim lawyer
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.
March 4 2021
How to Network Remotely
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.
December 11 2020
How to build a Personal Development Plan
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.
November 20 2020
How to give and receive feedback in 4 easy steps
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.
October 14 2020
Key Skills Junior Lawyers Need To Succeed
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.
July 16 2020
My advice for junior lawyers
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?
June 12 2020
3 Employment Law Issues You Should Be Aware Of
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.
May 14 2020
How to network like a pro
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!
March 31 2020
How law students and graduates can make the most of this time
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!
January 17 2020
Tips for Junior Lawyers - An Interview with Nir Golan
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.
August 23 2019
The LPC: What’s it all about?
As part of his induction to the team, Harry sat new comer Louie down to have a chat about the LPC.
May 23 2019
GDL and LPC exams: our top 15 revision tips
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.
March 28 2019
What is Commercial Awareness?
Law firms and other legal employers now put a great deal of emphasis on candidates being ‘commercially aware’ - but what does this mean?
October 24 2018
5 tips on transitioning to law from a non-legal background
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.
July 5 2018
Office dos and do nots
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
April 16 2018
5 Tips for Law Firm Interview Success
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.
April 22
How to become a Company Secretary (and why?)
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?
June 27 2022
Top CV tips for aspiring lawyers
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!
May 9 2022
A Q&A with Maaike de Bie, GC at easyJet
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.
January 17 2022
Top 10 LinkedIn tips for Lawyers
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!
November 8 2021
How can legal technology future-proof your law career?
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!
September 7 2021
How are UK law firms structured?
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!
August 10 2021
How are in-house and private practice different?
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.
July 13 2021
How to use an athlete's mindset to achieve your goals
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!
May 13 2021
What does 'being commercial' mean?
'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.
January 29 2021
How to Keep Productive
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!
November 26 2020
Jess and Chloe answer your Assessment Centre questions
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!
October 30 2020
5 top tips for coping with professional mistakes
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.
August 18 2020
An alternative to the bottom line: why law graduates should consider a career in local government
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:
June 26 2020
How to kick-start your Legal Career
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!
June 4 2020
How to use LinkedIn to boost your legal career
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!
May 7 2020
How to raise your profile in the legal industry during lockdown
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.
March 26 2020
Top tips for Working from Home 'Newbies'
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.
December 5 2019
5 bitesize tips for training contract application glory
We share our 5 bitesize tips for training contract application glory!
August 23 2019
Study and Work Abroad: My time in China
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.
May 23 2019
Reflections on the LPM
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.
November 28 2018
How to develop a mentoring relationship
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!
July 26 2018
F-LEX's top 5 CV tips!
Start with your contact details, the subject that you have studied and then your academic results.
June 5 2018
What do Ignition Law look for in a candidate?
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.
April 5 2023
5 Top Tips for Legal Assessment Centres
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!
June 3 2022
How to hone your commercial awareness, with Peter Watson
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.
April 13 2022
How to be commercial as a lawyer
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.
January 12 2022
5 helpful hints to ace your open days!
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!
September 21 2021
Reflective Learning: what is it and what are the benefits?
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.
August 27 2021
10 tips for time-recording and legal timesheets
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!
July 20 2021
Top Interview Tips for Law Students
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.
June 7 2021
How to find legal work experience
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.
April 28 2021
A-Z of Paralegal tasks
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.
January 12 2021
Training Contract Guide: Different types of law firms
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!
November 23 2020
10 essential tips to ace assessment centres
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.
October 20 2020
My personal journey from law student to paralegal to newly qualified solicitor
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.
July 31 2020
How to feel comfortable talking about "difference"
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.
June 19 2020
How To Think Creatively and Generate Ideas
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.
May 29 2020
Adding value early: how to use tech and innovation
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.
April 30 2020
How to cope with COVID
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.
January 31 2020
5 Questions we get asked
New year, new you, new Training Contract. In this article I go over 5 of the most common questions we receive.
November 1 2019
Flex Legal's Vac Scheme Guide
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.
August 23 2019
The September Prep List
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.
March 28 2019
The Flex Legal guide to Training Contract success
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.
November 28 2018
Pro Bono: What does it mean? Why should we do it? How do we go about it?
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.
July 11 2018
What can paralegals learn from the England Football team?
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:
May 21 2018
5 Tips for a successful Training Contract Application
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.