Valentine’s Day may only fall once a year but when it comes to loving law, that’s an everyday thing for ambitious law students. To fuel their passion in this post we ask: What is it about law graduates that make recruiters gooey-eyed?
By Editorial Team. Published 17 February 2017. Last updated 11 January 2023.
Recruiters love graduates with specialist knowledge degrees. Law definitely falls into that category and at The University of Law the focus is on providing a practise-based degree, aimed at preparing graduates for entering the workplace. Employers see law graduates as smart, hard-working, good communicators with great attention to detail – perfect transferable skills in any work place.
There’s an underlying respect for justice in the law. While a robust understanding of rules and regulations is the bread-and-butter of a law qualification, there’s also an acute awareness of right and wrong. A legal education not only teaches what it is to uphold the letter of the law, but also emphasises an awareness of justice, fairness, and equality. Employers need and want to adhere to the highest ethical standards, so it’s all the more important for their employees to be equipped to steer them in the right direction.
Getting a law degree proves your ability to grasp new subjects. In part, this is because of the requisite willingness to work hard and put in the time and effort to get to grips with the subject matter. But there’s also the intellectual capacity to retain and interpret information, as well as an understanding of the importance of the regulations that govern how companies can and should operate.
Law graduates are exposed to working with people from a variety of backgrounds. Recruiters continue to emphasise the critical importance of the ability to work with, and for, a wide variety of people. Studying for a law degree or a law qualification lends itself to encountering people from all walks of life and maintaining a high level of skill, behaviour, and professionalism at all times. Being able to tailor your manner to accommodate technical language or layman explanations in given situations is a very useful skill for any industry. This is where recruiters really like graduates from universities that adopt a more practical teaching method because of the emphasis placed on developing interpersonal skills throughout their studies; skills that lend themselves well to moving into a variety of fields, evidenced by Nick Poulter, a Partner at BDO LLP: “They have the fundamentals in place from the outset and often discover a greater opportunity to shine in a different environment.”
Completing a law degree takes a strong work ethic, reliability and trustworthiness. Securing a place on the course alone requires an excellent level of academic attainment. Recruiters and employers know that achieving those top grades takes commitment and dedication, even from the brightest students. That’s why they can confidently put a law graduate forward for a role in the knowledge that expectations will be met, if not exceeded.
Law graduates are tough. They relish the hours of research and revision and are passionate about debating and proving their point. They also develop a resilient and adaptable mindset, an excellent quality to have in an ever evolving workplace. Ultimately, law graduates finish their degree fighting fit, ready for the career they’ve been working towards, and that is exactly what recruiters need.
“Legal recruiters constantly tell us that they need their trainees to be able to hit the ground running, make an impact immediately, add value to the firm from day one,” says John Watkins, Director of Employability at The University of Law. “Feedback shows that not only do law graduates understand this commercial reality, they tend duly to deliver.”
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