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We recently held a panel discussion on how university law faculties can best prepare their students for the business of law. In particular, we considered how some degree of commercial awareness and business insight is increasingly being demanded from law graduates – whether they end up practising law or putting their skills to use in other careers. The panel of experts included:

• Al-Karim Makhani, Vice President, TransPerfect Legal Solutions
• Ross Annable, Deputy Legal Director, Bouygues UK
• Caroline Gibby, Head of Law, University of Sunderland 
• Julie Manson, Director of Employability, Hertfordshire Law School

We’ll explore some of the issues discussed and highlight the key takeaways from the event.

The growing importance of employability in the legal profession

As competition in the legal sector has intensified, with a larger pool of law graduates seeking career opportunities, along with a wider range of newly qualified lawyers who have come through the SQE path, the concept of employability has become increasingly crucial. It’s no longer good enough to merely have the right set of skills to undertake legal work – aspiring lawyers must also consider how they distinguish themselves from their peers to stand a better chance of securing the best roles, demonstrating commercial awareness. 

At ������Ƶ, we've been exploring the issue of employability, hosting two employability forum events last year and publishing a report on the theme.

Why is it important for students to be commercially aware?

Ross explains that his company tends to take on legal staff who show potential rather than those with lots of experience, necessarily. They are looking for “highly motivated individuals with genuine interest and willingness to learn” as well as an “understanding of business”. He notes that it’s vital for in-house lawyers to be able to identify commercial issues quickly.

Al argues that “one part of the academic journey that doesn't get enough focus is transferable skills you pick up on that journey –communication skills, work ethic and analytical ability”. These types of skills can stand law students “in good stead for various business positions” even outside the legal sector – and he notes that many lawyers go on to become CEOs and other C-suite executives.

Should commercial awareness be a compulsory part of any law course?

• Mandatory – Ross thinks that, unless law students are considering a career in academia, it might be a good idea to make commercial awareness compulsory, or at least have it as an adjunct. Al goes further, suggesting that not only should it be mandatory, but that it should also be formally assessed.
• Empowering students – Caroline feels that universities should empower law students to be independent individuals and provide them with all the necessary tools to become effective lawyers. Julie echoes this sentiment and notes the importance of encouraging confidence and curiosity.
• Resilience – both Caroline and Ross emphasise the importance of enabling law students to be resilient, so that they can look for new opportunities when some doors are closed. Al adds that agility is another crucial skill.

How can universities support students to improve their commerciality?

Caroline explains that she is conscious of the importance of students feeling confident about going into the workplace after their studies – whether they pursue a career in the legal profession or decide on another route. As such, the concepts of “employability and commercial awareness run in tangent” with the rest of the course material. The involvement of the legal profession and the provision of work placements helps to promote commercial awareness, as well as the inclusion of business concepts into the curriculum. Clinical legal education – such as community law clinics and legal outreach centres – can help in this regard. Caroline says that students often think that commercial awareness is something to worry about at a job interview, and can therefore neglect developing these skills this during their studies. Therefore it’s vital that law schools articulate the importance of employability as a core part of the course.

Julie says that her university provides commercial awareness training for law students, including:

• A “life in the law” module on employability – encouraging students to think about their future career. This includes asking recent alumni to talk to students about life in the legal sector – and encouraging final year students to discuss the importance of commercial awareness with first years.
• Legal practice within the context of politics and the wider economy.
• Profitability and business aims for different types of law firms (and other companies which employ lawyers), including the value of a newly qualified lawyer to the business.

What are the most useful tools you think law students should make use of to improve their commerciality?

• LinkedIn –&�Բ�����;Julie believes that encouraging students to set up a profile and actively use LinkedIn is very useful. 
• Cross-faculty – Caroline argues that it’s vital to cultivate links with other university departments, notably the business school, to ensure that internal resources are effectively used for raising commercial awareness amongst all students.
• External resources – Caroline also notes that it’s important to bring in legal practitioners to share their experiences with students, as well as encouraging legal internships and placements.

What is the top piece of advice that you would give librarians and law faculties about preparing law students for the commercial world?

• Wider world of business – Ross says that law students should be encouraged to broaden their awareness of the business world beyond the legal sector and generally stay curious in order to open new doors: “Listen to Radio 4. I wish I'd listened to it earlier in life. You find yourself being a lot more rounded if you're aware of what's going on.”
• Applying law to reality –&�Բ�����;Al believes that the law faculty should teach their students about how the law interacts with commerce and society at large, encouraging them to read newspapers as well as legal publications: “Law schools often see law as an academic discipline. Whatever can be done to show how it links to society and commerce gives law students a better taste of the world they're going into after academia.”

Do you think it is the university’s role to teach students about the business of law?

• Placements – Caroline says that the business of law should be taught in core modules, in addition to modules which have a vocational focus. Furthermore, universities should nurture relationships with firms and legal clinics to provide their students with placements.
• Education – Al says that teaching students how to progress their career, within the university course setting, is vital to reducing elitism in the legal sector: there’s “no better way to level the playing field than via education”.