Commercial Awareness for Solicitor Apprentices Week 3

Commercial Awareness for Solicitor Apprentices
 

Introduction:

Hello and welcome to this week's newsletter. Our interview this week is with Hamdan Sheikh who is an aspiring solicitor apprentice. We will look at the struggles the Solicitors Regulatory Authority(SRA) are facing and how they plan to combat them, as well as Epic Games suing Google and Samsung in the US for our international outlook. Finally, I will give my advice on using AI for application writing. I hope you like this week's newsletter, and next week will mark a very successful month for this newsletter, so stay tuned. 

Interview:

This week we interview Hax who is an aspiring solicitor apprentice, in the process of applying now.

What made you decide the law is for you?

My interest peaked in the senior years of my secondary education where I developed an ardent and passionate interest in the law. Apprenticeships enable me to contribute to societal progress which I am very passionate about. My fascination with politics played a key part, but I concluded with a meaningful realisation that achieving social change would best be achieved through the channels of the law.

How does your A-levels prepare you for the law?

A level law provided me with a profound comprehension of the significance of legislation within our lives, aiming to ensure order and prevent chaos. Wondering about whether this can be achieved led me to impartially research and comprehend both sides of an argument. Business studies helped me understand the 2020 financial crash which compelled regulatory and legislative changes, being personally affected by this made me realise the importance of financial matters. It also cultivated critical thinking skills needed for commercial law. Journalism plays a pivotal role in the legal landscape, helping me understand how the law is integrated into our digital lives. Practical projects enabled me to present a compelling argument which is undoubtedly useful when conducting legal research and navigating complex legal framework.

What advice would you give to potential future employers?

As a young professional with a modern outlook, I advise the integration of technology into our legal processes to stay competitive in a digital world. I also encourage dialogue between younger and more experienced workers, which can create innovative solutions allowing us to adapt more swiftly to the evolving legal world while maintaining a high standard for clients.

Do you think apprenticeships need to be promoted more?

Considering how much popularity apprenticeships have gained over the previous years, I feel like it has gained enough exposure. However, there aren’t as many apprenticeships as there are applicants. So rather than promote the actual apprenticeship, I think we should encourage businesses to allow an increased number of apprentice roles, so that more people have the chance of gaining an apprenticeship.

What does your future hold?

 I hope to be a good firm that is right for me, completing the apprenticeship and the training contract within it. After, I hope to expand on my success during the apprenticeship and build on my career at that firm.

Interview takeaway: Being able to link your subjects to law is a great skill that is often seen as essential. It is important to recognise that you will get rejected from firms, however it is how you get back up, not what got you down that people will always remember. Your future time orientation can be your biggest motivator and clearly it is going well for Hax, who is a great role model for all aspiring solicitor apprentices.

Commercial legal explainer:

The SRA (solicitors regulatory authority) have proposed increasing the amount they can charge member firms to pay for investigations. One may wonder why this is news, and the context here comes from the axiom ince scandal. The basics of the axiom ince case is that £60 million pounds was missing from clients accounts. The SRA conducted a detailed investigation which uncovered this, and action was quickly taken, with 3 former directors being suspended. This was done to protect the very best interests of all clients who were defrauded. 

 The SRA acts as an advocate for these people and promotes integrity on the law firms behalf. They also set out industry guidelines and regularly liaise with the government. Although it is perhaps annoying for the law firms, the axiom ince case shows just how vital they are to standing up for clients when law firms fail them.

 *Interview tip: showing awareness of a regulatory body and a key case in an interview will show a detailed as well as holistic understanding of the legal world that we are a part of which is crucial for future apprentice who will be chucked straight into the legal world alongside people who have 3+ years of experience.

Worldwide commercial law news:

In the US, Epic Games , the creator of Fortnite, is suing both Google and samsung. The contentious matter here is auto blocker, which prohibits users from using apps from outside the company; now it is important to highlight that it can be disabled, however many people lack the expertise or patience to do so. This, it is argued, enables google and samsung to have a near monopoly on the appstore given how popular it is. Epic Games are not on google play, which prohibits them from reaching a substantially larger audience, which they say is detrimental to their business. 

The desired outcome for Epic Games is samsung automatically disable autoblocker, and more importantly get an official statement from the court to say they are right in their reasons for filing the lawsuit. However, google especially is no stranger to lawsuits and they have a well trained legal team who are constantly working on legal strategy for the tech giants, and so the result could go either way. 

*interview tip: Showing awareness of popular culture like videogames and the challenges it faces shows cultural as well as critical thinking skills because you are able to take something that interests you and hone in on the legal aspect of that. This brings out passion and also demonstrates proactivity, because you chose to do the extra research. 

Advice from someone in the same boat:

As young people with chaotic lives, many of us will have had the temptation to use AI services to write things for us. Some may point to how the legal industry is embracing AI for drafting documents etc, whereas some will point to the lack of AI regulation. However, an application cannot be drafted by a computer, because after all it is you and not AI that is committing to the apprenticeship for the next 6+ years of your life. Many firms have a structured system where they check applications against each other, and they will quickly spot and subsequently throw away applications that are near identical. To sum up, the best bits about you are what get you hired, therefore put in the time to write a quality application yourself.