Matt Oliver
Matt is a former FTSE 100 in-house lawyer, an experienced legal career coach and MD of Trainee Solicitor Surgery. He provides entry level law careers advice to students and graduates through his writing and mentoring. He also offers private one-to-one coaching to those struggling with training contract and vacation scheme applications, interviews and assessment centres.
Posts
Many candidates seek to pursue a career as a commercial lawyer without knowing much about what commercial lawyers do (I know I didn’t for some time!). Having spoken to 100s of candidates about this, it seems that it’s difficult for them to understand because it’s a hard thing to explain. There are numerous articles on…
Many candidates claim to want to become a corporate lawyer without understanding what the role entails beyond a superficial level. Not only is this risky when making important career decisions, but firms will also pick up on it, and it will lead to rejections. In this post, I will outline the business matters that corporate…
Many training contract candidates I speak to struggle to distinguish what finance lawyers do. Often, this is tied to a lack of understanding about the broad range of work finance lawyers do. In this post, I’m going to give you a simple overview of what is commonly meant by “finance lawyers”, the different types of…
Contents Introduction The Different UK Legal Systems The SQE Qualification Framework 4 Main Pathways To Qualify as a Solicitor in England & Wales A Quick Guide for School Leavers Introduction When you start to consider becoming a solicitor in the UK, things can quickly get confusing. There’s a lot of information out there, and much…
At some point in a law firm’s training contract recruitment process, you’ll likely have to discuss legal industry trends. Questions take different forms and can ask you to focus on different aspects. This is a key part of commercial awareness and is essential if you’re to land a training contract offer. In this post, I’ll…
Trainee solicitors are a goldmine of information and advice for aspiring solicitors. But so few candidates make the most of this. You will give yourself a competitive advantage if you find ways to meet trainees and ask them well-thought-out questions. In this post, I’ll explain why you should ask trainees questions and give you examples…
What skills do lawyers need to thrive? This guide covers 21 essential skills every lawyer needs and why they matter for a successful legal career.
An in-house legal training contract is the right choice for some candidates. As a former in-house lawyer, I’ve seen trainees benefit from the different in-house training environment and develop into excellent lawyers. In this post, I’ll share 5 of the biggest benefits of doing your training contract in-house. I’ll also guide you on how to…
Many successful training contract candidates will tell you their successful application cycle included law firm open days. This is because open days give you numerous benefits that can increase your chances of success. One of the most important benefits is getting yourself noticed and standing out from the crowd. Firms often note the names of…