First Year Open Day Opportunities

Law firms, chambers and university careers services run several different event types; understanding each will help you target the right opportunities.

• Open days And campus events

• These are often hosted by university law schools and regional firms. They typically run between September and November for autumn cycles, and again January to March for spring cycles.

• Insight days And taster programmes

• Short firm-led sessions, sometimes bespoke for first-years. Large national firms usually advertise these in September-November for autumn events and in January-March for spring events.

• Vacation scheme previews And mini-Pupillages

• These are rarer for first-years but do exist; they are most common in the summer and sometimes have applications opening 2-4 months earlier.

• Virtual open days And webinars

• Ongoing throughout the academic year; applications or sign-ups will usually close a few days to two weeks before the event.

Practical note: Do not assume all events have the same deadlines. Always check the event page for the specific closing date. Many commercial firms will state an application deadline; missing it often means you cannot attend.

Use this timeline as a working template. Adjust the months to match the actual event date you want to attend.

1. Six weeks before event

2. Research the host: practice areas they advertise, recent deals/cases and alumni links at your university. Make a short list of 3-5 reasons you want to attend that specific event.

3. Prepare your CV and a 150-200 word personal statement tailored to the event. Have a peer or mentor review them.

4. Four weeks before event / application deadline window

5. Complete online forms early. Many firms operate first-come-first-served or limited-capacity sign-ups. If the site asks for an answer to a competency question, keep responses concise and evidence-based.

6. If an application deadline is published, treat it as fixed. Missing it typically means you cannot be considered.

7. One week before event

8. Re-read the firm's recent news and prepare 5 targeted questions. Finalise travel/uniform/technology for virtual events.

9. Day Of event

10. Arrive early, plan to stay the full time and focus on making two quality connections (recruiters or early-career solicitors). Collect business cards or contact details.

11. Within 48 hours after event

12. Send personalised follow-up messages to people you spoke with. Reflect on what you learned and update your tracker.

Practical deadlines: If a firm advertises a September-October open day, expect the application window to be August-September. If an event is in February, applications will often be open in December-January. Always confirm dates on the event page.

First-year selectors want evidence of interest, clear communication and potential. They do not expect a perfect legal CV.

• CV And personal statement

• Keep your CV to one page. Include education, relevant modules, society roles, part-time work and a short section of achievements (with concrete outcomes).

• In the personal statement, use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for one brief example of teamwork or commercial awareness.

• Online forms And competency questions

• Answer directly, with an example and measurable outcome. If you must choose one example, pick a responsibility showing reliability and analytical thinking.

• Evidence Of commercial awareness

• Use a 2-3 sentence link between recent news (a firm's deal or a legal development) and why it matters to clients or the practice area.

Example opening sentence for an application: "I am applying to [Firm]'s insight day because I want to see how a national corporate team integrates ESG considerations into deal structuring - an area I studied in my Introduction to Commercial Law module."

Practical strategy: Save each application in a tracker such as YourLegalLadder's tracker or a spreadsheet so you can note deadlines, contacts and follow-up dates.

Turn attendance into relationships and learning.

• In-person Presence

• Arrive 10-15 minutes early. Dress smart-casual unless a firm requests formal wear.

• Use a 20-30 second elevator pitch: name, course/year, a short interest statement and one question. Example: "Hello, I'm Jane Smith, a first-year law student at X. I'm interested in dispute resolution and would love to hear how junior lawyers are exposed to client work on smaller claims."

• Virtual Presence

• Test your camera/audio 15 minutes beforehand. Use a neutral background and ensure your display name shows your full name and university.

• Questions To Ask (Choose 3-5)

• What does the first six months for a junior trainee look like in this team?

• Which recent deal or case best represents the team's approach?

• What skills do you wish you'd developed earlier as an undergraduate?

• Building Rapport

• Focus on two quality interactions rather than collecting many business cards. Note one detail from each conversation to mention in your follow-up.

Follow-ups turn a single event into a stepping-stone.

• Follow-up email template (Within 48 hours)

• Start: Thank them for their time and reference a specific point from your conversation.

• Body: Reiterate your interest and one relevant skill or module you're studying.

• Close: Offer to stay in touch and ask about next steps (e.g., future insight days or application windows).

• Maintaining Contact

• Add contacts on LinkedIn within a week with a short personalised note referencing the event.

• Keep a calendar reminder to update contacts on progress (new roles, relevant grades or extra-curricular projects) when meaningful.

• Tracking And reflection

• Immediately update your application tracker (YourLegalLadder or equivalent) with the event date, contact names, follow-up sent date and any notes for future applications.

• Reflect: What did you learn? Which firms aligned with your interests? Use these reflections to target vacation schemes and training contract research in your second year.

Practical reminder: Use constructive feedback from any event (panel comments, CV advice) to improve subsequent applications. Early engagement will compound into stronger candidatures when vacation scheme and training contract windows open.

Keep these on your shortlist for research, deadlines and skills practice.

• YourLegalLadder

• Use the application tracker, firm profiles, mentoring and SQE resources to manage deadlines and prepare for future applications.

• LawCareers.Net

• Provides market guides and firm directories.

• Legal cheek And chambers student

• Useful for firm news, trainee reviews and market commentary.

• University careers service And societies

• Local support, mock interviews and alumni contacts.

• LinkedIn

• For networking, following firms and reaching out to junior lawyers for informational conversations.

Final point: Treat first-year open days as the beginning of a multi-year plan. With timely applications, targeted preparation and disciplined follow-up you will build relationships and evidence that meaningfully strengthen vacation scheme and training contract applications later in your degree.