Queen Anne's Law Society spend the day at Winston and Strawn Law firm

On Tuesday 4 October, the law society at Queen Anne’s attended an insight day hosted by Winston and Strawn in their London offices.

The day started off with a warm welcome from some of the staff (including some very tasty pastries!) and a really informative careers presentation which taught us all about the different careers in law, what a career at Winston and Strawn is like, and the ways in which you can become a lawyer. We then had the opportunity to hear from trainee lawyers and ask any questions we had about starting a career in law. They also gave us an impression of the day-to-day life in a law firm through discussing their daily tasks, as well as telling us about the more occasional and exciting events they attend, such as networking evenings or retreats in Miami and Paris! 

Hearing from the trainees was particularly useful as they gave us an insight into how they gained training contracts and vacation schemes; both of which can really help students enter a legal career. It was also interesting to hear from them as it was not long ago that they were where we are today! We also learned about business development and the importance of business skills in a law firm, particularly the importance of networking and maintaining relationships with clients and potential clients. This session also included advice on how to make a good LinkedIn profile – a very useful skill for us since we are not far from entering the working world.

After our very tasty lunch, we then had the incredible opportunity to hear from one of the founding partners of Winston and Strawn’s London branch. It was inspiring to hear how she progressed in the legal industry despite the male dominated nature of the profession and it was really motivating to hear about the firm’s female leadership initiative which included special workshops and events designed to help women in law go further in their careers and be more likely to reach the position of partner. We finished the day learning about the firm’s attention to maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment, and we considered and discussed how we could use some of their tips back at school. As we made our way back from London, we all agreed that the day had been very insightful and inspiring and was a very positive experience for all.

By Aoife and Emma (U6)