Three people are sitting, looking at a piece of paper. On the left, an Asian man with a beard is holding the paper, in the middle, a black woman wearing glasses and a stripy dress is looking at it and on the the right a white woman with long brown hair is leaning over and looking at the paper.

Essential skills guide

This guide explores what you need to know outside of the law, from soft skills and networking, to commercial awareness and negotiating and how you can develop those skills.

Explore the guidance
Three people are sitting, looking at a piece of paper. On the left, an Asian man with a beard is holding the paper, in the middle, a black woman wearing glasses and a stripy dress is looking at it and on the the right a white woman with long brown hair is leaning over and looking at the paper.

Day in the life of a solicitor

Hannah Newberry is a white woman with long, straight brown hair. She is smiling widely and wears a black suit.

Life as a family law solicitor in Wales

01 Nov 2024

Obaid Bin Nasir is a man with short spiky silver hair and a black beard. He is smiling and stands in front of a bookshelf.

Life as an in-house construction solicitor in London

01 Nov 2024

Rebekah Sutcliffe is a white woman with long, wavy brown hair. She is smiling and wears a houndstooth suit over a black blouse.

Life as a corporate and commercial solicitor in Hampshire

01 Nov 2024

A white woman with long brown hair, wearing a grey jacket is smiling and chatting to three other people, including a Black woman with a purple top, a woman with brown hair and a black jacket and a man with short brown hair.
A white woman with long brown hair, wearing a grey jacket is smiling and chatting to three other people, including a Black woman with a purple top, a woman with brown hair and a black jacket and a man with short brown hair.

Essential Skills for Practice

Our new Essential Skills for Practice programme provides key knowledge and attributes needed to help you flourish in your early career.

Explore the courses

Member stories

A panel of legal professionals on stage at a Law Society bicentenary event where solicitor Karl Brown is speaking

“I didn’t have connections to anyone who worked in law”

17 Mar 2025

Solicitor Olivia Rogers holds up a stack of legal education books and smiles, alongside a photo of Olivia holding up a certificate in front of portraits at the Law Society.

Grades don’t define you: how overcoming setbacks made me a better solicitor

28 Feb 2025

Ben Voller, as a paramedic (left), and as a trainee today (right).

Paramedic to trainee solicitor: “I had to convince myself that I had a shot at being a lawyer”

19 Feb 2025

A white woman with brown curly hair is smiling and shaking hands with a man in a white shirt. In the background there are more people including a man with brown hair and a bear who is smiling at the two shaking hands. They are all wearing blue lanyards.

Diversity Access Scheme

The Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) is a unique scholarship programme designed to address key barriers to the solicitors' profession faced by those from less advantaged backgrounds.

Find out more
A white woman with brown curly hair is smiling and shaking hands with a man in a white shirt. In the background there are more people including a man with brown hair and a bear who is smiling at the two shaking hands. They are all wearing blue lanyards.

News from the Law Society

View all
The palace of Westminster in the evening.
The palace of Westminster in the evening.

Westminster update

Your weekly update on all the latest developments and debates in Parliament and across Whitehall.

View all articles

View all
The Law Society Gazette logo
The Law Society Gazette logo

The Law Society Gazette

Read more
The Law Society entrance at 113 Chancery Lane, London. Stone building with pillars and iron railings outside. Under an arch with sign bearing the Law Society crest, steps lead up to glass doors with lights inside.

Who we are

The Law Society is the professional body for solicitors and a place to connect, grow and thrive.

Find out more
The Law Society entrance at 113 Chancery Lane, London. Stone building with pillars and iron railings outside. Under an arch with sign bearing the Law Society crest, steps lead up to glass doors with lights inside.