5 Things to Start Practicing Before You Qualify As a Barrister or Solicitor

The biggest shock of qualifying isn't the workload; it's realising that a good law degree didn't actually teach you how to be a lawyer.

The transition from student to practitioner is less of a step and more of a vertical climb. You spend years learning the law, only to qualify and realise you’re actually in the business of people and problems.

If you’re currently a student or a trainee, here are the five things I wish I’d started practising long before I got my practicing certificate.

1. The Death of the Academic Essay

In law school, you are rewarded for nuance, length, and showing your working. If you can write a 3,000-word dissertation on the evolution of duty of care, you do well.

In practice? If you send a 3,000-word email to a CEO, they won’t read it. They’ll probably just delete it and call your supervisor to ask why their lawyer is wasting their time.

Real-world legal writing is about brevity. Your client doesn't want a history lesson; they want to know if they can sign the contract and what the risks are.

Practice writing like a human, not a textbook. If you can't explain a legal concept to your nan in three sentences, you don't understand it well enough to advise a client.

2. AI Literacy: Your New Junior Associate

It’s May 2026. If you aren't using AI tools to streamline your workflow yet, you're already behind. But here’s the kicker: the goal isn't to let the AI do the work. The goal is to learn how to be the "human in the loop."

When I was starting out, we were still getting used to sophisticated search algorithms. Now, you have Large Language Models that can draft a preliminary lease agreement in seconds. The danger is thinking the AI is right.

You need to practice "prompt engineering" and, more importantly, risk management. How do you use AI to summarise a 50-page judgment without missing the one crucial footnote that changes everything? How do you ensure client confidentiality isn't breached when using these tools?

Tech is a tool, not a crutch. Use it to find the information, but use your brain to apply the law.

3. The Art of "I Don't Know"

The biggest fear every junior has is being asked a question by a partner or a judge and not having the answer. We’ve been conditioned to think that silence is failure.

In reality, guessing is the only true failure. If you guess a point of law and you’re wrong, you lose credibility, or worse, you lose the case.

Practising how to say "I don’t know, but I will find out" with confidence is a superpower. It shows you are diligent and careful.

Professionalism isn't about knowing everything; it's about being reliable enough to find the right answer every time.

4. Thinking Like a Business Partner, Not a Lawyer

Clients don’t operate in a vacuum of legal principles. They operate in a world of profit margins, competitors, and PR disasters.

If you give advice that is legally perfect but commercially poor, you haven't helped your client. You need to start practising "commercial context." This means reading the business news as much as you read the law reports.

Why is your client’s industry struggling right now? How does an interest rate hike affect their ability to take on debt? If you’re mooting, don’t just look at the legal technicality, look at the "real world" implications of the decision you’re asking for.

The law is a service industry. To serve your client well, you have to understand the world they live in.

5. The Ruthless Discipline of the Clock

Nobody tells you that being a lawyer is 40% legal work and 60% administrative gymnastics.

In law school, your time is your own. You can pull an all-nighter or spend three hours down a rabbit hole of obscure case law. In a firm, your time is measured in six-minute units.

When you have three different partners all giving you "urgent" tasks, how do you decide what to do first? You can’t just say "yes" to everyone and then drown.

You have to learn to ask: "When do you need this by?" and "What is the priority relative to [Other Task]?" It feels awkward at first, but it’s the only way to survive without burning out.

Time is your most valuable (and billable) asset. Treat it with the same respect you treat a court deadline.

How to Practice Without the Pressure

The problem with learning these things "on the job" is that the stakes are incredibly high. If you mess up a client email or blow a deadline, there are real consequences.

This is why we focus so much on the Legal Skills Academy. It’s a safe space to fail. When you’re taking part, you will focus on:

• Concise communication: You have limited time to get your point across.

• Managing expectations: Handling "interventions" from judges when you don't have the answer.

• Prioritisation: Deciding which of your three legal points is actually the strongest.

Advocacy isn't just for people who want to be at the Bar. It’s for anyone who wants to be a better communicator and a more resilient professional. It gives you the "mat-time" you need so that when you finally qualify, you aren't doing it all for the first time.

A Note to My Future Colleagues

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that every senior partner you admire once stood where you are. They’ve all sent a typo-ridden email, they’ve all been stumped by a question, and they’ve all struggled to keep their timesheets up to date.

The goal isn't to be perfect on day one. The goal is to start building the right habits today.

Start writing shorter emails. Start reading the Financial Times. Start being honest when you don't know an answer. These small shifts in your "practice" will make the world of difference when you finally put on that gown or walk into your first client meeting as a qualified lawyer.

You’ve got this. We’re here to help you get there.