Trainee Solicitor and MJLD representative Nicole Baygan reports on a recent visit to the Manchester law fair...

I attended the Manchester Law Fair at the GMEX in the heart of Manchester as a representative of the Law Society on 29^th October 2009. Together with my fellow Executive committee colleague and member of the Law Society Council, Beth Wanono, we had no idea what to expect from our nation's future lawyers to be.

After some networking with the top firms from across the Country we undertook our positions at the stand ready with our badges, banner, sweets, training contract and pupillage handbooks, mailing list and JLD leaflets.

Initially the tension built up as all the students were queuing by the Magic Circle firms' stands. However, they soon found their way around to our stand and gathered up in a long queue and fired questions that blew us both away!

I am impressed by the number of students out there with a desirable passion for the law and a commitment to succeed in this competitive profession. Although I have to say the most common question of the day was also the most shocking; namely "what are the SRA and Law Society"?! Followed by "is the Law Society the same as the one we have in University that arranges events?"!

Young lawyers nowadays, albeit well educated and ambitious, do not seem to be aware of the bodies that regulate and govern their profession. This shows the importance of the need for Universities at an early stage to take a responsibility, not only to educate us in tort and land law, but in how the profession is run. Even more importantly, they need to impress upon students how law firms are businesses. Lawyers need to be more than just good fee earners in this commercial industry and be able to represent the profession in the office as well as outside.

I have already received excellent feedback from a number of students we met and I hope us attending the Law Fair gave a realistic insight to the profession.