Jake Holmes

Hi everyone! I’m Jake, a first-year History student.

Commercial awareness is constantly stressed as essential for aspiring lawyers, yet many students find it difficult to know where to begin. Reading the news is only the first step; the real challenge is understanding why developments in business, politics and regulation matter to law firms and their clients.

Securing first-year scheme offers from Slaughter and May, Simmons & Simmons, and Brabners would not have been possible without developing this perspective. As part of this process, I successfully passed the interview stage for the Simmons & Simmons First-Year Scheme, and recently prepared for and completed an interview for the Linklaters Pathfinders Scheme, with the outcome currently pending.

Key to developing this understanding has been extensive networking with trainees and lawyers at firms like Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Hogan Lovells, who shared the kind of practical advice about applications that is rarely written down. I have also been able to practise applying commercial awareness through the UCL Law Society Negotiation and Client Interviewing competitions, as well as a mock assessment centre through the UCL Law Society × TCLA mentorship scheme.

If elected as Commercial Awareness Officer, I would aim to help members move beyond simply following the news and instead develop the confidence to analyse commercial developments and explain why they matter for law firms and their clients.