Commercial awareness and the law student journey into the legal profession – definitional challenges and the lived experience of the graduate interview

Figures & data

Figure 1. Data for 20 participants returning for semi-structured interview.

Graph 2. Participants seeking to demonstrate commercial awareness by employer type.²²

Graph 1. Skills participants sought to demonstrate in the practice interview.

Graph 3. Participants seeking to demonstrate commercial awareness by role.

Graph 4. Assessment of commercial awareness by employer type.

Graph 5. Assessment of commercial awareness by role.

Table 1. Sample questions.

Type of law firm	Question
Commercial	What problems do solicitors face in the north east right now? How is lockdown affecting firms? If you had an unlimited budget to put on a networking event for a client, what would you do? How will the economy look in the next few months to a year in terms of the pandemic?
International Commercial	What do you think our unique selling points are? What are the risks and opportunities created by the pandemic from a business perspective? If you were the Chief Executive Officer, what would you worry about at night-time? How do law firms make money? How has Covid-19 affected law firms in general?
Full Service	What are your opinions on business development? What are your opinions on the role of a practice director?
High Street	What’s going to be affecting the legal sector in the next few years?