Membership will give you instant access to...

  • 22 in-depth, expert-led courses covering every aspect of the recruitment process, from application writing, psychometric tests and preparing for interviews, to building commercial awareness, acing case studies, converting internships, and developing professional skills.

  • 300+ video lessons and hundreds of articles - including fully animated videos to facilitate visual learning (plus webinar recordings) - all delivered by industry experts, leading City trainers and City lawyers.

  • 90+ consistently-structured firm profiles for Magic Circle, Silver Circle, US and regional firms, plus USPs for in-house teams, each covering a broad range of key differentiators.

  • 75+ comprehensive assessment centre insights for City firms, including example interview questions, information about case studies and written exercises, and specific advice from successful candidates.

  • Dozens of recent (verified) successful applications and cover letters, complete with Jake Schogger's commentary on why these are strong and what could potentially be improved.

  • 14 example commercial and legal interview case studies based on real City law firm interviews, with detailed model answers and comprehensive guidance to support your learning

  • Monthly subscriber-only webinars, during which Jake reviews member applications and gives mock interviews live on air (feel free to submit your applications or questions for free!).

Our core areas of learning

Our 22 in-depth courses provide insights into legal careers, firm profiles and interview insights, expert advice on writing applications and tackling psychometric tests, resources to help you prepare for interviews and internships, examples of interview case studies, practical content to help you understand and confidently discuss commercial concepts and current affairs, plus tips on how to network, negotiate, deliver presentations and write professionally.

In other words, we've got you covered!

Why choose us?

Our content has been created and curated by ex-Magic Circle lawyer and best-selling commercial awareness author Jake Schogger, based on his experiences coaching, mentoring and training thousands of aspiring lawyers. Our courses also include exclusive advice from an ex-Magic Circle graduate recruiter, leading City trainers, and experienced City lawyers.

  • 300+ video lessons and hundreds of articles - including fully animated videos to facilitate visual learning (plus webinar recordings) - all delivered by industry experts, leading City trainers and City lawyers.

  • Access to monthly subscriber-only Q&A sessions, where Jake reviews applications live on air, plus a private forum where Jake will answer your questions on a day-to-day basis.

  • A comprehensive range of practical tips, insider insights and exclusive guidance from City Career Series' career-focused handbooks.

  • Interactive quizzes, rich media and downloadable e-guides to support your learning and professional development.

  • Certificate of completion for every course.

  • Learn on the go, with access via laptop, mobile and tablet.

  • Discounts across our full range of handbooks.

  • Everything included in a single, affordable subscription. Simple, right?

Membership

Access all of our content with a single, affordable subscription. Cancel at any time!

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Want help answering 100+ application and interview questions?

We've compiled a list of over 120 application and interview questions that are commonly asked by law firms.

Throughout this list, we've included links to various course chapters, video lessons and articles created to help you address each question. We really do have you covered...
Check it out
120+ law firm interview questions

How can we help you prepare for interviews?

As a starting point, we would recommend that you...

1. Try to figure out what might come up: read any recent assessment centre insights provided by previous interviewees.

2. Enhance your understanding of how assessment centres work: complete our courses on preparing for assessment centres and negotiation.

3. Research the firm in greater depth: read our relevant firm profile and watch our video series on how to identify genuine firm USPs and link them back to yourself. 

4. Be prepared to confidently discuss your skills, experiences and motivations: complete our videos on how to discuss your career motivation, skills, strengths, and both professional and extracurricular experiences.

5. Make sure your commercial awareness is up to scratch: we offer advice on how to build it, 14 interview case studies, dozens of current affairs wrap ups, a legal tech masterclass, an M&A deep dive, and a partner-led course on the business of law firms.

6. Learn how to handle nerves and deliver presentations: if nerves concern you, complete our content on why we experience nerves and how to handle common symptoms of stress.

Instructors

Jake Schogger, Hannah Salton, Giles Thompson, Peggy Forell, John Trimbos, Harry Clark, Ali Obeid, Gordon Chung, Simran Mann and more...

City Career Series Founder & Ex-Freshfields Lawyer Jake Schogger

Jake Schogger is a qualified lawyer, career coach, entrepreneur, author, copywriter and consultant. He is the founder and CEO of City Career Series, a publishing company that has sold ~50,000 handbooks designed to help students secure City careers, including the critically acclaimed Commercial Law Handbook. He trained at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and now acts as a legal adviser to start-ups and scale-ups, whilst also working as a career coach and delivering career-related presentations at universities across the UK. In addition, Jake works with tech start-ups and runs a variety of his own businesses, including a creative/commercial consultancy (Fresh Perspective) and a luxury cake business (Whisk & Drizzle). For more information, visit: www.citycareerseries.com and www.linkedin.com/groups/8944518 or search for “City Career Series” on YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Career Coach & Ex-Magic Circle Recruiter Hannah Salton

Hannah Salton is a qualified executive coach, career consultant and former corporate graduate recruiter. She spent the first eight years of her career recruiting graduate talent for leading international corporations, including telecoms giant BT and elite law firm Allen & Overy. In 2017 she transitioned to a career in coaching and professional development, specialising in helping graduates achieve ambitious career goals. Through her personalised one-to-one and group coaching programmes, she helps people develop the skills, confidence and awareness needed to secure their dream job. For more information, visit www.hannahsalton.co.uk and connect with Hannah on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-salton-coaching

Head of Growth (Avvoka) Giles Thompson

Giles spearheads Avvoka’s growth strategy, which involves working with in-house legal teams, leading law firms, and businesses. Previously, Giles worked as a City lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills and Kirkland & Ellis. Giles also has in-house experience working for BP’s in-house legal team and in the regulatory division of PAX Labs/Juul.

Influencer & Baker McKenzie Future Trainee Gordon Chung

LinkedIn personality Gordon Chung is a future trainee solicitor at Baker McKenzie. He completed his Bachelor of Laws degree at City University of Hong Kong before obtaining his postgraduate Master of Corporate Law degree at University of Cambridge. Recently, Gordon also passed the July 2019 New York state bar examination and is currently awaiting admission as a New York attorney-at-law.

Motivational Influencer & CMS Future Trainee Akil Hunte

Akil Hunte is a future trainee solicitor at CMS and a multi-award winning law graduate from Nottingham Trent. He is a public speaker, a motivational influencer, the author of ‘Unlocking Yourself After Lockdown’, a mentor to dozens of aspiring lawyers, and the founder of a marketing and branding programme called ‘LinkedIn Skills For Lawyers’.

Womble Bond Dickinson Future Trainee Simranjeet Mann

Simranjeet Kaur Mann is a future trainee solicitor at Womble Bond Dickinson, having received three training contract offers after finishing university. She has amassed an impressive range of work experience, having completed three vacation schemes, undertaken three paralegal roles, attended four assessment centres and briefly worked at a “Big 4” accounting firm. She’s passionate about increasing diversity across, and access to the legal profession, which has led to her offering regular guidance to aspiring solicitors via her Instagram page and her (light-hearted yet informational) YouTube channel, ‘Sim’s Legal Mentoring’.

Podcaster & Baker McKenzie Trainee Harry Clark

Harry Clark, future Baker McKenzie Trainee Solicitor, is best known as the host of the More From Law podcast, an employability and commercial awareness podcast that has accumulated tens of thousands of streams to date. He also produces comprehensive resources for aspiring lawyers, including a broad range of articles, e-books and other content designed to help increase access to the legal profession. For more information, visit harryclarklaw.com, search @harryclarklaw across social media and connect with Harry on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/harryclarklaw

YouTuber & White & Case Future Trainee Ali Obeid

Ali Obeid, a non-law graduate from LSE, is best known for his highly-personal and insightful career and university-related YouTube videos, as well as the comprehensive tips and resources that he publishes on LinkedIn. Coming from a lower socio-economic single-parent family, Ali truly understands the struggles of 'fitting in' and 'keeping up' with others, which is why his content focuses on helping students to break barriers and reach new levels, efficiently and effectively. He secured a training contract at White & Case just before sitting his second-year university exams, having also interned at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and is now gearing up to study the GDL and LPC at BPP University. For more information, search for Ali Obeid on YouTube and connect with Ali on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aliobeid1

Business presentation expert Peggy Forell

Peggy Forell is the founder of Advocality, a consultancy born out of a passion for teaching presentation skills. These are the skills that go into delivering a message to a group of people (including interviewers!), with the intention of making them glad they heard it. Peggy has worked mainly with lawyers over the years and was employed by one of the City’s magic circle law firms to teach lawyers how to better communicate, structure and deliver presentations. However, Peggy is not a lawyer. In fact, this is her USP. For many years, she trained for the stage, after achieving a Degree in Speech & Dramatic Art with the University of Iowa. When her dazzling career in performance didn’t eventuate, she diversified into working with non-actors on their verbal and non-verbal communication skills: an actor’s bread and butter. Today Peggy works with lawyers in the City and in numerous other countries, at all levels of their careers…from law students to senior partners. www.advocality.co.uk

Business writing expert John Trimbos

John Trimbos is a solicitor and training consultant who specialises in communication skills. He has a background in both the public and private sectors, and provides training and one-to-one coaching for a variety of organisations (including teaching business writing to LPC students at BPP University). John Trimbos provides training courses and one-to-one coaching for a variety of individuals and commercial organisations. For more information, check out www.trimbostraining.com.

Want to boost your commercial awareness?

We've compiled a free glossary of key business, finance and legal terms that often come up during assessment centres and internships.

Throughout this list, we've included links to various course chapters, video lessons and articles created to help you learn more about the various concepts. We really do have you covered...
Check it out
120+ law firm interview questions

Commercial awareness handbooks

We have also published a range of books directly relevant to the recruitment process for careers in commercial law. The content has been designed and collated to assist you right the way through your pursuit of a City career, whether you are just starting out, working on applications, preparing for interviews, gearing up to undertake internships or readying yourself for the world of work.
Learn more

Hear what others have to say

Demi, Law graduate

Feedback on her Commercial Law Academy membership

"Putting your advice into practice, I've landed a training contract with the largest of Ireland's top 5 firms. The Commercial Law Academy was an invaluable investment for my career. Jake has an outstanding teaching style..."

Final year History student

Feedback on the training contract module

"Brilliant, so in-depth and insightful...I feel much more confident about how to approach applications and demonstrate my skills in a way that matches those required."

Kristy, Australian Law graduate

Feedback on the M&A content

"I have just received an email from [Magic Circle firm] saying that I passed the case study interview! It involved mostly contents covered by your M&A course - thank you so so much!! Honestly would not have made it without your courses."

GDL & Ph.D Law student

Feedback on the employability content

"Highly insightful, helpful, and instructive. The contributions were excellent."

Final year PPE student

Feedback on the commercial awareness content

"Thought-provoking and provided a fresh perspective for the upcoming application cycle, including insights to further my commercial awareness and tips to cultivate my personal brand."

University employability adviser

Feedback on the employability content

"Very insightful and full of advice!"

Final year Politics & International Relations student

Feedback on the assessment centre, growth mindset and employability content

"I found the insights you provided extremely helpful and easy to understand, especially as a non-law undergraduate entering the legal sector."

Masters student

Feedback on the assessment centre and commercial awareness content

"I've been to over 100 legal events in the last 4 months. This was truly the most comprehensive webinar I've had on the topic."

2nd year Law student

Feedback on the employability content

"Really insightful, informative and eye-opening! You have provided us with a wealth of information, which I will utilise to the fullest!"

LLM student

Feedback on the employability content

"I feel a lot more confident now for the upcoming application cycle, as I will be using all the tips yourself and the speakers kindly gave."

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