Published on October 4, 2018 by ottohopkinsfagan

Now is the best time to be a law student. The internet has a ton of useful websites that can make a law student’s life much easier than ever before. This article provides you with the top 10 websites that will help you to progress your law career.

#1 The Lawyer Portal

Without sounding biased, The Lawyer Portal really is the best online resource for both aspiring and current law students. Not only can you find firm insights and career tips, you can also take advantage of the free guides available, which cover a wide range of topics.

#2 Westlaw

Most universities will have access to Westlaw and LexisNexis, two of the most widely used legal databases. In my opinion, Westlaw has the edge due to how comprehensive it is. The interface may not be the best but it is simple to use, contains everything you could ever need and offers you the chance to become certified in it. I highly recommend using Westlaw for legal research.

#3 Linkedin

If I had to describe Linkedin, I’d describe it less like a social network and more like an online CV. The site allows you to set up your own profile with your experience, key skills, education history and key skills. In addition to this, you can connect with friends, family, lecturers and people in the legal industry. I recommend law students to get familiar with Linkedin as the site allows you to build a network and showcase your online presence.

Want to know the best apps for law students? Check out our Top 10 here. >>

#4 Google Scholar

If you need to find journal articles for an assignment or want to do some further reading, Google Scholar can be a great tool. Before I really understood how to use Westlaw, I relied heavily on Google Scholar because it was so simple to use and always gave me interesting articles on topics I searched for. Even now, I still find myself using this amazing tool simply because it has a large database of articles available and some can’t be found on Westlaw. Try it out for yourself.


Do you know enough legal terms to do well in your law degree? Take our quiz to find out!

How Good is Your Legal Vocabulary?? Take the quiz!

#5 University of Law

The University of Law website is an invaluable resource to support your journey to a legal career. It allows you to explore different career paths and discover different opportunities such as courses that fit your needs and goals, apprenticeships and scholarship options. The ULaw website also provides employability advice and resources to support aspiring lawyers in finding pro bono and work experience options, learn more about law career pathways and discover legal career routes.

#6 Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations

Although it’s one of the simpler sites on here, it doesn’t mean it’s any less useful for law students. This website does as the name implies, it allows you to search for the meanings of legal abbreviations. If you are asked to read a case with an abbreviation you aren’t familiar with or are just curious about, try this useful tool out.

#7 Cite This For Me

This tool is more powerful than you might think. As a law student, one of the worst things is to be marked down for referencing, it’s an important part of academic writing and it can have a drastic effect on your overall grade. If your university uses OSCOLA referencing, try out this free tool and no longer will you be marked down for referencing errors.

Did you know that Cite This For Me has a free OSCOLA referencing tool? You can use it here. >>

#8 Chambers Student

When applying for training contracts, pupillages, vacation schemes or mini-pupillages, I would highly encourage any law student to visit Chambers Student. It is an amazing website that allows you to really do some research on the firm or chambers you are applying to. You can filter the firms you see by location and you can find out about the latest news from a firm as well as a whole host of other features.

#9 Amazon

We almost all use Amazon at some point and for good reason – it is the best place to purchase textbooks and student resources. I would recommend students to use Amazon as their primary source of making student purchases. Where possible, I would also suggest buying books secondhand as you will find them better value for money. Just be aware that the law changes and newer copies may not have updated material.

#10 LawCareers.Net

A tried and tested website by thousands of law students. This site is crucial if you are planning on a career in law. Whether you are an aspiring solicitor or barrister, this website advertises jobs, contains a calendar with application deadlines and a whole host of other useful features. This will definitely come in handy in second and third year.

I hope you found this article insightful and plan on using most if not all of these websites at some point. They have definitely been of use to me in the past.

Here are some more articles to help you during your law degree:

 

Author: Ali Chaudhry

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