The law is a broad church. No, not like a convent. That’s a broads’ church. The law is a large body that encompasses many different job descriptions and even more associated sector roles.
So, while not everyone who works in the Legal profession is a lawyer, law is most certainly at the heart of what everyone does.
Whether you’re a Solicitor or Conveyancer, Risk Assessment Manager or Registrar, the language of your working day will be built using the letters of the law.
For instance, as the Editor of the business law news service Out-Law.com, Matthew Magee will never have his day in court; instead, he’s too busy making sure the legal world is kept fully up to speed with news, views and industry developments.
Think of him as not so much legal eagle as legal mynah bird, alerting the wide world to exactly what’s going on out there: what, when, how and why.
We caught up with Matthew to ‘hear all about it’.
What is it all about?
“Well, as Editor of Out-Law.com, I’m responsible for making sure we are covering the material that’s most helpful to businesses and for making sure our stories are engaging, accurate and follow fast-moving events.”
So you have a legal background?
“No, before joining Out-Law I worked in newspapers, covering both business and music. I decided to move to an online news service because it was so clearly where the readership was going.
I was also really interested in working in such a specialist area – we really get into the detail of the legal ins and outs of a story and it’s fascinating.
Business readers increasingly look for detailed, expert analysis of the issues of the day rather than a simple news report.”
Outlaw.com sounds like a bad-ass posse. Are you really the good guys?
“Out-Law.com is there to help large businesses understand the impact news events might have on them, looking at the news from a legal and regulatory angle.
It is run by international law firm Pinsent Masons and is a way for its experts to quickly and easily reach clients and contacts with their take on major business events.
All big law firms publish articles and analysis but Out-Law.com takes a unique approach.
We make sure we cover what is happening right now and we write in easily understandable, plain, business English.
The Legal industry’s publishing tends to be slow and jargon-heavy. We work hard to use everyday business language and we know that our readers appreciate our ability to understand and communicate complex issues in an accessible way.
That is really important for business people who have to digest information quickly and pass it on to the right people in their organisation.”
Do you always ‘get your man’?
“We are the most-visited law firm website in the world and have won the biggest internet award out there, a Webby, so we know we’re on the right track.
We already personalise our news so readers only see what is relevant to them and our next challenge is making sure our news is easily accessible on any device at any time.”
So you go by the letter of the law?
“What clients want more than ever is clear advice and information that is easy to understand and, when it comes to publishing, is tailored to that client’s needs, and Out-Law.com has always focused on these aims.
Anyone starting work for a law firm now, whether as a lawyer or in marketing or business development, will need to focus on these goals of clarity and personalisation to get and keep clients’ attention.”
How can I become a ‘pardner’ in the legal world?
“I think a really interesting development in the Legal industry is an increasing focus on support. More big firms are focusing on how non-lawyers can help firms grow and stay profitable.
A number of big firms are establishing large support hubs in places like Glasgow and Manchester where there are exciting opportunities for non-lawyers to help shape the future of a changing industry, meaning firms will have to attract employees from other industries.”
Will we need law keepers or civilians?
“The Legal industry is increasingly relying on non-legal specialisms such as research, software engineering and marketing to help improve efficiency and deliver better service to clients, which makes it a really exciting business to work in.
People with these skills might never have thought about working for a law firm, but they should.”
Finally, what was the best advice you ever took?
“It was from my mum. The only thing she ever told me about working life was ‘follow your interest’.
It works: the people I know who are happiest and most fulfilled at work are the ones who were guided by what they were interested in above all else.”
Search the latest Legal jobs today.