Those looking to pursue a career in law will know that training contracts and pupillages are the golden ticket – and final step on the road to qualifying as a solicitor.

This period of recognised training helps you put your knowledge into a real-life context, and over two years you have the chance to learn about the law firm’s different departments, including contentious and non-contentious practice areas, and get training from an expert in the field.

With a training contract in place, you can pass the Professional Skills Course (PSC). You’ll need to have gained experience in client care and professional standards, financial and business skills and advocacy and communication skills.

With major opportunities for development at stake, you’ll need to find the law firm that’s right for you. LawCareers.Net has a great training contract search, so it’s worth beginning your search then.

Once you’ve made a list of firms you’d like to work with, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. How do you do that when there’s so much competition?

With over 40 years’ of experience, Bindman & Co solicitors know what makes a great applicant. They have heavily invested in the training of future solicitors and legal professionals in their native North East, recently welcoming two apprentices and providing a Law Training Contract to one staff member.

Tapping into his years’ of experience, senior partner Leslie Bindman — who has been practicing for 41 years — has shared some advice on how to pip the competition to the post for that vital training contract…

Be selective – and know why you’ve picked the firm

You don’t want to limit yourself by only applying to one firm, but a scattergun approach won’t show your interest in an individual firm. Make your choice wisely, and make sure you include some reasons why you applied to that firm in particular. Be considered, complimentary and honest.

Make sure you meet the firm’s criteria and show it in the application

You’re wasting your time – and the firm’s – if they need you to have grades you haven’t achieved, or don’t meet other criteria. Only apply for positions you are eligible for, and your 100 percent more likely to succeed. When it comes to the application, answer exactly what you’re asked – if you need to give two examples, give two. The devil’s in the detail, and you need to be able to follow briefs and instructions to the letter.

Get as much industry experience as possible
It’s an obvious one, but that’s because it’s so important. You need to show your dedication to the job and the industry, and having undertaken work experience is a great way to do this. Summer and winter breaks are a great time to do this – shadow a solicitor for a week, or answer the telephones in a firm – it all helps.

Show you’re a worker

Law’s an intensive course, so law firms are always impressed if candidates have managed to have a job whilst studying. It shows you’re a hard worker, stand on your own two feet, and can handle different types of responsibility.

Give it some personality

The law firm has to work with you for two years – if not longer if they offer you a position – so you need to makes sure you’re likeable. Find ways to showcase your personal interests and personality. Be yourself too, you want them to like you for you, and you need to be comfortable while you work there.

As far as personal injuries go, the worst injury one can suffer as a result of someone else’s intentional or negligent behaviour is death. While the injured party can’t file a wrongful death lawsuit, his or her surviving family members can file a suit on behalf of the deceased person, also referred to as the decedent.

A wrongful death lawyer is needed when someone’s life has been taken due to negligence.
Although a successful wrongful death suit can’t bring the victim back, it can allow the victim’s loved ones to receive compensation for their loss.

Damages in a wrongful death suit can include loss of support, any medical and funeral expenses, and the loss of consortium.

The Dallas based law firms consist of attorneys that represent the deceased victim’s case, to ensure that the family receives a fair compensation to move on, however hard it may be.

What is Wrongful Death Law?

Wrongful death law applies in tort cases in which the defendant’s conduct has resulted in the death of the victim, leaving behind surviving family members and dependents who will suffer as a result of the victim’s absence. The purpose of these laws is to compensate the survivors, not the deceased victim. Wrongful death laws are found in modern state statutes. Time limits for filing suit, plaintiff qualifications, and permissible damages vary by state.

Most jurisdictions distinguish between wrongful death and a related claim known as a survivor action. Both causes of action serve the purpose of holding tortfeasors responsible for their conduct when the victim dies.

The difference is that wrongful death cases pay compensation to the victim’s family members for their own damages. They can recover for the loss of financial, emotional, and other support the victim had been contributing to the household.

When is a wrongful death claim applicable?

A wrongful death claim is applicable when a victim who would otherwise have a personal injury claim is killed as a result of either negligence or an intentional harmful act on the part of the defendant.

Who can file a wrongful death claim?

A wrongful death claim is usually filed by a representative of the estate of the deceased victim, on behalf of survivors who had a relationship with the victim.

In Dallas, a spouse may bring a wrongful death action, to the appointed lawyer, on behalf of his or her deceased spouse. Parents of minors may also bring a wrongful death action if one of their children is killed, and minors can collect compensation for the death of their parents.

Where states start to disagree is whether parents of adult children can sue, whether adult children can sue for wrongful death of their parents, whether grown siblings can sue for wrongful death, or whether extended relatives like cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents can sue. Usually, the more distant the familial relationship is, the harder it will be to show that you should be allowed to collect wrongful death damages.

Types of Common Wrongful Death Cases:

1. Motor vehicle accidents: This is by far the most common cause of wrongful death. According to the most recent data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were a staggering 30,800 traffic fatalities in the US in 2012. Although there are some cases where neither driver in an accident can be found fully responsible, there are many more when someone who was driving recklessly-because they were distracted, fatigued, intoxicated, inexperienced, or impaired in any other way-caused the wrongful death of someone in their own vehicle or the occupants of another vehicle in the crash.
2. Pedestrian accidents: Older adults and children are at a particularly high risk for being injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, although anyone can suffer from this type of accident. Common factors in pedestrian accidents include reckless driving, limited field of vision, and lack of pedestrian walkways.
3. Medical malpractice: The most common allegation for medical malpractice is misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose a health issue, followed by surgery errors and treatment errors.
4. Workplace accidents: While workplace fatalities are most common among manual-labor occupation groups, workplace accidents and deaths can occur even in a seemingly safe office.

The resulting compensation from a wrongful death suit varies but in most cases is greater than an average injury suit. The courts do take into account the suffering people go through after losing a loved one due to negligence.

Oftentimes it hurts more to lose a family member unnecessarily and therefore pain and suffering is awarded to families of the deceased. Other financial losses will also be considered such as hospitalizations as a result of the accident, doctor’s bills, loss of wages, future loss of wages and the cost of funeral services. Any financial loss, as well as pain and suffering, should be paid by the negligent parties.