Welcome to the autumn edition of Legal Week Student, our latest up-to-the-minute guide to qualifying for a career in commercial law.

And what a career it can be. For those who work hard and make the right choices, a life in the law can offer a golden opportunity to work at the coal face of international business, handling multi-million pound deals and disputes unimaginable to yesterday’s lawyer. But there is a price to be paid, and for today’s student lawyer, the choice of which path to take must be made earlier in your career than ever.