The common law encompasses a large number of claims based on contract and tort. Claims arising out of personal injury, clinical negligence, product liability, professional negligence, contractual disputes, nuisance, fires, floods and property damage all fall under this heading.

What you can expect

Pupils and junior tenants normally expect to be in court several times a week, either on interlocutory skirmishes or in small value trials in front of a District Judge. There may be little glamour in being sent to Willesden County Court on a cold December morning, but the advocacy experience you pick you in your first few years is invaluable.

More senior practitioners tend to spend more time advising on paper and in conference, and rather less time in court, as larger cases have a frustrating tendency to settle.

Common law practice tends to have a high turnover of cases. Trials do not normally last more than a few days, but often involve cross-examining doctors or other expert witnesses, an activity that can be stimulating and enormously satisfying.

Successful practitioners are not always those with the biggest brains, but those with a clear and uncomplicated manner with clients and a deft touch in court.

Tips for success

You will need:

• eloquence
• determination
• common sense.