📩 MAKE 2026 YOUR YEAR

Hey there

The holidays are now behind us. And while it would be nice to say everything paused for a while, the reality is that aspiring lawyers rarely get a full switch-off.

Deadlines continue, exams wait in the background and the process doesn’t stop.

Breaking into law isn’t something most people figure out in one clean cycle. It’s often fragmented, and it has periods of rejection, moments of doubt, then renewed focus.

As things pick up again, this is your reminder you are not behind, you are still very much in the process. And you don’t have to navigate it alone.

That’s exactly why Equal Opportunity exists:

As we move into the new year, our focus stays the same:

• practical resources you can use immediately

• insight from recruiters and trainees who’ve been through it

• support across applications, tests, interviews, and assessment centres

If this is the year you want to convert effort into outcomes, make sure you’re actually using the tools designed to help you do that.

1. 📄Research for your applications

   Access over 20 law firm profiles, complete with breakdowns, seats, secondments, and other requirements.

2. 💼 Virtual Work Experience

   Explore free virtual internships and DIY vacation schemes. Build real-world skills you can showcase on applications.

3. 📚 Studying

   First Class LLB Notes, Problem Question Model Answers, Essay Structures and more tips to ace your degree.

4. ✍️ Application Writing & Tests

   Application tracker, CV & Cover Letter guidance, psychometric tests guidance, interview answering guidance and more.

5. 🏆 Personal Development

   Resources to boost your confidence, communication, and professional skills.

4 January 2022 — New and Improved National Security and Investment Act came into effect. It gave the UK government the ability to scrutinise and intervene in investments & acquisitions that could pose risks to national security.

5 January 1941 — The Ford Motor Company announced the 8-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5. This will later influence labour laws in the UK.

6 January 1066 — The Coronation of the last Anglo Saxon King of England. He lasted 10 months and died at the Battle of Hastings, where William the Conqueror won and became the first Norman King.

7 January 1927 — A telephone service began operating between London and New York. A 3 minute call cost £15( £780 today). Regardless, 31 different people made a call on the first day. Some of them were definitely lawyers.

8 January 2001 — The High Court ruled that the identities of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, would be kept secret for the rest of their lives. For context, both 10 year olds brutally murdered a toddler in 1993.

9 January 1799 — Income Act 1799 was passed, introducing a tax on all annual incomes exceeding £200 at a flat rate of 10%. Incomes falling between £60 and £200 were subject to a graduated tax rate, starting at slightly less than 1% and going up to 10%.

10 January 1839 — Indian tea was auctioned in Britain for the first time. Only tea from China was available prior to this, and it was expensive. Once Indian tea was introduced, it became so affordable that it was made the national drink.

Two interesting stories worth considering this week:

1) Gold Gains Forecasted

The Update

Due to poor investor confidence in 2025, affected by events like Trump’s aggressive tariff regime and concerns over an AI bubble, the price of gold had risen by over 60% the past year. Analysts predict that this trend will continue throughout 2026, albeit at a lower rate.

MKS Pamp is a precious metals group, which predicts that gold would have a gain of 25% by the end of 2026 - the highest forecast. Whilst there are also a number of analysts that suggest gold would actually fall in value by the end of 2026, major investment banks like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs all predict that gold would indeed rise.

The Implications

Why is gold bought? Unlike typical means of investment, gold is seen as a stable asset, which does not theoretically gain or lose value. Gold has historically been seen as a means of storing value for this reason, not dissimilar to leaving money in the bank. However, what has happened in 2025, and what is forecasted for 2026, seems to buck this concept.

What factors are driving the rise of gold prices?

• Trump’s activities are still making investors uneasy, like the recent Venezuela strikes

• The debasement trade is an investment strategy whereby investors move money into assets like gold and real estate out of fear from fiscal policy

• More people are seeing gold as a short-term investment strategy rather than a means of storing value, which simply drives up demand.

How to Use This

Gold is a good indicator of market confidence. When the market is up, gold prices are typically low. The inverse is an indicator that the market is slowing, or that investors forecast a downturn. Right now, the latter seems to be a bigger driver for the rise in gold prices. This might be worth bringing up in applications and interviews when talking about the clients law firms will be serving, and pointing out what events exactly might play into this predicted downturn (or whether you might believe that the downturn is wrongly predicted).

2) Electric Vehicles Slow Down

The Update

Electric vehicle (EV) sales are only projected to grow 13% during 2026, a far cry from the estimated 22% increase in 2025. This is partly driven by a 29% contraction in the US market, cooling demand in China (the world’s largest EV market), and the EU’s relaxation of the 2035 petrol car ban.

The Implications

Years of explosive China-led growth formed the impression that the demise of petrol cars was highly imminent. Especially given that Chinese manufacturer BYD had replaced Tesla as the world’s largest electric carmaker. However, this highly imminent transition seems to have been over-eager, as hybrid vehicles gain ground and electric manufacturers face slowdowns / losses. An example is Ford taking a $19.5 billion hit due to cancelled EV projects, including its flagship F-150 electric truck.

What are the implications of this slowdown?

• Industry pivot towards hybrid vehicles as consumers shy away from full electrification

• Further US and EU government policy volatility creating strategic uncertainty for carmakers

• Chinese manufacturers using this opportunity to widen gap from Western manufacturers via lower-priced EVs.

How to Use This

Regulatory ambition can often be undercut by market reality in instances like this, further impacted by short-term policy decisions and unreliable consumer intentions. In previous years, people have talked about EVs in law firm interviews as the big new development which is taking over - this news demonstrates the opposite can be true. Consider whether this slowdown will continue into 2027 and ultimately why the promising trend in EV development has hit a dead end - is this merely a slowdown, or signs of a new trend leaning in favour of petrol and hybrid vehicles.