About The LexSim Network

About the Founder

Hi! My name is Lauren Smith. I graduated with First Class Honours in Law with American Studies from the University of Sussex in 2023, having completed a year abroad at Elon University in North Carolina. Initially set on qualifying for the New York Bar — driven by my love of the city, close friendships, and a fascination with the U.S. dual court system — my path took an unexpected turn, bringing me back to London.

Arriving late to the commercial law application cycle, I rushed through dozens of firm applications with little direction and, unsurprisingly, little success. The following year, I refined my approach and applied only to my top ten firms — progressing to second-round interviews at seven and final rounds at three.

But one hurdle consistently held me back: the assessments. I found that practice resources were limited, expensive, or simply not designed for repeated use. This gap is what inspired me to create The LexSim Network — a platform built to help aspiring trainees, like myself, prepare more effectively and accessibly.

Commercial awareness isn’t just knowledge — it’s a mindset. I’ve found I best develop it by immersing myself in real-world scenarios and practising how to think, write, and communicate like a future trainee. For many of us, this style of writing is completely new, and it’s only through repetition that we build the clarity and confidence these assessments demand.

Welcome to The LexSim Network.

About The LexSim Network

The LexSim Network is a free resource hub designed to help aspiring solicitors prepare for training contract and vacation scheme applications through practical, law firm-style simulations. These exercises are grounded in real-world news, commercial trends, and legal developments to reflect the types of assessments candidates often face — from written case studies and scenario-based tasks to commercial awareness questions and critical thinking exercises.

The inspiration behind The LexSim Network came from my own application journey. I found that while there are plenty of resources explaining what law firms are looking for, there were very few opportunities to actually practice how to demonstrate those skills — especially in written form. Most platforms offer limited or generic job simulations, and access to realistic, varied legal assessments is often behind a paywall or simply hard to find.

This platform was created to fill that gap. LexSim is about more than memorising legal updates; it’s about stepping into the mindset of a trainee solicitor and learning to apply knowledge in a way that is clear, commercial, and compelling. The style of writing required in these assessments is new to many of us — and like any skill, it improves with practice.

Here, you’ll find space to experiment, learn, and refine your thinking. Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for your final round, The LexSim Network exists to help you practice with purpose — and progress with confidence.