‘Do City law firms still favour certain unis?’

They do, because the unfortunate truth is that some universities are better than others and therefore a strong degree from those universities is a good proxy for adequate professional characteristics.

Now obviously that doesn’t mean that there is a blacklist of any universities, and every year there will be people from ex-polys who get into top law firms in the City. But these people are exceptions rather than rules (and tend to be hugely impressive vis a vis their peers).

And before people get upset – what exactly are law firms supposed to do? In 1997 the mere fact of a degree was an assurance of a minimum level of skill, given that only 250k people a year were graduating university. We now have about four times that level, while at the same time the generic aspects of university which are good predictors of professional performance (summative handwritten exams, substantial reading lists, second language expectations) have largely vanished.

If I were to advise the original individual – a first from a decent ex-poly combined with strong extracurriculars and a good professional attitude will probably get you a TC in a regional firm. From there it is entirely possible to lateral to City law a few years post-qualification, if you decide that’s what you really want. That’s not the only route to the City – but it is probably one of the more realistic ones.