Everyone knows that first impressions are all important. But did you give that any thought before you knocked on the door for that all-important client introduction or job interview? Knock too quietly and you’ll come across as a meek little mouse. Too loud and you’ll imply a ‘negative state of mind’. Once through the door, the etiquette minefield is still far from crossed. How should you shake hands? The perfect handshake is ‘neither a bone cruncher nor a wet fish, but something in between’.

These handy tips are dished out to young lawyers participating in the Black Lawyers Directory’s Legal Launch Pad project, which held a graduation ceremony last week. Kenneth Mukasa, who had just come through the scheme, spilled the beans on the kind of advice that was given. And he had another tip to impart: always take a bottle of water into the interview room. No, it’s not because the interview room may catch fire and you might need it to douse the flames, and it’s not because you may get a frog in your throat – though that could indeed happen. It’s in case you face a grilling on a tricky topic. Mukasa says: ‘When you’re asked a tough question, like when I was asked for my solution to the music industry’s problems in the recession, you can take a couple of seconds to sip water and think up a good answer.’ Sounds like a good plan; let’s shake on it. Firmly.