New Threads

Hi,
Just got a few questions about the overlap between corporate and capital markets categorisation.
I saw that a few international firms placed their finance teams within corporate services, and responsible for "equity or debt financing" work. However, isn't "equity or debt financing" one of the key areas that Capital Markets Team should have be involved in?

Thanks guys!

Hey everyone. I'm applying for the September 2022 training contract with Withers, but I'm struggling to get my head around one question: 'If you had the opportunity to change a product that you currently use, what would it be and why?' (60 words)

I haven't come across a question like this before and I'm not sure how significant the product is supposed to be. Can I literally choose any product? How important do you think the choice of product is or are they more interested in the overall thought process of how we would change it?

Thanks

Hello,

Has anyone done their GDL (full-time) at ULaw Moorgate and could potentially share their schedule with me? I have accepted my offer but they have not communicated anything with me yet and I am trying to figure out my timetable in the coming year.

Thank you!

Did anybody else receive an email from grad recruitment today that the firm has decided to wait till all second year results have been received before viewing your application? And that we have to apply again during the next application window? My second year results were on my application so I hope it wasn’t just me who got this email

Hi guys,

I'm currently debating whether or not to reach out to a few associates at a firm I'm currently writing an application for on LinkedIn. I didn't meet this firm at any open days, law fairs or networking events, and I think it would be a good way to show that I've made efforts to research them beyond just reading their website and other guides.

However, I'm not really sure what the best way to go about this is. How should I introduce myself? What questions are on and off limits? I would be really grateful if anyone could share any tips!

Hi

Has anyone attended Kingsley Napley AC before? I am hoping to understand what is to be expected and any tips.

Thanks!

Hi guys!

Ideas for the below question will be much appreciated.

If you were to lobby for a change in a piece of legislation, please explain what legislation, why the need for change and what changes would you hope to achieve?

Hi all!

I've never posted here before so apologies for being so soppy in my first thread! I would just like some insight on the likelihood of me obtaining a legal career after years of hopeless applications to law firms in London. My first batch of applications were appalling, but have been improving at every next attempt and I am still not getting anywhere.
About myself: My A-Levels are, to my standards, pretty terrible, being at ACCC from a good college. I luckily secured a place at City, University of London and graduated from there in 2018 with a 2:1. I decided to take a gap year since I had some issues with my documents with student finance in relation to funding the LPC, thus forcing me to delay in applying for it. I finally started my LPC LLM course part-time at BPP in September 2019 and let's say it's been terrible for me. I had to resit my Business Law module and I fear that Property Law might be next. Many applications ask if I had to do any resits and I'm worried that disclosing this will be the nail on my legal career coffin. I have been working as an administrator, then payroll assistant, then back to administrator at a construction engineering company (currently furloughed). I have legal work experience at 2 small firms and have attended numerous open days at BCLP, Bircham Dyson Bell and have done volunteering during my university studies. I have not resat anything at university, thankfully. I co-founded my university's Pro Bono Society and served as its marketing manager until I graduated. I also participated at several mooting competitions.

I guess my question is, do I have a shot? My heart lies with Kennedys - I did nearly secure a vac scheme there, but did not pass their WG test (*facedesks*). I am really worried about my history of a resit (possibly resits) at BPP.

Any answers would be of great help to me! I am trying to be as honest with myself as possible.
Thank you all!

Hey everyone,

just a quick question, Sidley Austin states on their wesbite that "You’ll need to have a minimum of three A-levels (at least three A grades)", I just want to check if this is a strict AAA, or if they would accept equivalent grades e.g A*AB?

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone knew if it is possible to issue bonds and have them publicly traded without being listed on the stock exchange.

I saw online that its possible to become a plc without doing an IPO but would this prevent us from issuing bonds to the public on the debt capital markets?

Thank you very much for your help everyone!

Is it worth applying for the TC after I was rejected following the vac scheme assessment centre at Freshfields just February this year? In my feedback they said my competency interview was good but the case study one, my answers could have been more detailed.
Or do you think it’s better to wait till next year? Does anyone know if they have any limits on how many times you can apply? Because if it’s just one, I don’t want to blow it when I could work on my application more next year...

Hey

Has anyone applied for TLT? I am in the process of drafting an application for the Manchester office, and just thought it would be useful to hear other peoples' thoughts on it (whether you have already applied or are also in the middle of one).

Has anyone had any interaction with the firm e.g. open days (pre COVID!), and if so, how did you find them? I would be interested to know!

Also thought it would be a good reference point for people who reach future stages!

Good luck

So this might sound really dumb but basically I am trying to apply for the Banking and Finance Paralegal position that Macfarlanes is advertising on their website but I cannot see anywhere to actually apply for the role i.e. there is no 'Apply' tab or some email address... so was just wondering what is the general protocol with them when you apply for paralegal positions?

Hi All,

With the current situation looking like it won't get any better until at least mid next year, how will we be able to meet staff, network, or engage with firms?

Now it will be difficult to name drop, or just generally be able to substantiate your interest in the firms that you apply to - what will be the best way of getting around this issue?

Ruby

I am starting the GDL in September and have offers from both University of Law (Moorgate Campus) and BPP (Waterloo campus). I chose these two GDl providers because of the excellent careers service / Pro Bono work and the fact the courses are taught by lawyers. I've also seen that both have connections to magic circle and big city corporate firms, with BPP potentially having the edge on that. The thing is - I am hoping to go into personal law, looking at either public law (actions by individuals against public bodies) or clinical / medical negligence. Firms I have been looking at therefore tend not to be magic circle - I am more focused on firms like Leigh Day, Irwin Mitchell, Kingsley Napley, Russell-Cooke and so on. I was wondering if anyone who is more interested in law related to human rights did the GDL at either of these providers and can give me any feedback. I want to go to the best uni possible but also am wary that the teaching may be entirely focused on gaining commercial awareness and preparing for the corporate world... any help/info would be welcomed!!

I'm a recent non-Law graduate, applying directly for TCs in this summer period. If nothing comes through, I will end up doing the GDL without a TC and aim to get one during that year of study.

My question is - would firms still be recruiting for their 2022 TCs by this time (ie next academic year)? Or are they likely to have filled their spaces up? I'm thinking mostly of larger firms, Magic & Silver circle etc. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but given how many recruitment cycles have passed for the 2022 intake it makes me slightly nervous...

Hi everyone,

Non-law (STEM) student heading into final-year here. In the alternative history of a COVID-free world, I would have had a fieldwork-related project during June and July, so only applied for later vacation schemes. The project obviously was cancelled, but it left me with a single vacation scheme at a Magic Circle firm that does not have the highest conversion rate to training contracts... which has left me somewhat worried.

I have got a relatively good amount of related work experience, including a consultancy internship in summer 2019 where the main deliverable was on an international energy arbitration of sizeable value. I also am part of a US law firm's accelerated pathway, and am currently working remotely as a Summer Research Assistant for a research centre at a T6 American Law School. I'm currently averaging a low first in my degree at Imperial, which is something of a desert for legal recruitment, and have quite strong, but not directly legal-related, ECs.

As you might have inferred, I am somewhat craving the certainty that a training contract offer could bring right now. With that in mind, and given my lack of vacation schemes, should I be shooting for winter vacation schemes or direct training contracts? My deadlines mean that a winter vac scheme should work fine, but I hear that they tend to more be competitive to get on and I do not know if I failed at that whether it would preclude me from applying to a direct training contract (or spring/summer vac scheme) with the firm, as it would presumably count as the same cycle? Ditto, since most of these winter vac schemes clash, how willing are firms to consider transferring you to another vac scheme or a direct TC assessment? Is this a case of contact each individual firm, or is there a general rule that most graduate recruitment teams follow in this regard?

As a final consideration, I could technically switch to an integrated masters degree before June if I failed to get a training contract offer secured by then. Any and all input would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have experience in starting the GDL in January, and doing summer vacation schemes within this same year? Is this realistic or is there usually an overlap between the dates of study and dates of vacation schemes?

I have a work commitment which means I can only start the GDL in Jan, and am fearful this may restrict my availability to apply and attend any vacation schemes!

Thanks

.

So I'm very aware of the looming July 31st deadline for many TC applications!

In regards to rolling applications: my GDL grades are released on July 13th, should I wait to apply with them or is it better to get my applications in ASAP? I've got strong academics for A level and undergrad, but I've only got one GDL result so far (83% in EU law).

Hi guys,

I have had two telephone interviews this cycle at really good US firms and despite me thinking they both went well, they didn't and I got rejected.

By some miracle I've managed to get a third telephone interview at a much less well known (but no less valid) national firm in their London office and I really want to make sure I give this my best shot.

How can I best prepare? I've done a lot of research on the firm, but I think the interview will also look at competency questions. Is there a list of the 'generic' questions that tend to be asked somewhere? I'd like to make sure I cover my bases.

Thanks!

A huge thank you to this candidate who shared this advice after completing Weil's virtual vacation scheme:

General Tips

• Be yourself. Vacation schemes are about the firm seeing if they would want to work with you but also for you to see if you would want to work at the firm. Neither assessment can be properly made if you are not being yourself. It would also be very difficult to keep up a persona throughout the whole scheme. Firms are not looking for robots.
  
  
• Set up regular Zoom meetings with your supervisor and trainee buddy. They can give you a great insight into the firm and it is likely that they will have already allocated time to talk to you so you can have more in-depth conversations.
  
  
• Do not feel like you need to set up calls with everyone in the office. Have calls with people who you have genuine questions for. This means that you can have more focused and helpful conversations.

• When setting up calls, always establish: time, date, method and who is calling who. For example, ‘I will call your mobile number at 1pm on X date’. This avoids confusion.
  
  
• The most important people to impress are your supervisor and your trainee buddy. It is best to really impress a small group of people rather than somewhat impressing a large group of people.
  
  
• Remember that the other vacation scheme students are not your competition. Focus on doing your best- you cannot control what anyone else is doing.
  
  
• Showing that you are a team player is also very important, as lawyers typically work in small teams.
  
  
• Form WhatsApp groups with the other vacation scheme students who you are doing group work with. This way if you are using a company laptop you can communicate with your group even when they are offline, e.g. to set up a meeting with them.
  
  
• You do not need to be the loudest person in the room. Just make sure your contributions are meaningful.
  
  
• Do not be afraid to ask your trainee buddy for help. They are there to help you. Also, you can generally build a good relationship with them because they know what it is like to be in your position. Always remain professional though.
  
  
• Try to get used to the virtual platform you will be using. For instance, I was using Zoom so before the scheme I practiced scheduling meetings and sharing my screen

Tech

• If you are having technical difficulties, contact Grad Rec ASAP. They will do everything they can to help.
  
  
• Do not worry about having technical difficulties. Everyone has struggled with poor internet, etc and it is not a reflection on you at all. It will not affect your chances of securing that TC. I missed ¾ of a couple of talks due to technical difficulties but I still got the TC.
  
  
• If you are having technical issues, see if you can dial-in to the sessions with your phone while using your computer for visuals. That way if you lose your internet connection you can still hear what is going on via your phone.

Virtual/ Zoom Sessions

• Keep your camera on during all Zoom sessions. You have limited opportunity to make an impression now that schemes are virtual so make the most of every opportunity.
  
  
• Do not be afraid to speak when you are waiting for a Zoom talk to start. Introduce yourself and say hello, ask how everyone is doing. On my scheme Grad Rec said it was really nice to see us all chatting while we were waiting.
  
  
• In Zoom talks always appear engaged. Listen actively, i.e. nod and make notes, smile where appropriate, etc.
  
  
• Prepare questions for the sessions. Make sure the questions are not ones you can find the answer to on the internet. Your questions do not need to be technical ‘impressive sounding’ questions, they just need to convey that you are interested in the firm. For example, we had a talk on innovation and I asked how new legal tech is rolled out across the London office. Not an impressive question but it shows that I am interested in how the London office works (and I was genuinely interested in the answer).
  
  
• Generally, keep your mic off when you are not talking. However, during Q&A sessions it can be difficult to get your question in when you are also trying to unmute yourself, i.e. other people will be faster to speak than you or you will forget to unmute yourself. Therefore, in Q&A sessions I left my mic off so I could speak whenever I wanted to without worrying about unmuting. Of course, if you have a lot of background noise you will have to stay on mute when you are not speaking to avoid disrupting the session.

Tasks (all of my tasks/ assessments were presentations so this will be skewed towards presentation tips)

• If you have presentations, use the slide format that the firms use. You can ask your trainee buddy or supervisor to send you a powerpoint produced by the firm and you can replace the information with your own. Note, some firm’s slides will have the title of the presentation at the bottom of every slide so make sure to replace this with your own title.
  
  
• When preparing presentations do not hesitate to reach out to people in the firm who you think can help you. Always approach them with a suggestion and ask them what they think- do not ask questions about your task without having thought about possible answers first.
  
  
• Less is more when it comes to powerpoint slides. Have your key points on each slide as well as enough information for your audience to follow what you are saying. However, most of your information should be within what you say.

• Presentation is important. Think about using tables and charts to express your points more visually.

• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
  
  
• In presentations do not read off your notes. You need to primarily look into the camera but have some notes near you that you can refer to if needed. I laid my notes out on my laptop keyboard so I could quickly glance down if I needed a prompt.
  
  
• Think about your audience. If the presentation is for clients, use less technical jargon than you would use if your presentation was for lawyers (or at least be sure to explain what the jargon means). When using acronyms always explain what they mean when you use them for the first time, regardless of your audience.
  
  
• If you are given a time limit for a presentation, stick to it!
  
  
• On virtual platforms often you can hide the faces of the audience (you can do this on Zoom). Public speaking is difficult for me so I hid everyone’s faces so that when I was presenting all I could see on the screen was the slideshow. This made it easier for me to focus on what I was saying and almost ‘forget’ that I was presenting to people.
  
  
• If you have a Q&A session after your presentation it is not about answering the questions correctly, it is about staying calm and coming up with a logical response even if you do not know the answer. For instance, I was asked a question that I did not know the answer to. I said, ‘That’s a good question. I imagine that….’ and then based my answer on what I knew. It may not have been the right answer but it showed that I can stay calm under pressure and think on my feet, which my supervisor appreciated. When speaking to clients, lawyers won’t always know the answer then and there, but it’s about staying level headed and offering up the information you know at the time but saying you can follow up with a more definite answer afterwards.
  
  
• Your supervisor does not expect you to be perfect or a legal genius. They just want to see that you approach tasks logically.
  
  
• Do not feel like you have to take on extra work. If you want to and believe you can complete the work to a high quality then that’s fine but do not feel pressured to do so. Your priority should be completing your original tasks to a high standard.

If anyone has anything else to add in this thread, please go ahead!

Hi all, I hope everyone is doing well.

I’ve not been on this platform for quite a while but given the pandemic that we’re all currently living through, I’m conscious that some people might need more/further support than ever before.

Firstly, I want to recommend a podcast titled ‘The City Social Podcast’, which is available on Spotify, iTunes etc. I believe the hosts are young professionals working at City firms. Essentially, the podcast discusses challenges/obstacles faced by young professionals or those aspiring to enter the corporate sector and go on to other solutions (refreshing perspectives). Note that their latest episode focuses on CVs and Job Applications, which I believe might benefit quite a few people on here.

Separately, I’m currently on annual leave and therefore happy to offer advice to anyone who might need it.

Stay positive and stay safe!

I’m feeling super down atm and wondering if I have made a mistake with my undergraduate university. I achieved ABB at A-level (2 marks off AAB) but I have genuine extenuating circumstances as I was being tested for crohn’s disease during my a levels. I had offers from RG unis but I had my heart set on the university of law and that’s where I currently attend. I have nothing bad to say about uni, my lectures are never cancelled and the quality of teaching is good. However, I haven’t seen/ know anyone who has landed a TC and studied undergrad at ULAW? I also am wondering if this is a big factor in my failure to obtain a TC this year.. does anyone have any advice on what I can do? I worry so much I won’t be able to land my dream TC because of my uni choice

Hi everyone!

Just in preparation for the upcoming cycle of VS/TC's, I've just been doing some research into which law firms I'd potentially want to apply to. I know that a lot of law firms put a lot of emphasis on applicants knowing the strengths of the firm you're applying to, and in my experience, they ask what other law firms you've applied to. So for this cycle, I'm just making sure that the law firms that I've applied to are similar (ish) in terms of their practice areas and global reach - does anyone know if this is the right approach to take in choosing which law firms to apply to?

I'm interested in practicing corporate law but I do want to train at a firm with a broad practice just so I don't pigeonhole myself into a practice area early on. Of course, culture and training and retention rates, etc are things I'm bearing in mind but I wanted to ask if the law firms that I'm thinking of applying to below seem kind of or somewhat streamlined?

1. Hogan Lovells
2. Allen & Overy
3. Linklaters
4. Ashurst
5. Norton Rose Fulbright
6. Baker Mckenzie
7. Simmons & Simmons

I've also been thinking about applying to smaller, mid-sized firms where competition is not as strong, but again I'm not sure if this is the right approach to take since competition for TC's in general are fierce. I was thinking about the below where practice areas are slightly more specialised/niche but still have a broad practice:

1. Stephenson Harwood
2. Addleshaw Goddard
3. Eversheds
4. Pinsent Masons

Thanks in advance!