New Threads

Hi everyone,

The TC application for Travers Smith asks for a cover letter, but also these questions:


1.Please give details of your main extra-curricular activities and leisure interests. *

2.Please give details of any positions of responsibility and achievements or awards at school, university or elsewhere *

In my cover letter, I have already covered some of my extra-curricular activities and positions of responsibility as reasons for 'why me.' I have two questions about this:

1. Should I be focussing on my extra-curriculars and responsibility in my cover letter? They are woven in - so they're not purely explanatory. However, I don't want to sound like I am repeating myself in the questions that follow.

2. In response to the two questions Travers are asking, should I just simply explain what I did and what I learnt? Should this be as bullet points for each experience?

Thanks!

I just wanted to share this Risk Report from the SRA: https://www.sra.org.uk/globalassets...ctice/risk-outlook-2018-19.pdf?version=4a1abf. I find it incredibly useful as it goes through the problems in a systematic manner and uses a lot of numerical data.

Hi, I’m applying for 2019 Winter Vac at NRF and am a bit stumped on a few points for their app.

1.) They don’t appear to have an Alevel or UCAS requirement anymore, is this the case;
2.) In the form the only Q this year is a 750 word cover letter. As it is within the form should it be addressed “Dear Sirs...” with a typical introduction or should I just jump in their with “why NRF”.
3.) The only other app Q is “[please provide any additional information in support of your application... e.g any mitigating circumstances]” - shall I take it then that it should only be answered with mit circs or shall I include other supporting info in their such as awards or pro bono work.
Any pointers would be appreciated, it is my first time applying to NRF.

Hi everyone,

I am trying to apply for training contracts that requires to submit cover letters. I need advice on what sort of information is needed to go on cover letters and how long should a cover letter be? If anyone could help, that would be great.

Thank you in advance.
Regards
Saffa

Hi, just a quick question. I've finished writing my PS for Freshfields and it looks decent. However, I have gone a bit over the word limit and I was wondering whether I could refer to the firm in the personal statement as "freshfields" and not mention their full name each time, as it is a waste of words. What do you think?

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note from me:

Spending hours and hours on applications, interviews and vacation schemes, only to receive a rejection, is mentally very tough. If you're struggling, feeling demotivated, wondering if you'll every make it through this process, that's nothing to be ashamed of.

You are talented and someone WILL see your value. Just give it time. Equally, you are not defined by the offers and rejections you receive. If others around you are receiving offers, that doesn't mean you're an inferior person - it just wasn't your time.

You don't have to be happy all the time. You don't need to pretend like everything is OK when it isn't. When you're surrounded by perfect lives on Instagram and LinkedIn, it can feel like you're alone. We promise you that you are not.

If you have any private/sensitive questions that can’t be answered on the graduate recruiter thread, feel free to drop me or @Jessica Booker a private message. @Alice G is also a great person to go to for motivational advice.

Happy World Mental Health Day!

I’m a little unsure how to do this in an application form.

Should I use bullet points or flowing paragraphs? How much detail should I go into where there is no word limit? Explain the role in depth or keep the actual job description to a minimum but accompany it with a few key achievements?

Thanks in advance

Giovanni

Hello Guys,

I am a recent First Class LLB Business Law & LPC graduate from De Montfort University.

I’m looking to create a blog which focuses on the journey of law graduates who have attended a university which isn’t considered as a red brick or Russell group university. I’m specifically looking for grads who have good A-levels and 2:1 or higher.
Please add your first name or initials, degree classification, university, grad year.

I’d like to know your experience including:

- do you feel like your career team at university helped your enough: importance of vacation schemes, applying for TC, limits you may encounter due to your current uni or even encouraged you to transfer unis.

- what were your A-level grades like? Would you have resit exams knowing what you know now?

- Reasons for attending your uni or transferring.

- did you attempt to apply for VS or gain experience at good law firms or didn’t bother - why not?

- after grad, did you get a paralegal job or TC straight away?

- did top Law agencies e.g. ‘Law support’ consider your applications?

Stories
- any regrets or proudness of undertaking a law degree?

- are you using your degree in other sectors? E.g finance, recruitment.

- any good/bad interviews based on your academic results.

- any success stories of individuals receiving a TC at a reputable firm despite your uni.

- any other contributing factors? E.g. Family, race, class

This blog aims to focus on individuals like myself who are considered as ‘Potentially Excellent’ as they have the necessary requirements to become a lawyer yet the competitive market doesn’t offer a fair chance.

Bringing some awareness could help the next generation of law students or even change the view of employers.

Thank you in advance!

Dear Community,

Have submitted my app for the TC right when the application window was opened, but haven't heard anything from them yet. Mind sharing some details if you're aware of any? Many thanks

I am wondering whether many finalists are applying for winter vac schemes even if they clash with the last few weeks of the autumn university term. My term finishes on the 13th December and a lot of the vac schemes begin on the 9th Oct, and during that week I have a lot of tutorials and seminars (not just lectures).

I'm not sure whether to apply for these winter vac schemes anyway and miss these commitments? Is that a position that many finalists are forced to take?

Also, re Spring vac schemes, are people not concerned that these are very time consuming when we have exams and coursework to prepare?

Hi - just been asked to do Ashurst's various tests, of which there are three different ones. Just wondering if anyone has done these and has any tips/advice? Thanks in advance.

Hiya, I am currently applying for SPB's winter vac scheme. It only requires a CV and cover letter and was wondering if anyone could advise how to best structure my cover letter. I've always usually applied to firms with set questions.

This is the structure I have in mind:
1. Why Law and Commercial Law
2. Why SPB and why I want to do a vac scheme there
3. Demonstrate competencies that I have that would make me a good trainee.

Does this sound like I am on the right track? I was also wondering how long a cover letter for vac schemes usually is - I am planning to write a page to keep it concise. My current CV is also 2 pages long but I have heard a few firms prefer a one page CV for vac schemes and training contracts. Do I submit my 2 page CV with my application?

Thanks a lot in advance

If you had an application that was successful but failed at interview stage, how much should you realistically change/update that application for the new submission. I was planning on maybe updating my experiences/work experience (its a cover letter application) but leaving my why law and the reasons for the firm more or less the same.

There is a section for work experience and also career events which asks you to "provide details of any careers events you have attended e.g. insight days, workshops, presentations etc."

Would I be right to assume the work experience section is for paid work experience only and the career events is for legal work experience such vacation schemes? There is a 350 word limit for the Career events section so I'm not sure.

Also would you have to write in prose or could you bullet point. This goes for the Extra-Curricular Activities section as well, which asks for "details of any interests and extra-curricular activities, including any positions of responsibility or achievements".

There are some applications like Pinsent Masons that want you to write 4000 characters for each of their four questions. I've seen some others, like DLA Piper, that ask just one 250 word question. Obviously, I know the later stages will be just as time consuming and this shouldn't be a big factor in choosing a firm but I am interested which other firms you have found to have shorter applications?

Hi, I think I might have broken the CC website D

I've started two applications, one for a TC in London which is not yet submitted and one for an intern in Luxembourg (as it doesn't say that applications to different locations are prohibited.) However, now it looks like I've submitted both applications and the cover letter from the intern application transferred onto my TC app. To make it more interesting, the London TC app appears on the portal both as "submitted" and I can view the submission ,and "open to submission" and I can submit the app again. I have no idea what is going on. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hello! Within the Sidley Austin VS application, the referee section requires 1 academic referee and provides the option of providing another, either personal or professional referee. My question is, is the application stronger if you provide a second referee? Logic says yes. If that is so, what does personal referee mean? What are some examples? Is a university academic mentor an example or something much more personal is needed?

Hi -

I heard somewhere that there is a different preference to non-law and law students for travers smith's winter and summer vacation scheme - but i can't remember which way round it is (e.g. non-law preferred for winter) - does anyone know? I initially thought it was summer for non-law, but recently heard someone say winter for non-law.Thanks in advance.

Hi All,

Currently attempting to answer the Taylor Wessing open day application which is:

At Taylor Wessing, we're a law firm for the game changers, the smart thinkers, the ground breakers and the trailblazers. What do you want to achieve and learn by attending this event?

I'm having an internal debate whether to address this as a cover letter (write a paragraph or two about the firm, culture, work e.t.c. to demonstrate my knowledge of the firm) and then address what i want out of the day, or just jump straight into the latter. There's no word limit. Any thoughts?

Many thanks!

Hi guys,

The Mishcon app this year asks this question: "If we were to invite you to interview what is the issue that you would most like to talk about? And why? This should be an issue that you would happily discuss with your friends and should be something you genuinely feel passionate about. No 'Brexit' related issues please! (150 words max)"

Having recently spoken to their graduate recruiters about this, I know that this is not really supposed to be an opportunity to talk about something like a hobby or sport. Unless of course, there is an issue behind it.

But because of the "passion" angle it is hard to know what they are really gunning for here. My current thoughts are to talk about a volunteering experience I am involved with. Something else I have been thinking about is writing about my dissertation topic because it raises some difficult issues.

What do you think? What would you do?

First Round:

The drafting exercise was about investing in [redacted] (was it a good investment, what was its position in relation to competitors and how it could improve/work on its competitive advantages?). It was definitely time pressured (1 hr and around 8 pages), but was really doable and the actual content was easy to understand, especially in comparison to some other written exercises that I have done. Also, we got to type, which was new and really useful.

The role play was the part where I think I did best (but I don’t know for sure). Essentially a partner asks you to present your findings from the written exercise and then plays devil’s advocate on whatever you say. Some of the other candidates had really hard questions; mine were pretty straight forward, but she did try to challenge everything I said. Keeping a cool head and taking a minute to think is definitely required here. It is only 10-15 minutes, so it flies by.

The negotiation was pretty standard. We concluded in about 20 minutes, which was really good. There was an element of maths, but the rest was really simple, surrounding issue between a [redacted]. However, my negotiating partner did dominate throughout and didn’t always give me the chance to say much, which I was annoyed about. But I think that may have been noticed and I did just try and speak as much as possible, even if that was reiterating points she said in a different way. I think this was my weakest part, but again I can’t know for sure.

Finally, my interviewer was lovely and just asked classic questions (why BCLP, why commercial law) – quite a few scenario based Q’s on legal excellence and managing relationships (like what do you do if a senior partner is treating you badly)?

By Anonymous

Hey guys,

As part of the first stage of the application, I'm asked to answer: "Please give details of any prizes, awards or stipends etc. you have won or been granted, numbering them 1 to 5 (you need not include your degree here)."

I only have 2 prizes/awards in the traditional sense of the word - could its definition be stretched? I've been 'awarded' a certificate for completing a diploma in a musical instrument, and achieved a place on two competitive mentoring schemes. Would this count?

Any insight or guidance regarding this question would be tip top.

Thank you,

Kushal

Hi All,

I'm currently typing up my cover letter for Travers Smith's Winter Vac Scheme and it notes:

IMPORTANT: Do not sign the cover letter with your name.

Am I to take this to mean that adding my details (name and address) in the top right and signing off "yours sincerely" then my name are not needed? (Would make sense given how I've already provided that info in the initial details section!)

First round interview
Fairly relaxed, lots of opportunities to break some jokes. About half of the questions were CV-based, so make sure to review your application before the interview. Most of the questions were very specific to what I wrote, e.g. I put in my application that I was training martial arts and got into a long discussion about the details of my experience in this area - so don't lie in your application, they will test you!
I was interviewed by a partner and an associate. The interview lasted for a little over an hour. I received an invitation to the second round on the same day.

Examples of questions:
- Why did you decide to apply to us?
- Why did you decide on a career at law?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What are the disadvantages of working for the US law firm?
- What are the key attributes of a successful solicitor?
- How would you react if you saw your colleague being visibly distressed at work?
- Tell me about your biggest achievement.
- Tell me about a time when you contributed to the success of a team.
- What do you like to do if you had a rough day?
- If you could be a biscuit, which one would you be and why? (best.question.ever)
- If you were to have a dinner with any three people, who would you choose and why? (may that be historical figures, movie characters, family members, etc.)
- Present three arguments for no-deal Brexit and three against.

Second round interview
The first part was an interview with two senior partners. It was much shorter than the first one and also more "to the point". Questions revolved around motivation for career in law and other aspects of application so I cannot really sample the latter as they would be specific to the candidate.

Examples of questions:
- Why did you decide to study law?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What is your proudest achievement?
- Tell us about your time with us during your vacation scheme.

The second part was a case study in which I had to draft an email to a client. All necessary material was given and the scenario was rather straightforward. There were also three other additional "what if" questions for which only a very basic understanding of commercial law and some common sense were needed. I was given 1 hour to complete the task.
The firm came back with their decision a week later.

Huge thanks to @Dominika_95 for taking the time to share this.

Hello everyone,

It is the start of a new month and we have some new commercial stories to share with you.

We really hope you enjoy these and that you find them useful. Your feedback is always welcome and very much valued, so please do let us know your thoughts We have a growing presence on social media with a new instagram account so remember to head over there for more updates from the team too!

Hope you are all having a great start to October, all the very best with your applications, and happy reading!!

Topics Covered:

1. Novartis Pairs Up with Microsoft for AI Drug Development @Alice G
2. Back to Basics: Cybersecurity for Law Firms @Jaysen
3. India’s Corporate Tax Cut @Sara Moon

*************************************************************************************************************************
Novartis Pairs Up with Microsoft for AI Drug Development @Alice G

The Story:
Novartis and Microsoft have announced that they have joined forces under a five-year agreement with the hope of using artificial intelligence to alleviate some of the greatest problems in the pharmaceutical industry. Novartis hopes to have AI systems enhancing all aspects of its business from financing to development and from manufacturing to sales. On average, it takes around 14 years from the discovery and development of a new drug to its commercialisation and the cost is in the region of $2.5bn; it is hoped that these stats can be reduced with AI systems in place. Novartis anticipates that by using deep learning technology (machine-learning which can process unstructured data while using artificial neural networks) it will be able to develop drugs more quickly and more precisely, and also deepen its capabilities in personalised medicine.

Impact on Businesses and Law Firms:
The healthcare industry has been rather on the backfoot in terms of technological development, but this news demonstrates that Big Pharma is coming to realise that technology is probably the best way to reduce the arduous research and development process. The quicker development of drugs would be of huge benefit to us all and we might see breakthroughs in treatments for illnesses and diseases we do not currently have cures for. This alliance might signify the development of a new trend since other pharma companies might be more incentivised to harness technology and follow the example set by such a renowned business like Novartis.

Lawyers would have been involved in the negotiations and the agreement of terms for this alliance. With the view to developing personalised medicine there is also a reasonable concern for the personal data of those patients involved. Lawyers would also be relied on to advise the companies about cybersecurity and data compliance laws in the jurisdictions concerned.

Back to Basics: Cybersecurity for Law Firms @Jaysen

The Story:
Law firms are attractive targets for hackers. They may have access to a company’s most valuable information, such as trade secrets, intellectual property and sensitive client information. They also serve as an intermediary when large sums of money are being transferred between parties.

Growing use of technology means the consequences of cyber attacks become more damaging. Information can be accessed from anywhere in the world and hackers are harder to track. The importance of adequate cyber security measures is only going to increase.

Impact on Businesses and Law Firms:
Law firms can try to put systems in place to minimise the risk of a cyber attack, however, sometimes education is the best preventative measure. For example, phishing attacks, which are the most common cyber attack facing the legal profession, involve hackers impersonating people, such as lawyers or clients, in order to access money or sensitive information.

However, no matter what law firms do, they can’t completely escape the risk of a cyber attack. That’s why what matters is how law firms respond if a breach does happen. That means putting processes in place so they can respond to a breach quickly, for example, hiring forensic investigators, informing affected clients, checking insurance coverage, drafting regulatory notifications and identifying legal obligations. The GDPR, for example, means law firms now have to report a breach within 72 hours or they could face serious fines.

Not all law firms will face a breach, but if they do, it could be one of the greatest threats a law firm can face. The integrity of their service rests on their ability to handle sensitive disputes and confidential deals. Lose that, and the reputational costs could be significant.

India’s Corporate Tax Cut @Sara Moon

The Story:
On 20th September, India made a historic reform to its economy by cutting its corporate tax rate from 30% to 22%. For some of the new manufacturing firms, the rate will be lowered from 25% to 15%. This is in response to the economic slowdown the country is currently facing. In the first quarter of this year, India’s GDP growth fell to 5.8%, which was a five-year low, and in the second quarter, it fell to 5%, which was a six-year low.

Impact on Businesses and Law Firms:
Corporate tax cuts come with several positive implications. Domestically, they allow existing companies to gain more profit, which can be used to reinvest and expand the business. This may also boost employment, which can then increase domestic consumption and further benefit businesses. More importantly, from a more international perspective, India’s corporate tax cut is likely to attract foreign manufacturers who are currently based in China but are seeking alternative locations that can help them avoid high tariffs caused by the ongoing US-China trade war. With Google already having shifted its Pixel smartphone production to Vietnam from China and with many other companies planning to follow the trend, India can take huge advantage of this with its lower corporate tax. It is estimated that the Indian economy could benefit by $11 billion from these relocations caused by the trade war.

Relocation projects by companies will require advice from law firms on Indian law. Advice will be especially needed with regards to land law and employment law, which are notorious for their complexities. This is because the land ownership is fragmented across several states and companies have to strictly comply with all of the 40 Acts of Labor laws. India prohibits foreign law firms from practicing domestic law so law firms like Allen & Overy which have close connections with Indian law firms will gain a good source of revenue from this proposed relocation trend.