New Threads

I just saw on the lawyer how Cleary is making all paralegals redundant. I was wondering what the impact of this would be both at Cleary's and at other law firms? Is it likely that will start a trend?

As a secondary point, I was wondering if someone could tell me what being a paralegal entails, and how a firm could make the whole program redundant?

This thread will be used to announce updates to TCLA Premium. Premium members have access to all of the below as part of their subscription.

Our recent updates include:

New law firm insights

Our new insights cover BCLP, Macfarlanes and Vinson & Elkins.

The full list is now as follows:

• Ashurst
• Baker McKenzie
• BCLP
• Dechert
• Hogan Lovells
• Kirkland & Ellis
• Latham & Watkins
• Macfarlanes
• Mayer Brown
• Norton Rose Fulbright
• Reed Smith
• Ropes & Gray
• Shearman & Sterling
• Simmons & Simmons
• Travers Smith
• Vinson & Elkins
• Weil Gotshal & Manges
• White & Case
• Vinson & Elkins

I've made free previews available for Dechert and Vinson & Elkins on the Law Firm Insights page.

Monthly commercial courses

Commercial Course 1: Private Equity: This course was released in March 2019. It is for those applying to firms like Weil, Kirkland, Ropes & Gray, Latham & Watkins -- firms with a strong private equity practice; it's also suitable for those looking to develop their understanding of what private equity firms do.

Commercial Course 2: The Interviewees' guide to Mergers and Acquisitions: This course was released in April 2019. It is a much bigger course designed to break down everything you need to know about mergers and acquisitions for your interviews. In addition to the video lectures and quizzes, the course includes:

• Points to note/guidance for how to write a good answer to our second TCLA mock case study.
• Our new M&A case study with points to note.
• A new, more interview-focused case study on the Sainsbury's-Asda merger with points to note.
• A full list of potential M&A interview questions with sample interview answers for each.

Here's our little promo for this course:
Login to view embedded media
Coming soon

Commercial Course 3: How to discuss Brexit in a law firm interview

I've kept this under wraps for now, but more details will be revealed soon. For this course, I've partnered with a former recruiter and stockbroker to break down the impact of Brexit on businesses and law firms. The target release is early June 2019.

Application reviews

Members of TCLA Premium are entitled to 1 application review a month. Members will now also receive 25% off any future application reviews using the code "PREMIUM123":

Past applications and cover letters

More fantastic candidates have kindly shared their past applications and cover letters in the premium forum, both the successful and unsuccessful. We now have almost 30 sample answers.

This thread will be used to announce updates to TCLA.

Recent updates include:

260+ Training Contract Interview Questions - Updated for 2019!

We've updated our list of training contract interview questions! They now reflect recent interviews across over 25 law firms and include practice questions on Brexit, the US trade war with China, technology and AI, M&A and more!

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/175-training-contract-interview-questions-2/

TCLA's new media page

Check out our new Media page for updates to our podcast series and YouTube channel.

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/media/

Trainee Talk Episode 3: Lewis Malkin - Baker McKenzie

In our latest podcast episode, we caught up with Lewis Malkin, now a third-seat-trainee at Baker McKenzie, to discuss how to make the most of your training contract. In this episode of Trainee Talk, Lewis discusses: - What makes vacation scheme candidates at his firm stand out - How to prepare for your training contract - How to make a good first impression with your team - How to manage your workload - The importance of being proactive on your training contract.

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/making-the-most-of-your-training-contract/

Trainee Talk Episode 4: Nasteho Muse - Clyde & Co

Our guest in this episode is Nasteho Muse. Nas is a paralegal at Liberty Specialty Markets and a future trainee solicitor at Clyde & Co. In this episode, Nas spoke with TCLA host Yee Rou Quah about the importance of developing a clear strategy when applying for training contracts, the application process for Clyde & Co, and how she used her experience as paralegal to demonstrate passion for Clyde's sector specialisms.

https://soundcloud.com/traineetalk/episode-4-nasteho-muse-clyde-co

TCLA's Commercial Awareness Series - Episode 1 and Episode 2!

In this video series, we bring you highlights of the top business and legal news to help you prepare for interviews at commercial law firms. We also analyse how these stories directly and indirectly impact businesses and law firms.

In our first episode, we cover: Lyft's Initial Public Offering (IPO), Apple's entrance into the streaming industry with Apple TV and Europe's new copyright directive

Login to view embedded media
In our second episode, the TCLA team break down the implications of the Mueller Report and the Apple-Qualcomm litigation settlement.

Login to view embedded media

Hi all,

I hope you're all well!

Just by way of background, I graduated my Law degree last year, however, have been applying for VS's and TC's since my second year of university. This cycle, I really tried my best and I so far have sent out two applications, one of which where I was invited to interview (my first ever).

The biggest issue I have is writing applications. I feel like I just don't write well enough.

I was wondering whether anyone had any resources on application writing or any exemplars or other examples that I and perhaps others could use? It'd be great to see how people structure and write their answers!

Thanks!

Many thanks to this contribution from @Zsaurcaks1.

"I did complete a vacation scheme at MH (I think they organised the schemes in batches, with three-four people on each scheme across July. Mine was one week long).

I did the scheme with two other candidates. On our first day, we had an introductory session with the training principal and a trainee, who also took us on a tour of the building. We were given access to IT systems. We were then each asked to sit with either a senior associate or partner specialising in the firm’s different departments (if I remember correctly, they pick your department for you- I sat in Corporate and the candidates with me sat in Employment and Dispute Resolution, respectively).

Work came to us via an Outlook account (we were all given the login details on our first day). I would log in to this account at the beginning of each day and any of the firm’s trainees/lawyers could send work to it for the vac. schemers to pick up).

My tips:

Respond to any requests for work quickly

As mentioned earlier, any lawyer/trainee could email a task to the group inbox. If you didn’t respond within the first thirty seconds of their email being sent (not kidding!), the task would end up with someone who was quicker to respond. At points, I waited a minute (maximum two) to respond to the email, by which time someone had already offered to help and looked more enthusiastic than me.

Take the time to speak to people on your floor

My vacation scheme with MH was my first ever vacation scheme and I was generally guarded/ treading cautiously. I was too nervous to ‘knock on doors’ or introduce myself to people on my floor. In my experience, you appear much more personable/ friendly if you do and it can set you apart from other candidates (I think ultimately this helped the firm decide who they would shortlist for a TC interview- FYI, I was not shortlisted).

Don’t leave your written task to the last minute

In addition to my day-to-day work, I was given a folder, which contained a longer writing task (a problem-based task which covered multiple areas of law). This had to be submitted by the end of the week. My advice would be to dedicate some time to this daily, so that you can write a comprehensive and detailed answer, rather than rushing through it at the very end. In my feedback from MH, they flagged the fact that my response was not as detailed as other candidates’.

Be prepared to be assessed at any point

The partner who I sat with wasn’t very talkative, but one day decided to ask me about my future plans and why I hadn’t done the LPC. I’m not sure of the extent to which these sorts of conversations are planned, but it definitely caught me off guard and I found myself on the defensive (without intending to be). Be prepared for partners/ senior associates to strike seemingly casual conversations with you, which could throw up challenging/personal questions. Also be prepared to answer these sorts of questions honestly, but confidently. I think the way in which you communicate is fed back to HR.

Practice public speaking

This may have changed since my scheme, but I had to give a ten-minute presentation on a subject of my choice. Have an idea of what you’d like to talk about and be prepared to answer some (tough!) questions on your subject. I think they’re trying to gauge how you respond to unexpected questions under pressure.

Lastly, remember that if this one doesn’t work out, something else will."

Good day,

I had a look around google and the forum to see if there was some comprehensive list of firms that fund the LPC (and perhaps even GDL) retrospectively, but I couldnt find one.

I found that

• DWF
• Edwin Coe
• DLA
• Nabarro (up to 50%)
• Osborne Clarke (if you have completed less than half of the course)

ADDING ON FROM POSTS

• Latham and Watkins
• Allen & Overy (full retrospective funding)
• Herbert Smith Freehills (full retrospective funding?)
• Freshfields
• Slaughter and May
• Debevoise & Plimpton

Offer some kind of (or full) retrospective funding.

In part 1, @Mamie examines the drivers, opportunities and challenges of China' Belt & Road Initiative. A good topic to understand for your interviews, especially with regard to the role China will play in the future.

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/chinas-belt-road-initiative/

Hiya everyone! I was hoping ppl could give me some advice re prepping for work experience - I have a week of WE at a pretty cool law firm in a week sitting in the dispute resolution team, but I've never had any legal experience before, so am a little panicked and wondering how I can best prepare. I really like this firm and they don't have a vac scheme so the week is assessed for the TC, which is worrying me even more as I really want to impress!

Thanks in advance xx (ps this forum is an absolute lifesaver & really positive space - thank u so much!!)

Will a cover letter for an in house work experience role differ from that of a vacation scheme?

Hello,

I have an upcoming interview for Paralegal position but I don’t have relevant work experience within the legal department apart from Citizens Advice and retail experience. Therefore, how do I use my non legal experience to stand out.

This is my first interview within legal sectors. If someone could give me pointers as to what to expect at the interview.

Thank you in advance

Saffa Can

Are there any firms whose training contract applications include questions regarding Brexit?

Hi all, i was wondering if anyone can give me some (relatively urgent) advice.!!

I have been offered an interview for a paralegal position (11 month contract). I am worried because if i apply for VSs ( winter and spring) or have assessment days, i am not sure if i would be allowed to take unpaid time off? has anyone had any experience with this? (first i would use my 25 day holiday time, but if i had none left over)

I am panicking because i don't know what to do, but because it is only an interview i don't want to ask the recruiter as i don't want to lose the opportunity.

thanks so much for help!

Hi guys,

What's everyone's approach to answering face-to-face interview questions? I know the STAR method is encouraged but I find it too artificial especially when the interview is treated as conversation-like.

Thanks!

Commercial Awareness Update: 1st May 2019

Hi everyone,

Another month has flown by! The topics covered this week are:

1. Second Belt and Road Forum by @kitk
2. Uber’s upcoming IPO by @Abstruser

As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments below. Happy reading!


1. Second Belt and Road Forum (by @kitk)


The story:

Last week, over 5,000 delegates attended the second Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing.

This forum is about China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Launched in 2013, the BRI aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe via both land corridors and sea routes. This involves the funding of infrastructure projects, like the building of railways and ports, in various countries around the world.

At last week’s forum, US$64 billion in deals were signed and 283 “practical outcomes” had been achieved. Also, 37 world leaders joined Chinese President Xi Jinping in signing a joint communique promising to work together in further opening their markets, as well as promoting green growth and diversified and sustainable financing for BRI projects. This is an increase from the 29 world leaders who attended the first Belt and Road Forum in 2017.

The BRI appears to be of growing interest to European countries. In late March, Italy became the first major European economy to endorse the BRI, while Swiss President Ueli Maurer and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz were among the signatories of the abovementioned communique.


Impact on businesses and law firms:

With the increasing economic scale and political support of the BRI, more businesses are likely to become involved in the BRI projects. Examples of such involvement include providing project design services and green financing for the construction projects. Law firms might handle more advisory work related to the provision of such services. As the BRI involves large, cross-border projects that involves many parties, there is also likely to be a higher chance that law firms would work on disputes arising between parties participating in such projects.


2. Uber’s upcoming IPO (by @Abstruser)


The story:

Last Friday, Uber filed its S-1 form with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in preparation for its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). In the United States, all companies intending to publicly list their shares must file an S-1 form with the SEC. An S-1 form typically contains basic financial information in relation to the listing company and its share offering.

Uber’s filing revealed a price range of $44-50 per share for its upcoming IPO. With 180 million common shares to be sold, the ride-hailing company is expected to raise $7.9 billion to $9 billion, which would give Uber a valuation between $80.5 billion and $91.5 billion.

The S-1 form also revealed that Uber will be selling shares worth $500 million in a private placement to PayPal. PayPal has handled Uber’s payments in Australia and the United States since 2013. Last Friday after the S-1 filing, PayPal announced that it had agreed to extend its global partnership agreement with Uber to develop future commercial payment collaborations, including Uber’s digital wallet.


Impact on businesses and law firms:

At the price range announced on Friday, Uber’s IPO is poised to be the second-largest IPO by a US company, after Facebook’s $16 billion offering in 2012. However, it isn’t all smooth sailing for Uber. In its S-1 filing, Uber is expected to post a net loss of $1 billion for Q1 2019. In contrast, Uber had posted a net income of $3.7 billion the same time last year. Uber attributed its projected losses to increased spending on incentives and advertising, which highlights stiff competition posed by other ride-hailing companies such as Lyft, and food delivery companies like Deliveroo. Growing competition in the ride-hailing segment is also highlighted by the poor performance of competitor Lyft’s shares since its IPO in late March. The company’s shares are currently trading at 20% below their initial price, as investors display little confidence in the company’s long-term growth prospects in a highly-saturated market.

On the legal side, public companies are generally subject to stringent corporate governance regulations that private companies are not. This means that as a public company, Uber will likely be required to disclose more information to stakeholders than it previously did as a private company. This may be particularly significant in light of Uber’s considerable legal troubles in the past. In 2017, Uber faced a series of sexual harassment and pay discrimination lawsuits brought by over 400 former employees. Uber also fended off an intellectual property theft lawsuit brought by Waymo in 2017, a subsidiary of Google that develops autonomous vehicle technology. The company only recently received a renewed license to operate in London in 2018, after Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew Uber’s operating license in light of public safety and security concerns. Uber is still in ongoing litigation in both the United Kingdom and the United States over whether Uber drivers are independent contractors or employees.

The other day I spoke to someone who went through three recruitment rounds before finally being offered a training contract with a great firm. I’m on my second (likely unsuccessful) round and I’m trying not to give up hope, so I find stories like this really inspiring and would love to hear them.

Current and future trainees, did anyone have to go through more than one recruitment round to get a training contract? What happened? Why do you think you were ultimately successful?

Looking forward to hearing some inspiring stories!

Cover letters can be the bane of your existence or a blessing sent from heaven, depending on your perspective. It is a blank canvas upon which you can dictate how much you share and what you share with the employer which in many ways is brilliant. In others, such as considering how to structure it and what to include, it can be somewhat daunting.

The following covers some of the main considerations of a legal cover letter, whether you’re applying for paralegal roles or a training contract.

1. Consider the purpose of the letter

Like almost all my other tips, I would suggest that you stop and think about what you’re trying to achieve with this kind of writing. Here are a few considerations (taken from https://law.yale.edu/student-life/c...udent-job-seekers/cover-letter-advice-samples) :

A good cover letter:

• Demonstrates your writing skills;
  
  
• Tells the employer who you are (e.g., a first-year student at YLS) and what you are seeking (e.g., a summer intern position);
  
  
• Shows that you know about the particular employer and the kind of work the employer does (i.e., civil or criminal work, direct client service, "impact" cases, antitrust litigation);
  
  
• Demonstrates your commitment to the work of that particular employer and conveys that you have something to contribute;
  
  
• Shows that you and that employer are a good "fit"
  

At the preliminary stage of a cover letter, it is also a good idea to research who you’ll be addressing it to. A lot of law firms don’t specify the recipient of the letter as it’s likely that different members of the grad rec team will be reading it. However, it would speak well of you if you did find a recipient. For regional/city firms, I would recommend visiting their profile on lawcareers.net where it often specifies “Applications To:” and the appropriate name. Brownie points = scored.


It is ultimately up to you which order you want to choose for the why you/why us points specified above. However, I find it best to introduce yourself first as that should always be your first sentence.

In the first few sentences, introduce yourself briefly by stating your name, your academic background and your current status (are you a 2nd year or in employment, 3 years after graduating?). Also, explain what position you’re applying for and you can even mention where you found the position (more important for a non-graduate scheme role).


Although it is important to put a story to a name, a recruiter will not want a candidate who isn’t passionate about their firm as well as the profession they are entering. Therefore, this section is ultimately the following two questions: “why commercial law” and “why do you want to work for xyz firm”.

Then, to take an example from one of my old cover letters, you make that firm relatable to you (please don’t refer to a firm as “you” as I did):




Once you’ve got the question of “why this law firm” out of the way, you need to delve into why you’re a suitable fit. Another way in which to think about this part is “what skills, qualities and attributes would you bring to the role” which will enable you to weave in skills you developed from extra-curricular and formal work experience alike. For example:





With a cover letter, you may have the liberty to go into more detail but always remember to keep things concise. You don’t want to bore the recruiter with endless and unimportant detail so I would suggest selecting three or four qualities. It is also handy to look at the wording of the job posting. If it’s a traditional job then there will most definitely be a list of desirable skills. If it’s a graduate scheme, you still may be able to find a list of strengths the recruiter is looking for. If not, delve into their website/brochure and pick out adjectives and adverbs from their writing that seem important. The recruiter may be checking these qualities off of a list, especially if they’re strengths-based such as Reed Smith.


Always thank the recruiter for your time in conclusion and specify anything you may want to additionally disclose here.

If you’re looking for further, in-depth tips on legal cover letters, I found the following post to be extremely useful: https://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sec...-write-winning-covering-letters-for-law-firms

Hi Guys,

Thinking about the different questions that come up on applications, this one always trips me up. For the past two applications that I've answered this, I haven't been happy about my answer because I feel as if I'm shoe-horning a proud feeling I might have never felt or showing off. Essentially, I haven't been able to find a middle ground.

For those of you who've written a successful answer/application for the above, would you mind sharing tips/excerpts from your answer? I always find other examples extremely, extremely useful. Thank you

Hi, does anyone know where to go with the question for BWB:

In 2015 BWB became the first UK law firm to be awarded a B Corp status. If successful, how would you help the firm continue to be a socially responsible organisation?

Is it more about CSR or pro bono?

Hi!
i have a video interview with marriott harrison for a VS next week?

Is there anyone who knows anything about the firm or has any insights? Or who has an interview too!

Thanks for any help, really appreciated!

Hi all,

I've got a VS lined up this summer at a firm's Bristol office. When applying, I thought I wanted to be in Bristol but I have since changed my mind and would like to be in London. What do you think is the best way (in the event of me receiving a TC offer) of saying "I'd really like a TC with you, but in your London office"? Is this something I should bring up before I (hypothetically speaking) get a TC offer? any advice/anecdotes would be much appreciated!!

In this article, @Marco Mendola introduces the SRA Code of Conduct and considers some of the ethical dilemmas facing commercial lawyers. A good read - especially as some firms do ask about ethics at interview.

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....nd-sra-code-of-conduct-some-ethical-dilemmas/

Hello and happy Sunday! I hope this post finds everyone well, whatever you might be up to if it is exams, applications or vac schemes! My next writing topic is about acing written exercises in assessment centres, for anyone who might have TC assessments in the near future.

Naturally, your writing will be guided by the topic or the nature of the task, but I hope to provide some general tips that can be applied to the majority of these exercises.

1) Know what the exercise is asking of you, before writing

This step is pretty self-explanatory. However, with every comprehension exercise, you will be marked down badly if you don’t focus on the most important parts of the task. Using the example of a Simmons & Simmons written assessment; the task involved writing a report on which building, out of three, you would recommend that the law firm moves into. The brief gave a few pointers on what Simmons partners wanted from their office space, including indoor and outdoor amenities, prestige, space for more employees etc. The category list was extensive and there wasn’t time to go into them all in detail. However, thinking commercially, you could tell what was the most important, and that was cost and potential for expansion. Weighing the importance of the information in front of you, therefore, will give you a basic structure for your writing. It is a conscious effort to tick the boxes that the firm is looking for. With this in mind, I made sure to make the cost of the rent and what that rent was providing the firm in terms of value, the focal point of my paragraphs. However, this does not mean that the smaller points, such as the building’s environmental rating, was inconsequential. I would simply advise that you judge which pointers you give more time and writing to.

2) Adapt your language to suit the format and conclude your argument in the first paragraph

Before writing, consider the format of the writing you are putting together. Is it a letter, are you briefing a client in an email, is it a report? Based on this, you should attempt to meet the expectations of the format as closely as you can. Again, I will use the example of my Simmons assessment, wherein the writing assessment was in the form of a report, that was to be sent to the partners of the firm. Although the firm may not put a heavy emphasis on this, it looks well for you if you can show what is expected from a basic report. Lay out your analysis into a paragraph per point, construct a succinct yet overarching introduction. Your language should suggest that this is a report and not the writing of an interviewee at an assessment center. I found that the best way to demonstrate this was in my introduction, by providing a quick overview of what I was going to write, with language such as: “This report will attempt to provide an insight into...”, “ultimately, the findings of this report are...”

On that note, ensure that your introduction contains a mini conclusion. This will help you in the likelihood that you cannot complete the assessment because it ensures that you would have completed an essential part of the task: coming to a certain conclusion. Whatever the task, do not sit on the fence. Even if there are arguments for and against, I believe presenting a strong argument for your opinion speaks well of you as a potential lawyer.

Finally, consider your audience. I’ve had tasks that were directed towards clients as well as partners and it's expected that you will change your writing to suit who you are addressing. Clients need simplicity and for points to be direct, as well as the law to be broken down into easy, understandable language. They also want to understand the impact of the advice you are providing them, on their business. Although partners will want the same simplicity, the relationship between yourself (supposedly a trainee) and them is different, since you are working for the same firm.

3) Time is of the essence

Everybody says that the time given for a written assessment isn’t enough. And it isn’t. However, I believe that no matter the time given to you, it will never be enough. Therefore, thinking about how much time you have, before you start reading or writing, is essential. Judge how much time you need to read (should be much less than your writing) according to the total time you’ve been given. Then, think about dividing your time accordingly with the paragraphs you’ll be writing. I’ve made the mistake of trying to give the same amount of time to each of my pointers before. In hindsight, I realized that (unlike essay writing), mentioning smaller points without extensive explanation might be enough. Unfortunately, because of this, I didn’t get to write about the points I thought would impress the assessor more.


These tips are pretty basic and general in their nature. If anyone has any specific questions about written assessments or has an example of a task they’d like tips on, please let me know in the comments box below!