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Hi all,

For a first year scheme I am applying for at BCLP, the only question the application form asks is "How does does BCLP align with your training contract aspirations?" (250 words)

Whilst this is clearly mainly a question about your research into the firm, is it also space where I should be trying to sell myself and my experiences/skills/qualities? On the one hand I feel like I should as there's no other space in the form to discuss these things apart from the Work Experience entries, but on the other hand I do not want to not answer the question.

any help is very appreciated

I couldn't find any mock written exercises on assessmentday.com as I imagine they are quite firm specific, but wondered if anyone had any general advice?

Hello,

I am filing out an online application form, and I saw this question 'share an experience where you demonstrated excellence in commercial awareness' ? What does this question expect ? Can someone share an example of how would they answer this question?

Thanks!

Hey all!

I'm a first year student at a Russel Group university hoping to complete a first year scheme (or two). I've narrowed down several firms that interest me (which also offer first year schemes). I've done quite a lot of legal work experience prior to university, is this the best thing to put on these applications? As a first year, I have no first year grades thus far, so I'm unsure what employers are actually looking for from a first year?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Came across this very useful article on Practical Law (authored by partners at Shearman & Sterling) that gives a high-level overview of the issues involved in an M&A transaction - https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreut...tPage=true&comp=pluk&bhcp=1#co_anchor_a804919. It could be very useful for anyone preparing for case studies in an AC or interview.

Do note that it is quite a technical piece, so for anyone looking for a more basic overview, TCLA's M&A case study guide (https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/why-do-you-want-to-be-a-commercial-lawyer/) is a great place to start. The Practical Law article could be good 'further reading' for anyone that may be so curious.

I'm writing to ask if anyone could recommend law firms that are open to accepting candidates from a non-law background.

I have spent the last ten years working as a musician/artist management and have decided to change careers and become a solicitor. I have recently completed the GDL with a distinction, and I am currently at UCL doing my LL.M.

I know there are quite a few firms that are out of my reach as my A Levels were not the best, and I studied Art as my undergraduate degree.

So far I have applied for Allen & Overy and Bird & Bird, and have some applications on the go for HSF, Charles Russell Speechlys, Jones Day, Mishcon and Lewis Silkin. If anyone could point out some firms that might be receptive to a candidate like me that would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi All,

Hope you've had a great festive period.

Currently, I am preparing my application to T&H and I have found it very, very difficult to answer/ go about answering, the question below:

Who are our main competitors and specifically demonstrate how we differentiate from the firms you name.

I have decided to talk about two practices areas which T&H are known for and compare this to those at two similar firms (i.e where those practice areas are not so good). I can then differentiate T&H, by mentioning why they're practice areas are significantly better, i.e what they do differently and what separates them from the rest of the market etc

Do you guys think, that this the best approach to answer this sort of question?

Thanks,

SJ

Hello,

For Baker McKenzie's summer internship it states:

The Summer scheme is open to penultimate year students or those on the second year of a four year course. Please confirm that you fall into one of these categories.

Does that mean if I am in the third year of a non-law degree, I cannot apply? Thank you.

Hi guys,

I have an AC for BCLP in January and would really appreciate it if anyone has any experience and advice that they can share? It's my first AC so would help a lot for preparing and on what to expect.

Thanks and Happy New Year,

Mohammed

Another useful article from Schroders: https://www.schroders.com/en/insights/economics/financial-markets-2018-the-year-in-review/

In summary:

• Stock markets have suffered this year as interest rates start to rise. Until now, stocks have done very well from the low interest rate environment as companies have been able to borrow money cheaply and benefit from rising demand. Global stocks are on course for their worst quarterly performance in seven years. Interestingly, the best performing stock market was the FTSE 100, although that was still down 10.6%
• Utilities and health care are the two best performing sectors. These are known as defensive sectors. The worst performing sectors include basic resources and materials, which are used in construction, banks, and autos. These are known as cyclical sectors (demand is dependent on the health of the economy).
• US government bond yields are rising thanks to strong growth, wage inflation and rising interest rates. Meanwhile in Europe, Italian 10-year bond yields rose when the government clashed with the EU over its budget (the rising bond yields reflected the increased risk investors perceived when buying government bonds, causing them to demand higher interest rates).
• The US dollar has continued to rise, which have hurt foreign borrowers with a lot of dollar-denominated debt.

Finally, here is Schroders' Global economic outlook for December 2018:



https://www.schroders.com/en/insights/economics/monthly-global-economic-infographic/

Hi guys,

I was just wondering if anyone else feels the same. Having faced a few rejections and with deadlines fast approaching, I am losing the motivation to continue my work on applications. I feel like last minute submissions is not the way to go but I still put my applications' work off. I also have the exam season coming up and need to focus more on academics? Any thoughts?

Hi,

Is anybody intending to sit for the SQE as opposed to the LPC [and GDL]. Was curious to know how you're including that in your Training Contract applications.

Best,
S

Fantastic article by TCLA writer @Camilla Gionso on Saudi Arabia. A highly relevant topic for interviews.

In this article, you will learn about:

• Saudi Arabia's economy and its dominance over the oil market
• The role of OPEC
• Saudi Arabia's plan to reduce its dependence on oil
• Why investors might remain cautious over Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: yay or nay? An overview of the newest emerging market

I'm currently writing an application with 4 questions where none of them have word counts. This is for Morrison & Foerster and includes questions like why us, why law (these two are bundled together), a commercial news story that impacts us, personal achievements etc.

I'm tempted to not limit myself too much because then I can really sell myself as fully as possible. But, do you think this is trumped by being concise and to-the-point? The latter would make more of an impact I think, but which is more important?

Thank you!

Hi guys,

I have been invited for an interview at W&C Brussels for the position of a legal trainee in their antitrust practice.
Any advice and tips on what to prepare on would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

I am curious, [and please guide me to the right thread if this has been asked before], what is the right number of firms to apply to?

Applications, if done properly, will usually at the very least take 10-15 hours to complete which would ideally be stretched out over 2-3 days. Which is difficult, even without other school work and such that you might have.

I was wondering how to decide what firms are worth applying to, and how to limit the number from just growing? Should I apply to 5? 10? 20?

Then there is the question of the kind of firm. You have your US firms, magic circle, and silver circle but how do you expand from there?

Thanks a lot!

- S

Hey guys,

I'm a second-year law student in the UK, seeking a TC in the UK. However, I'm from the United States and I plan to dual-qualify in the US shortly after graduating here. I'm looking for advice on whether that's worth mentioning to firms (particularly smaller American firms like Sullivan & Cromwell, whose London office has a lot of US business and US-qualified attorneys).

Given that I highlight an interest in cross-border legal work, I initially thought my plan to dual-qualify would help support this and make me more attractive to firms that do a lot of US-UK deals. But even though they're American firms, I'm obviously applying to their London office, so I'm concerned that mentioning dual-qualification (as someone from the US) might make them worry about my commitment to staying in the UK with their office. And also I'm not sure how much they'd value the qualification alone, since I'd have no work experience in the US.

Do you guys think it's worth mentioning? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Could someone give feedback to my this answer?

Why are you interested in pursuing a career at Herbert Smith Freehills and what skills, qualities and attributes would you bring to the role? (Up to 300 words)

Herbert Smith Freehills’s expertise in Financial Corporate Crime has attracted me to the firm, evidenced by its Chambers UK Band 1 ranking within the sector. I am currently working as a Paralegal at the Serious Fraud Office where I am acquiring the necessary skills that will help me to assist the firm’s team. I am proving to be organised by adopting a colour-based system to track my progress and analytical when it comes to determine the relevance of the evidence and draft the reports. These are essential skills for any lawyer and even more so for Herbert Smith Freehills, given the extent and depth of clients, they work for.

Furthermore, whilst studying the LPC, I became interested in alternative dispute resolutions including arbitration and was fortunate enough to participate in an arbitration hearing at the London Court of International Arbitration during my internship at BDM Law. Herbert Smith Freehills has been named best commercial dispute resolution firm in The Times Best Law firms 2018. I am commercially proactive, as a legal assistant; I negotiated the litigation costs down by offering the possibility of future work based on the case ensuring so services to the firm in a timely manner. I look forward to furthering my insight into the dispute resolution process as a trainee at Herbert Smith Freehills.

This year I attended “Multiculturalism in the city” where I had the opportunity to talk to some of the trainees about the internal networks such as Multiculturalism and IRIS. This made me realise that like me Herbert Smith Freehills values and respect cultural differences; I am a black lesbian woman who studied internationally and I appreciate how different perspectives can be utilised to solve problems, and I look forward to continuing to embrace this as a trainee solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Hello

I have an assessment centre upcoming at Dechert, it consists of an interview and written exercise. Would really appreciate any advice! Thank you.

Hi everyone - I have an upcoming Sull Crom interview at the beginning of January. I was wondering and would really appreciate any tips/details on what the interview will be like (more commercial/strength/motivation etc based?)

I would also really appreciate any opinions on what sets Sull Crom apart from other law firms (especially other US law firms).

Finally, I was also wondering whether anyone knows what the relevance of lateral hires for a law firm are.

Thanks!

Best,
Aria

Hi everyone,

I am completing an open day application, and one of the questions asks me to provide the areas of law I am interested in learning about and why. Would it be better to mention some areas of law where the firm is particularly strong in, or honestly answering the question without particularly tying it to the firm would be okay too?

I am currently answering this question Why are you interested in pursuing a career at Herbert Smith Freehills and what skills, qualities and attributes would you bring to the role? I just need to write the last 50 words but it seems that my brain is not responding.

I would like to link some of my qualities to the firm's multiculturalism and diversity. Suggestions?

Hey everyone!

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but I just wanted to make a thread for those of you who, like me, are relatively late to the law, technology and innovation scene/discussion. Please feel free to share your thoughts and knowledge - whether you're new to the topic or a long-time tech enthusiast!

Just by way of background - for the past year or so, I had a very vague understanding that technology will be important in shaping the future of the legal profession. However, I found it quite difficult to articulate exactly why and how. There are so many elements to this discussion - automation, unbundling services, efficiency, artificial intelligence - that picking out the basic drivers of technological innovation was near impossible when I first started reading around the subject.

I recently found a nice layman briefing by HSF on technology (https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.c...urprise-how-technology-will-change-what-we-do) that essentially breaks it down into two factors:

1. Client demands for greater cost efficiency and value for money.
2. Technological developments that make it possible to deliver that efficiency.

Those may seem pretty obvious in retrospect, but once I clearly understood this dynamic, it really helped structure my thoughts on technology and the future of the legal profession more generally.

Essentially, technology has equipped law firms with the tools to meet client demands. Many large law firms are actively embracing technology in this sense - automation of legal tasks via platforms like Kira and RAVN is an obvious example, as is the birth of offshoring legal services - but lots of smaller law firms are still slow to jump on this bandwagon. So technology is a threat to law firms that refuse to adapt their working models, but an opportunity for the ones that choose to do so.

However, the relationship between technology and the law has mostly been one of playing catch-up. Law firms did well to quickly respond to advancements in automation, but there is still a real and material risk of being further disrupted by future technological developments. In other words, law firms are still at risk of being undercut by new, nimbler market entrants that can do what they do, only better. Artificial intelligence is a popular example, but examples can also be found in the dearth of 'lawtech' startups populating tech incubators at A&O, Mishcon de Reya and Dentons.

That threat of disruption has pushed the legal industry into the current paradigm of innovation. Instead of waiting to respond to the next big thing, lots of law firms are becoming more proactive in engaging with clients, understanding their needs and driving new solutions themselves. This means that law firms are refocusing on building closer client relationships, which is not actually a new phenomenon in itself (as noted in this interview https://www.thelawyer.com/60-second-interview-slaughters/). Off the top of my head, some examples of law firm driven innovation are A&O's MarginMatrix tool, Simmons & Simmons' Disputes Aviator and Baker McKenzie's Compliance Cockpit. I'm sure there are many more examples!

That concludes my beginner's take on technology, innovation and the law. I recognise I have much more to learn, so please feel free to leave a comment or your thoughts!

Hi guys! I am currently drafting my application for Eversheds Sutherland and I came across this question. I am a little stuck on it's interpretation and approach. Would really appreciate some help!

You are working on a query for a new client, which has to be responded to tomorrow morning. You were told it was important as Eversheds Sutherland want to impress them. However, you have a lot of work on and the query is taking you longer than you expected. You are now behind on your work for today. You also have emails from other people chasing you for work you have not yet started.What would you do? As part of your answer, please also describe what personal strengths would you draw upon and what would you find energising in this situation?

Hi Guys, hope everyone is well

Evershed Sutherland uses a strength based application form, so their questions are all based around different strengths (obviously) as opposed to motivational questions or commercial questions. I was just wondering, other than linking examples back to the firm's values/ skills they look for, how else can I link my application to the firm specifically?