General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[Jacob Miller]

I have to answer a question to do with a 'commercial issue' and I was wondering if I could talk about something that isn't a problem? Basically, I wanted to talk about VR and how demand for it is on the rise, but I don't know if this counts as an 'issue' per se

You can, within reason, talk about most commercial matters/ trends here. The things to really consider when choosing a topic are:

- Is the issue one which will have some form of legal backing surrounding it?
- Is the issue substantial enough to speak in an extended manner on?
- Is the matter of general significance, enough to be on the radar of a big commercial law firm?

In terms of VR, I would personally tend to think that you may struggle to have enough real substantive content there - my understanding, at least, is that most of it would simply be covered by existing principles relating to intellectual property (although there is an interesting academic debate on the classification of software in sales contracts, this isn't unique to VR per se), so I would personally struggle to attach enough legal complexity/ significance to it. That said, I'm far from an expert on the topic so you may well know more than me!

For perspective, things that I discussed for questions like these which were relevant when I was applying included stuff like Carrillion and Thomas Cook etc.

 

[Veep9]

I have the opportunity to have an informal chat with a partner at a firm I’m quite keen on. I worked with her in my current job and sent her an email expressing interest in the TC and she very kindly agreed to have a zoom call with me next week. Now that I’ve done that, though, I’m not quite sure what kinds of questions to ask. I’d normally ask trainees about the firm’s culture or training or working style. I thought I could ask the partner about the firm’s long term strategy. Any other thoughts? Thanks, all!

 

[Daniel Boden]

I have the opportunity to have an informal chat with a partner at a firm I’m quite keen on. I worked with her in my current job and sent her an email expressing interest in the TC and she very kindly agreed to have a zoom call with me next week. Now that I’ve done that, though, I’m not quite sure what kinds of questions to ask. I’d normally ask trainees about the firm’s culture or training or working style. I thought I could ask the partner about the firm’s long term strategy. Any other thoughts? Thanks, all!

You could ask things like, "knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently/change in your career"?

"What advice would you have for me as someone entering the profession at this time?"

"What traits/qualities do trainees/junior lawyers you work with have that make them stand out and make you want to have them in your team?"

 

[Veep9]

You could ask things like, "knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently/change in your career"?

"What advice would you have for me as someone entering the profession at this time?"

"What traits/qualities do trainees/junior lawyers you work with have that make them stand out and make you want to have them in your team?"

Thank you!

 

[Jacob Miller]

I have the opportunity to have an informal chat with a partner at a firm I’m quite keen on. I worked with her in my current job and sent her an email expressing interest in the TC and she very kindly agreed to have a zoom call with me next week. Now that I’ve done that, though, I’m not quite sure what kinds of questions to ask. I’d normally ask trainees about the firm’s culture or training or working style. I thought I could ask the partner about the firm’s long term strategy. Any other thoughts? Thanks, all!

I'd tend to agree with Daniel here.

If I were in your shoes, I would be framing questions in terms of the insight that someone at the Partnership level can provide as opposed to questions which are more suited to junior lawyers. People also do naturally like to talk about themselves, so ask about her career progression, her experiences in the firm etc too - maybe do some further research on her position (e.g., does she lead a team etc). In my experience, it's often the most simplistic questions which actually give the most useful answers. Great opportunity to have though!!

 

[Dheepa]

I have the opportunity to have an informal chat with a partner at a firm I’m quite keen on. I worked with her in my current job and sent her an email expressing interest in the TC and she very kindly agreed to have a zoom call with me next week. Now that I’ve done that, though, I’m not quite sure what kinds of questions to ask. I’d normally ask trainees about the firm’s culture or training or working style. I thought I could ask the partner about the firm’s long term strategy. Any other thoughts? Thanks, all!

General rule of thumb: People love talking about themselves, so I'd really focus on asking questions related to her own personal journey.

In addition to everything Daniel has already said, when talking to partners I'm always curious about:

1. How they decided to specialise in the area they're in?
2. What has kept them working in commercial law? Did they ever consider a career change/a move in-house?
3. What has kept them in that one firm all these years? Alternatively if they've moved around, what did this firm offer that the others didn't?
4. What has been the most personally challenging moment of their career thus far?

 

[Veep9]

I'd tend to agree with Daniel here.

If I were in your shoes, I would be framing questions in terms of the insight that someone at the Partnership level can provide as opposed to questions which are more suited to junior lawyers. People also do naturally like to talk about themselves, so ask about her career progression, her experiences in the firm etc too - maybe do some further research on her position (e.g., does she lead a team etc). In my experience, it's often the most simplistic questions which actually give the most useful answers. Great opportunity to have though!!

Oh I definitely didn’t mean I’d ask her the question I’d ask a trainee but I just wasn’t sure what kinds of questions to pitch. She has moved from another firm quite recently so asking her thoughts on the difference between the two and the attractions of her current firm was one I was thinking about. Great call on asking about her own progression!

she moved from a large established practice to this smaller firm with a nascent practice in her area of expertise. Would it be ok to ask if the firm plans on focusing on growth in that area in the future?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Oh I definitely didn’t mean I’d ask her the question I’d ask a trainee but I just wasn’t sure what kinds of questions to pitch. She has moved from another firm quite recently so asking her thoughts on the difference between the two and the attractions of her current firm was one I was thinking about. Great call on asking about her own progression!

she moved from a large established practice to this smaller firm with a nascent practice in her area of expertise. Would it be ok to ask if the firm plans on focusing on growth in that area in the future?

I think that would be a perfectly good line of questions - I definitely think asking about that transition would be relevant. One of the most helpful conversations I've ever had was with a friend who trained at one firm I had a TC offer from and, by pure coincidence, moved to another firm I had a VS with on qualifying. It was incredibly helpful to get that level of inside knowledge and understanding from a retrospective standpoint, so I would really use that to your advantage. use it to begin to understand points and nuances about the firm which you couldn't have picked up otherwise to make your applications really stand out

 

[ab01]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum.

I’m not sure if this is the right place. But I would like to know if it’s worth applying to international law firms if you are from a non-Russell group university. I do have the entry requirements as I gained A*AA at a-levels. However I am a bit concerned and I have heard a lot of people mention that law firms do not consider applicants from a non-Russell group background. I graduated with a 69% in law. But I feel I should have now went to a more reputable university as I did have the grades to. Please can someone put my mind at rest. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts. I’m worried law firms will bin my app straight away due to coming from a non-Russell group university.

 

[Lumree]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum.

I’m not sure if this is the right place. But I would like to know if it’s worth applying to international law firms if you are from a non-Russell group university. I do have the entry requirements as I gained A*AA at a-levels. However I am a bit concerned and I have heard a lot of people mention that law firms do not consider applicants from a non-Russell group background. I graduated with a 69% in law. But I feel I should have now went to a more reputable university as I did have the grades to. Please can someone put my mind at rest. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts. I’m worried law firms will bin my app straight away due to coming from a non-Russell group university.

Not true at all! I’m sure @Jessica Booker can say this more than me but law firms do not judge what university you went to! You have as much chance as anyone so long as you can demonstrate your commitment, values and motivations.

 

[Daniel Boden]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum.

I’m not sure if this is the right place. But I would like to know if it’s worth applying to international law firms if you are from a non-Russell group university. I do have the entry requirements as I gained A*AA at a-levels. However I am a bit concerned and I have heard a lot of people mention that law firms do not consider applicants from a non-Russell group background. I graduated with a 69% in law. But I feel I should have now went to a more reputable university as I did have the grades to. Please can someone put my mind at rest. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts. I’m worried law firms will bin my app straight away due to coming from a non-Russell group university.

Absolutely not! If you're really worried I'd recommend getting in touch with the firms you are interested in directly. However, the vast vast majority will mainly care about your grades rather than the university you went to. Clearly, you more than meet the grade requirements for so I wouldn't worry at all if I were you

 

[ab01]

Not true at all! I’m sure @Jessica Booker can say this more than me but law firms do not judge what university you went to! You have as much chance as anyone so long as you can demonstrate your commitment, values and motivations.

Thank you so much for your reassurance. I am mainly targeting magic circle firms and haven’t seen much people there from non-Russell group universities

 

[ab01]

Absolutely not! If you're really worried I'd recommend getting in touch with the firms you are interested in directly. However, the vast vast majority will mainly care about your grades rather than the university you went to. Clearly, you more than meet the grade requirements for so I wouldn't worry at all if I were you

Thank you so much Daniel, I’m glad to hear that. It seems like I have been talking to the wrong people, I’m so glad I found this forum. Congratulations on your TC offer

 

[lawyermeup]

Thank you so much for your reassurance. I am mainly targeting magic circle firms and haven’t seen much people there from non-Russell group universities

Hey, I was recently on the Linklaters Vac scheme and there were so many people not from a Russell group university!! Echo everything that’s already been said - believe in yourself and perfect your own personal brand and I’m sure you’ll smash it

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Not true at all! I’m sure @Jessica Booker can say this more than me but law firms do not judge what university you went to! You have as much chance as anyone so long as you can demonstrate your commitment, values and motivations.

One of the worst myths out there! Lots of firms recruit non RG grads. The “RG” tag is getting pretty outdated these days anyway.

 

[Naomi U]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum.

I’m not sure if this is the right place. But I would like to know if it’s worth applying to international law firms if you are from a non-Russell group university. I do have the entry requirements as I gained A*AA at a-levels. However I am a bit concerned and I have heard a lot of people mention that law firms do not consider applicants from a non-Russell group background. I graduated with a 69% in law. But I feel I should have now went to a more reputable university as I did have the grades to. Please can someone put my mind at rest. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts. I’m worried law firms will bin my app straight away due to coming from a non-Russell group university.

Hiya

Not a problem at all! I know many people from a range of universities who secured vac schemes and tcs at a number of the big international firms. As @lawyermeup said, it really is all about believing in yourself & your personal brand!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Thank you so much for your reassurance. I am mainly targeting magic circle firms and haven’t seen much people there from non-Russell group universities

That’s in part because they will get more applications from RG unis - disproportionately so.

 

[ab01]

Hey, I was recently on the Linklaters Vac scheme and there were so many people not from a Russell group university!! Echo everything that’s already been said - believe in yourself and perfect your own personal brand and I’m sure you’ll smash it

Thank you so much, it’s so great to hear that. Linklaters is on my list. So I will definitely consider applying to them later this year!

 

[ab01]

One of the worst myths out there! Lots of firms recruit non RG grads. The “RG” tag is getting pretty outdated these days anyway.

Thank you @Jessica Booker , as an experienced graduate recruiter from Allen & Overy and Freshfields. Did you recruit people from non RG backgrounds?

As I am very keen on applying to freshfields this summer

 

[ab01]

Hiya

Not a problem at all! I know many people from a range of universities who secured vac schemes and tcs at a number of the big international firms. As @lawyermeup said, it really is all about believing in yourself & your personal brand!

Hi Naomi, thank you so much I have definitely got a lot of reassurance now, and will certainly try and believe in myself! congrats on your TC with Linklaters, they are a very lucky firm to have you!