RPC App Question

[Shahil]

Hi guys,

The first question for RPC's Summer Scheme application is "Tell us about your interests, including any positions of responsibility held. (400 words max)".

For this question would you recommend explicitly linking anything I mention back to how the skills/interests involved are transferrable to commercial law? Or is that not entirely necessary. Similarly, should I therefore not mention any interests that are not that relatable to a legal career (e.g. music). I'm unsure because they do talk about how they look for 'personality' and 'individuals' in their applicants, so maybe they are looking for interests/skills broader than those useful to law.

BTW: The other questions are "Describe why a career in commercial law appeals to you. What factors and influences have affected your decision to become a lawyer? (250 words max)". " What are your reasons for applying to the RPC Summer Scheme?" (250 Words). "Identify a current commercial issue which is relevant to a City law firm. Please explain why you consider it to be significant to the stakeholders involved." That may change what is relevant to the first question.

Thanks!

 

[Jaysen]

You don't need to link this to commercial law, just be specific in what you did and recruiters will be able to infer that. Your interests don't have to be related to a legal career either - that's what's going to make you more memorable.

 

[Shahil]

You don't need to link this to commercial law, just be specific in what you did and recruiters will be able to infer that. Your interests don't have to be related to a legal career either - that's what's going to make you more memorable.

Thanks Jaysen, that's really helpful

 

[nat237]

Hi, for the last question to do with linking a commercial issue with a city law firm, does anyone have any links or ideas that can help kick start my research? I really wanted to talk about increasing transatlantic law firm mergers but Im not sure if its as current as it was back in 2010. What do you think?

 

[S87]

Hi, for the last question to do with linking a commercial issue with a city law firm, does anyone have any links or ideas that can help kick start my research? I really wanted to talk about increasing transatlantic law firm mergers but Im not sure if its as current as it was back in 2010. What do you think?

There are so many current issues such as: the way firms bill their clients, liberalisation of the legal market, legal technology, how to hire and retain talent i.e. agile work and diversity... what do you think @Jaysen

 

[Jaysen]

Hi, for the last question to do with linking a commercial issue with a city law firm, does anyone have any links or ideas that can help kick start my research? I really wanted to talk about increasing transatlantic law firm mergers but Im not sure if its as current as it was back in 2010. What do you think?

If you're talking about past transatlantic mergers, that does feel a little outdated - unless you're tying in why it's relevant to a City law firm now or discussing something more broader i.e. law firms breaking into the US market.

There are so many current issues such as: the way firms bill their clients, liberalisation of the legal market, legal technology, how to hire and retain talent i.e. agile work and diversity... what do you think @Jaysen

Good points there - as you said, there are so many to choose from. Note, they don't necessarily have to be issues directly affecting the business of commercial law firms; if there is a commercial story you're interested in, you can also think about how this might be relevant to a City law firm. You can see how this is done in the weekly commercial updates: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....areness-update-february-2020.2126/#post-23883.

Certain stories are easier to connect to law firms than others. If it's a large, ongoing story, you might think about how it could increase the demand for certain types of advice from clients; for example, how uncertain events like Brexit and the US-China trade war increase the demand for particular advisory services. Alternatively, if the issue leads to uncertainty and clients holding off investment, you might note that in times of economic distress, transactional departments (e..g M&A and private equity) might see less work, while departments like litigation and restructuring might see an uptick.

I wouldn't stop there though as talking about how an issue increases or decreases the demand for legal services is quite surface level. You might consider how an issue impacts the advice law firms give to their clients, the way they run their business etc. The same applies if your story is 'smaller', you just may want to zoom in on particular areas like geographies or departments.

 

[S87]

If you're talking about past transatlantic mergers, that does feel a little outdated - unless you're tying in why it's relevant to a City law firm now or discussing something more broader i.e. law firms breaking into the US market.


Good points there - as you said, there are so many to choose from. Note, they don't necessarily have to be issues directly affecting the business of commercial law firms; if there is a commercial story you're interested in, you can also think about how this might be relevant to a City law firm. You can see how this is done in the weekly commercial updates: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....areness-update-february-2020.2126/#post-23883.

Certain stories are easier to connect to law firms than others. If it's a large, ongoing story, you might think about how it could increase the demand for certain types of advice from clients; for example, how uncertain events like Brexit and the US-China trade war increase the demand for particular advisory services. Alternatively, if the issue leads to uncertainty and clients holding off investment, you might note that in times of economic distress, transactional departments (e..g M&A and private equity) might see less work, while departments like litigation and restructuring might see an uptick.

I wouldn't stop there though as talking about how an issue increases or decreases the demand for legal services is quite surface level. You might consider how an issue impacts the advice law firms give to their clients, the way they run their business etc. The same applies if your story is 'smaller', you just may want to zoom in on particular areas like geographies or departments.

Hi Jaysen,

Thank you for your reply.

Another point to add is that you must not forget to link the story to RPC

 

[nat237]

Hi Jaysen,

Thank you for your reply.

Another point to add is that you must not forget to link the story to RPC

If you're talking about past transatlantic mergers, that does feel a little outdated - unless you're tying in why it's relevant to a City law firm now or discussing something more broader i.e. law firms breaking into the US market.


Good points there - as you said, there are so many to choose from. Note, they don't necessarily have to be issues directly affecting the business of commercial law firms; if there is a commercial story you're interested in, you can also think about how this might be relevant to a City law firm. You can see how this is done in the weekly commercial updates: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....areness-update-february-2020.2126/#post-23883.

Certain stories are easier to connect to law firms than others. If it's a large, ongoing story, you might think about how it could increase the demand for certain types of advice from clients; for example, how uncertain events like Brexit and the US-China trade war increase the demand for particular advisory services. Alternatively, if the issue leads to uncertainty and clients holding off investment, you might note that in times of economic distress, transactional departments (e..g M&A and private equity) might see less work, while departments like litigation and restructuring might see an uptick.

I wouldn't stop there though as talking about how an issue increases or decreases the demand for legal services is quite surface level. You might consider how an issue impacts the advice law firms give to their clients, the way they run their business etc. The same applies if your story is 'smaller', you just may want to zoom in on particular areas like geographies or departments.

Hi @Jaysen and @S87 thank you so much, thats so great you've definitely helped me get started!

 

[nat237]

Hi,

Sorry Ive got one more question.

Do you think as a company that is heavy on insurance, I could discuss the recent climate change movement and the fact that many insurance companies are now refusing to provide cover for traditional carbon emitting energies. How it may affect how clients/businesses are wanting to pursue more sustainable business methods and decarbonise their businesses, increasing the demand for these services and generating new opportunities for renewable energies etc. The same pressure might be put on law firms to use more sustainable methods or reduce their carbon footprint.

Or is this more of a future commercial issue and I should stick with something more current? Thanks again for all the help

 

[Jaysen]

Hi,

Sorry Ive got one more question.

Do you think as a company that is heavy on insurance, I could discuss the recent climate change movement and the fact that many insurance companies are now refusing to provide cover for traditional carbon emitting energies. How it may affect how clients/businesses are wanting to pursue more sustainable business methods and decarbonise their businesses, increasing the demand for these services and generating new opportunities for renewable energies etc. The same pressure might be put on law firms to use more sustainable methods or reduce their carbon footprint.

Or is this more of a future commercial issue and I should stick with something more current? Thanks again for all the help

Sounds like a good one to me!

 

[S87]

Sounds good to me too. I would also to consider coronavirus which could increase disputes and also clients ie need to think about how to insure their businesses. Therefore, city firms need to creative and think ahead of time when drafting contracts. What do you think @Jaysen ?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, for the last question to do with linking a commercial issue with a city law firm, does anyone have any links or ideas that can help kick start my research? I really wanted to talk about increasing transatlantic law firm mergers but Im not sure if its as current as it was back in 2010. What do you think?

I wouldn’t choose something that is 10 years old. Try to use something current or at least within the last 6-9 months

 

[Jessica Booker]

Sounds good to me too. I would also to consider coronavirus which could increase disputes and also clients ie need to think about how to insure their businesses. Therefore, city firms need to creative and think ahead of time when drafting contracts. What do you think @Jaysen ?

personally I would avoid this - it’s a little too obvious.

If you are going to talk about it - be more specific. Is it affecting a particular industry more, how are they offsetting the impact?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi,

Sorry Ive got one more question.

Do you think as a company that is heavy on insurance, I could discuss the recent climate change movement and the fact that many insurance companies are now refusing to provide cover for traditional carbon emitting energies. How it may affect how clients/businesses are wanting to pursue more sustainable business methods and decarbonise their businesses, increasing the demand for these services and generating new opportunities for renewable energies etc. The same pressure might be put on law firms to use more sustainable methods or reduce their carbon footprint.

Or is this more of a future commercial issue and I should stick with something more current? Thanks again for all the help

great example - it is current (not future) but you can be forward looking with it too. It sounds like it is related to the firm in question, and it’s quite specific and therefore more unique

 

[FutureCity]

personally I would avoid this - it’s a little too obvious.

If you are going to talk about it - be more specific. Is it affecting a particular industry more, how are they offsetting the impact?

I spoke about the coronavirus during my interview at RPC and the interviewer really liked it.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I spoke about the coronavirus during my interview at RPC and the interviewer really liked it.

Its fine to talk about it - it just depends on how you talk about it. It’s got one of those risks of just being a generalist story that anyone could talk about.

 

[Jessica Booker]

If you do talk about the Corona virus, spotted this article which might be an interesting read:

https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2...g=nVXqB4jdvhbqUvTD7lsu0R1x0uunphrIwvrqmEdf_ko

 

[S87]

Thank you very much Jessica