Application advice queries

[TCinpipeline]

Hi there - I'd like to hear your views on the following 2 queries I have.

On the question why commercial law, is it fine to mention the areas I do enjoy mostly like researching and drafting and refrain from mentioning the areas I don't e.g. the due diligence side of keeping track of parties comments? I have attended a couple of law firm webinars and open days where international arbitration and class act litigation seems to be areas where research and drafting is used a lot instead of due diligence. Do I simply mention that I am drawn to these areas of law after attending webinars/open days and speaking to trainees who have done seats in these areas despite not having any direct legal experience in them? I have legal experience in banking and corporate but I am not drawn to these areas to work/train in.

I find it very difficult to be very specific in my applications if I don’t attend an open day of a firm to really get a good idea of the culture, the work and the people. There is only so much you can find out researching online after several hours which is available on the known sites like Chambers and Partners, Roll on Friday, Law Careers, etc. Would one say it is not worth applying to a firm if I have done as much research I can (usually 4 hours) and find I don’t have very specific reasons in my answers? Any ideas on how to gain more specific answers? I struggle on this part.

Thank you.

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi there - I'd like to hear your views on the following 2 queries I have.

On the question why commercial law, is it fine to mention the areas I do enjoy mostly like researching and drafting and refrain from mentioning the areas I don't e.g. the due diligence side of keeping track of parties comments? I have attended a couple of law firm webinars and open days where international arbitration and class act litigation seems to be areas where research and drafting is used a lot instead of due diligence. Do I simply mention that I am drawn to these areas of law after attending webinars/open days and speaking to trainees who have done seats in these areas despite not having any direct legal experience in them? I have legal experience in banking and corporate but I am not drawn to these areas to work/train in.

I find it very difficult to be very specific in my applications if I don’t attend an open day of a firm to really get a good idea of the culture, the work and the people. There is only so much you can find out researching online after several hours which is available on the known sites like Chambers and Partners, Roll on Friday, Law Careers, etc. Would one say it is not worth applying to a firm if I have done as much research I can (usually 4 hours) and find I don’t have very specific reasons in my answers? Any ideas on how to gain more specific answers? I struggle on this part.

Thank you.

Hey @TCinpipeline,

I can totally relate to your situation. When I was applying last year I felt like it would have been very difficult to actually and genuinely express why I was interested in commercial law, especially as a non-law student. Some tips that I would give you based on your concern:

• It is totally fine to mention whatever you find interesting about the profession and what drives you towards the profession compared to any other. You can definitely link the fact that you like researching and drafting and explain how you have developed these skills through your past internships. I would then link these to how you can be a successful lawyer developing these skills at the firm you are applying to.
• I personally would keep my why law answer/section broad mentioning the true reasons why you feel like you want to become a commercial lawyer without necessarily going into the specifics of practice areas. This is something you can do and mention for the why this firm section/question of the application as a reason why you are drawn to the firm. This is how I personally approached my applications last year.
• You can leverage your past experiences to explain why law and then mention your interest in disputes and litigation once you have to mention the reasons you are attracted to a specific firm.
• Attending an open day is really great but it is not the make or break of your application. I obtained vacation scheme offers as a non law student from firms I had never been at before and I personally did not even know before I applied. Many more candidates during my vacation scheme were on my same boat too. It really is not as necessary as you might think so I personally would not worry too much about them. They are important for you as they make you understand that you want to pursue law now but they are not the most important thing about your application.
• The reasons you find for a specific firms are personal to you but I would say that you can always mention a practice area, pro bono work, international opportunities. Realistically speaking there is so much you can mention that other candidates are not mentioning. What will distinguish you from other candidates is WHY these factors of the firm interest you specifically. This is the link that will make you stand out. For example, in one of my applications which was successful last year I mentioned how I was interested in litigation too thanks to my background in debating and researching the most compelling reasons to support my arguments and how I enjoyed that aspect of the debating competitions I attended. This was something that was picked up during my interview and the partners were very impressed. It was not necessarily that I mentioned that I was interested in litigation that they liked (which is something that the firm is known for and everyone who applies mention) but it was the personal link to that reason that interested them.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with your journey!

 

[TCinpipeline]

Hey @TCinpipeline,

I can totally relate to your situation. When I was applying last year I felt like it would have been very difficult to actually and genuinely express why I was interested in commercial law, especially as a non-law student. Some tips that I would give you based on your concern:

• It is totally fine to mention whatever you find interesting about the profession and what drives you towards the profession compared to any other. You can definitely link the fact that you like researching and drafting and explain how you have developed these skills through your past internships. I would then link these to how you can be a successful lawyer developing these skills at the firm you are applying to.
• I personally would keep my why law answer/section broad mentioning the true reasons why you feel like you want to become a commercial lawyer without necessarily going into the specifics of practice areas. This is something you can do and mention for the why this firm section/question of the application as a reason why you are drawn to the firm. This is how I personally approached my applications last year.
• You can leverage your past experiences to explain why law and then mention your interest in disputes and litigation once you have to mention the reasons you are attracted to a specific firm.
• Attending an open day is really great but it is not the make or break of your application. I obtained vacation scheme offers as a non law student from firms I had never been at before and I personally did not even know before I applied. Many more candidates during my vacation scheme were on my same boat too. It really is not as necessary as you might think so I personally would not worry too much about them. They are important for you as they make you understand that you want to pursue law now but they are not the most important thing about your application.
• The reasons you find for a specific firms are personal to you but I would say that you can always mention a practice area, pro bono work, international opportunities. Realistically speaking there is so much you can mention that other candidates are not mentioning. What will distinguish you from other candidates is WHY these factors of the firm interest you specifically. This is the link that will make you stand out. For example, in one of my applications which was successful last year I mentioned how I was interested in litigation too thanks to my background in debating and researching the most compelling reasons to support my arguments and how I enjoyed that aspect of the debating competitions I attended. This was something that was picked up during my interview and the partners were very impressed. It was not necessarily that I mentioned that I was interested in litigation that they liked (which is something that the firm is known for and everyone who applies mention) but it was the personal link to that reason that interested them.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with your journey!

@axelbeugre Thank you for this. On your last point, can I mention that I am interested in litigation and arbitration on the back of having attended open days and found that research and drafting is needed in these areas of law which I particularly enjoy (I can give examples of doing these tasks in pro-bono work) and that it can cover international law that makes it most interesting. I have worked on carrying out checks on matters we have not been able to proceed due to some entities being involved with Russia where they have been sanctioned due to being connected to the Ukraine war - can I mention this as finding it interesting in a international context? I work on documents where we are giving EU securitisation advice however, I am not clued up to understand and explain it in a legal context if asked about it in interview. Securitisation is not an area of law I find interesting. I don't think running conflict checks and not having enough interest on EU securitisation law is directly linked enough to show interest in international law. Do you see where it is difficult to state you find specific work interesting if you don't have a direct link. Can you advise on this point? Thank you.