Application Guidance

[hannahmcgee60]

Hi everyone, I could use some direction with a training contract application I’m currently completing. There are three questions on the application form with no option to upload a CV/cover letter. The three questions are as follows;

1. Tell us why a career in corporate law interests you? Tell us why you want to be a corporate lawyer, what appealed you about a career in law. (Maximum 300 words)
2. What makes you a good candidate for *Firm Name*'s Trainee Solicitor Programme? (Maximum 300 words)
3. We are keen to understand more about you and your achievements. Please share your interests and highlight any achievements. (Maximum 300 words)

There is also a section for work experience, with the description;
Your experience to date (what you did). Please detail three specific experiences - these can include examples from work experience, voluntary work, college or broader life experience. Please include the skills and abilities you have acquired through these experiences that will be relevant to a career in corporate law?

I was planning to answer the first question by dividing 150 words to why law and 150 words to why corporate law, the second question using the firm’s core values, and the third question by linking my achievements to competencies from the job description. I was also going to link the work experiences section to more competencies from the job description.

However, I can see that none of these questions are the traditional “why this firm” question. Do you think I should devote the second half of the “why corporate law” question to why that firm in particular, or is this not answering the question properly? I’m just not sure where I can show my particular interest in this firm over other firms on this application.

Also, in general, do you think applicants should highlight competencies from the firm’s core values, or rather from the attributes listed in the job description for the training contract? These can often be different.

 

[ZNadeem]

Hi everyone, I could use some direction with a training contract application I’m currently completing. There are three questions on the application form with no option to upload a CV/cover letter. The three questions are as follows;

Tell us why a career in corporate law interests you? Tell us why you want to be a corporate lawyer, what appealed you about a career in law.
What makes you a good candidate for *Firm Name*'s Trainee Solicitor Programme? (Maximum 300 words)
We are keen to understand more about you and your achievements. Please share your interests and highlight any achievements. (Maximum 300 words)

There is also a section for work experience, with the description;
Your experience to date (what you did). Please detail three specific experiences - these can include examples from work experience, voluntary work, college or broader life experience. Please include the skills and abilities you have acquired through these experiences that will be relevant to a career in corporate law?

I was planning to answer the first question by dividing 150 words to why law and 150 words to why corporate law, the second question using the firm’s core values, and the third question by linking my achievements to competencies from the job description. I was also going to link the work experiences section to more competencies from the job description.

However, I can see that none of these questions are the traditional “why this firm” question. Do you think I should devote the second half of the “why corporate law” question to why that firm in particular, or is this not answering the question properly? I’m just not sure where I can show my particular interest in this firm over other firms on this application.

Also, in general, do you think applicants should highlight competencies from the firm’s core values, or rather from the attributes listed in the job description for the training contract? These can often be different.

Hi!

For Q1 (“Why a career in corporate law?” + “What makes you a good candidate?”)

Go straight into why corporate/commercial law with 1–2 focused paragraphs, using a PEA structure (Point, Evidence, Analysis). Then add a final paragraph on why you’re a good candidate for this firm’s trainee solicitor programme. Here, it’s a good idea to bring in one USP of the firm that resonates with you and again use PEA to connect it to your motivations/strengths.

• Point → make a clear statement (e.g. “I am drawn to corporate law because it allows me to work at the intersection of business strategy and legal problem-solving.”)
• Evidence → back it up with a concrete example from your studies, work experience, or wider reading (e.g. “During my paralegal role, I assisted on a transaction where I saw how legal structuring directly enabled a client’s expansion plans.”)
• Analysis → reflect on why this matters to you or how it links to your long-term goals (e.g. “This experience confirmed my interest in commercial work as I enjoy applying legal knowledge to create practical outcomes for clients.”).

For Q2 (“Your interests and achievements”)

Aim for 3–4 short paragraphs across both interests and achievements. Don’t just list them — explain what exactly you do to pursue those interests or to achieve those things, and add a reflective element (what it’s taught you, how it’s shaped you). This makes your answer feel much more personal and memorable.

For Q3 (Work experience section)

Stick to the “three experiences” they ask for. For each one, you could use two short paragraphs:

• first to give context (the role, what you did, key responsibilities),
• second to reflect on the skills you developed and how these will benefit you as a corporate trainee.

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

Hi @hannahmcgee60,

Let's break this down step by step!

For the first question 'Tell us why a career in corporate law interests you? Tell us why you want to be a corporate lawyer, what appealed to you about a career in law', I would focus solely on commercial law. I would pick 2-3 points maximum and link each of them to your past experiences to demonstrate that these aspects of the firm truly interest you.

'What makes you a good candidate for *Firm Name*'s Trainee Solicitor Programme?' - this is the question where you can truly show your research on the firm, and hence demonstrate your interest. I would try to pick very specific aspects to really showcase the depth of your understanding. You are also correct in saying that you would need to back your arguments with examples from your experiences

'We are keen to understand more about you and your achievements. Please share your interests and highlight any achievements. (Maximum 300 words)' - with this question, I would be as authentic as possible. I would not say that you necessarily have to link or adapt your interests to what the firm is looking for. You are better off talking about your achievements in a lot of detail and possibly reflecting on what they taught you.

I would focus your competencies on the firm's 'who we are looking for' section, to answer your final question!

I hope this helps. Best of luck with your application!

 

[hannahmcgee60]

Hi!

For Q1 (“Why a career in corporate law?” + “What makes you a good candidate?”)

Go straight into why corporate/commercial law with 1–2 focused paragraphs, using a PEA structure (Point, Evidence, Analysis). Then add a final paragraph on why you’re a good candidate for this firm’s trainee solicitor programme. Here, it’s a good idea to bring in one USP of the firm that resonates with you and again use PEA to connect it to your motivations/strengths.

• Point → make a clear statement (e.g. “I am drawn to corporate law because it allows me to work at the intersection of business strategy and legal problem-solving.”)
• Evidence → back it up with a concrete example from your studies, work experience, or wider reading (e.g. “During my paralegal role, I assisted on a transaction where I saw how legal structuring directly enabled a client’s expansion plans.”)
• Analysis → reflect on why this matters to you or how it links to your long-term goals (e.g. “This experience confirmed my interest in commercial work as I enjoy applying legal knowledge to create practical outcomes for clients.”).

For Q2 (“Your interests and achievements”)

Aim for 3–4 short paragraphs across both interests and achievements. Don’t just list them — explain what exactly you do to pursue those interests or to achieve those things, and add a reflective element (what it’s taught you, how it’s shaped you). This makes your answer feel much more personal and memorable.

For Q3 (Work experience section)

Stick to the “three experiences” they ask for. For each one, you could use two short paragraphs:

• first to give context (the role, what you did, key responsibilities),
• second to reflect on the skills you developed and how these will benefit you as a corporate trainee.

Thank you @ZNadeem ! And my apologies, the "why corporate law" and the "what makes you a good candidate" questions are separate. I have edited my original post to make this clearer.

With this in mind, would you recommend going in with two reasons/paragraphs for why commercial law, rather than just doing one paragraph for "why law" and one paragraph for "why commercial law"? I had originally thought to take the latter approach because of the "what appealed you about a career in law." segment at the end of the question but perhaps it is better to keep the "why law" aspect of my answer to one or two lines.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[ZNadeem]

Thank you @ZNadeem ! And my apologies, the "why corporate law" and the "what makes you a good candidate" questions are separate. I have edited my original post to make this clearer.

With this in mind, would you recommend going in with two reasons/paragraphs for why commercial law, rather than just doing one paragraph for "why law" and one paragraph for "why commercial law"? I had originally thought to take the latter approach because of the "what appealed you about a career in law." segment at the end of the question but perhaps it is better to keep the "why law" aspect of my answer to one or two lines.

Thanks so much for your help!

Hi! Ah, I see.

I’d still recommend diving straight into “why commercial law,” since that naturally touches on “why law” too. I know it can be a bit confusing with the wording, especially when they initially specify “corporate law,” but focusing on commercial/corporate law will keep your answer sharp and relevant. In fact, I always used to answer just ‘why law’ questions for commercial law firms by diving straight into ‘why commercial law.’

 

[hannahmcgee60]

Hi @hannahmcgee60,

Let's break this down step by step!

For the first question 'Tell us why a career in corporate law interests you? Tell us why you want to be a corporate lawyer, what appealed to you about a career in law', I would focus solely on commercial law. I would pick 2-3 points maximum and link each of them to your past experiences to demonstrate that these aspects of the firm truly interest you.

'What makes you a good candidate for *Firm Name*'s Trainee Solicitor Programme?' - this is the question where you can truly show your research on the firm, and hence demonstrate your interest. I would try to pick very specific aspects to really showcase the depth of your understanding. You are also correct in saying that you would need to back your arguments with examples from your experiences

'We are keen to understand more about you and your achievements. Please share your interests and highlight any achievements. (Maximum 300 words)' - with this question, I would be as authentic as possible. I would not say that you necessarily have to link or adapt your interests to what the firm is looking for. You are better off talking about your achievements in a lot of detail and possibly reflecting on what they taught you.

I would focus your competencies on the firm's 'who we are looking for' section, to answer your final question!

I hope this helps. Best of luck with your application!

Hi @vera.mekhonoshina , thank you so much for your response! This is a great help for my application.

 

[hannahmcgee60]

Hi! Ah, I see.

I’d still recommend diving straight into “why commercial law,” since that naturally touches on “why law” too. I know it can be a bit confusing with the wording, especially when they initially specify “corporate law,” but focusing on commercial/corporate law will keep your answer sharp and relevant. In fact, I always used to answer just ‘why law’ questions for commercial law firms by diving straight into ‘why commercial law.’

@ZNadeem Ah OK, thank you! I agree that focusing on commercial law will keep it relevant.

My apologies for all the questions, but I was also wondering how I should approach the second "what makes you a good candidate for the firm's trainee programme" question.

Would you advise tailoring it to the firm;

1. By taking the competencies listed in the trainee solicitor job description and writing a PEAL/STAR based answer on how I demonstrate each of these qualities.
or
2. Should I link a USP of the firm (eg their approach to tech/innovation, their practice area strengths) to my own experiences and why this interests me. To me, this approach might seem like more of an answer to a "why this firm" type question?

To me, this question seems like a strength-based question rather than a motivation-based question and so I am leaning towards the first option but I am rather unsure.

Finally, for the third question about my achievements and interests, do you think I need to link these to the firm's desired competencies or should I try to be authentic in discussing what they taught me and the qualities I developed from them?

Thank you so much for your help so far, it is greatly appreciated!

 

[ZNadeem]

@ZNadeem Ah OK, thank you! I agree that focusing on commercial law will keep it relevant.

My apologies for all the questions, but I was also wondering how I should approach the second "what makes you a good candidate for the firm's trainee programme" question.

Would you advise tailoring it to the firm;

1. By taking the competencies listed in the trainee solicitor job description and writing a PEAL/STAR based answer on how I demonstrate each of these qualities.
or
2. Should I link a USP of the firm (eg their approach to tech/innovation, their practice area strengths) to my own experiences and why this interests me. To me, this approach might seem like more of an answer to a "why this firm" type question?

To me, this question seems like a strength-based question rather than a motivation-based question and so I am leaning towards the first option but I am rather unsure.

Finally, for the third question about my achievements and interests, do you think I need to link these to the firm's desired competencies or should I try to be authentic in discussing what they taught me and the qualities I developed from them?

Thank you so much for your help so far, it is greatly appreciated!

Hi!

For “what makes you a good candidate for the firm's trainee programme”, I agree — it’s more of a strength-based question than a motivation one. I’d suggest looking at some past applications in the database if you can, just to see the range of approaches people have taken. You don’t need to force a “why this firm” angle here, but weaving in one or two niche details can help make your answer feel more tailored.


For the third question about achievements and interests, you definitely don’t need to link everything back to the firm’s competencies. Focus on being authentic and reflective — explain what the achievements mean to you, what qualities you’ve built through them, and how you’ve pursued your interests in a meaningful way.