Ask 3 future trainees ANYTHING!

[Andrei Radu]

Hi everyone!

My name is Andrei, I’m a future trainee at Davis Polk and I am currently in my SQE year. I’m excited to returning as one of TCLA’s Community Assistants for this year alongside @Amma Usman and @Abbie Whitlock. I just wanted to say hi again to those who know me from last year and introduce myself to new people!

To share a bit about my background and journey: I’m originally from Romania, and I have only moved to the UK in 2022 to start my law degree at UCL. I knew I had an interest in commercial law since the very beginning of year 1, but I knew very little about the application process and legal landscape in the City. As such, in my first application cycle, I was rejected in all my applications at the first stage.

Fortunately, with the support of a number of friends and career mentors, I bounced back by using my frustration and anxiety as motivation to give 100% in the next application cycle. By attending several careers events every week, completing courses and virtual experiences, and using some of the amazing resources offered by TCLA, I managed to significantly improve my research and application writing skills. Thus, my second cycle was the complete reversal of the first. I ended up receiving vacation scheme offers from Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie, and Davis Polk, and was fortunate enough to receive TC offers from the last three firms.

Subsequently, I have started spending lots of time to help friends and acquaintances in overcoming the same struggles I had faced. I took on a similar role at TCLA last year, when, alongside Amma and Ram, I spent the last application cycle as a Community Assistant. Afterwards, during this summer, I spent my time reviewing and updating TCLA’s Law Firm Profiles to ensure they are as informative and up to date as possible.

To list some of the queries I feel like I would be in a good position to answer:

• Application process questions, particularly regarding how to research law firms to identify unique selling points, writing tips, and application strategy.
• Interview tips, especially competency interviews and general commercial awareness/case studies.
• How to improve commercial awareness, particularly in how to make best use of events and online resources.
• Any questions around PE, M&A, and equity capital markets work.
• Tips for overcoming rejection.

However, definitely feel free to ask me anything and everything throughout the forum threads – I am here to help 😊!

Finally, my top tip for aspiring solicitors is to realise you are not in this journey alone. The biggest difference between my first and second application cycle has been the support I received from so many people the second time around, without which I would not be in in this position. So, whether it is friends, your university’s law society, LinkedIn connections, or this forum, do not be afraid to reach out for help!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hello everyone!

My name is Amma Usman and I’m a Community Assistant at TCLA alongside @Andrei Radu and @Abbie Whitlock.

By way of introduction, I’m an SQE student at BPP Law School and a Future Trainee at Gibson Dunn. I’m an international student, born and raised in Nigeria, and I moved to the UK a couple years back. I joined TCLA a year ago and I was so keen on joining due to the positive impact it had on my career trajectory and perception of the law firm application process. From the wonderful forum community where everyone was so open and friendly about their experiences, to the comprehensive courses, TCLA really felt like a ‘community’ from day one.

One piece of advice I would really love to share about the whole process is that consistency would take you places that sometimes motivation may not. As a candidate, it’s super easy to feel let down by rejections or struggle with confidence during the process - I certainly did. Although it’s always worth remembering that every rejection, every feedback call with a member of graduate recruitment, every written application, all eventually contribute to securing that TC. As an international student, I personally struggled with adapting to the legal system in the UK as I had only been exposed to Nigerian laws and deals my whole life. I also felt quite ‘late’ to the process as I had no knowledge of what graduate programmes or training contracts even were until the end of my first year! I must admit that all these feelings were quite overwhelming but eventually I realised that I actually appreciated the journey a whole lot more when it wasn’t particularly smooth.

Really looking forward to getting deep into the role and adding as much value as possible! Lovely to meet you all

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi everyone!! My name is Abbie, and I am a future trainee at Reed Smith and currently on my SQE internship at the firm! I’m excited to be joining TCLA as a Community Assistant alongside the amazing @Amma Usman and @Andrei Radu, especially as TCLA was such a huge part of my training contract journey last cycle!

To share a bit about my background, I recently graduated from the University of Portsmouth and as the first in my family to go to university, I know how daunting it can be to navigate the legal application process with no prior knowledge or connections. In my first application cycle, I only made one application and was rejected after AC due to my lack of commercial awareness. This was an area that I knew I needed to develop but wasn’t sure how, which is something I’m sure many of you can relate to. This really took a hit on my confidence and I started to question whether I could secure a training contract in a commercial firm.

To build up my CV, I completed a placement year as a paralegal and worked in my university’s legal advice clinic, which were both instrumental in my training contract journey and reaffirmed that I was passionate about a career in law. Additionally, I was the runner-up in BIUCAC last year, and so I am more than happy to share any advice for those wanting to participate in commercial awareness competitions! Following these experiences (and after brushing up on my application writing technique), I started to see a lot more success in my applications. I managed to complete vacation schemes at Stephenson Harwood, Farrer & Co, and Travers Smith (from BIUCAC), and I secured my TC at Reed Smith through their direct route.

I also mentored first-year students during my final year of my degree, and I really enjoyed giving back when I had benefitted from so many wonderful mentors in the past. As I loved this experience, I knew that I wanted to apply to join TCLA to contribute to a community that assisted me so much in my journey.

Among other areas, I feel I am in a good position to answer queries on:

• Navigating the process as a Non-Russell group student, or someone from a socially mobile background.
• How to improve commercial awareness, and tips for preparing for commercial awareness competitions.
• Applying for paralegal or placement year roles, and how to write a tailored CV.
• Preparing for case study interviews and group tasks.

However, please do ask me any questions you have in relation to the application process, and I can help or direct you to the best person to assist!

My top tip for aspiring solicitors is to remember that it’s not a matter of if but when - you will find yourself at the firm that’s right for you. There’s a huge amount of support available throughout this process, especially at TCLA, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions (and truly, no question is ever too small or silly!).

I’m really looking forward to getting to know you all!

 

[Anakin10]

@Andrei Radu Hey Andrei, a big fan of your work and was hoping to get your thoughts and advice on how to approach the work experience section of the written applications for vacation schemes. Most firms leave it open ended in terms of word count and how many experiences to submit. But what kinds of things would you mention in this section and how would you discuss them? Here are 2 key points I wanted to ask about:

1.I have so far only used real work experiences, such as part time work and legal internship. But I have seen people talk about their responsibilities at university (such as committee positions and judge positions etc).
2. I have so far mainly discussed what I did in these roles and what the work experience entailed. I haven't really tied it back to skills or spoken much about the skills learnt and how it links back to commercial law, but I have seen that some people do take this approach.

I know that there is no particular or 'correct' way to approach this (the same can be said for the application process in general) and it will also be firm dependent but I wanted to know your thoughts and what you think would work best (and perhaps what would work best for certain types of firms).

I would also ask how to approach it depending on your experience (the work experiences I have been talking about are: summer camp counsellor, sports and fitness assistant at my university gym, Tutor, research intern at client earth (legal research internship), 2 week internship/shadwoing at local high street firm)

Should I speak about more work experiences or are those enough/good?

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Andrei Radu Hey Andrei, a big fan of your work and was hoping to get your thoughts and advice on how to approach the work experience section of the written applications for vacation schemes. Most firms leave it open ended in terms of word count and how many experiences to submit. But what kinds of things would you mention in this section and how would you discuss them? Here are 2 key points I wanted to ask about:

1.I have so far only used real work experiences, such as part time work and legal internship. But I have seen people talk about their responsibilities at university (such as committee positions and judge positions etc).
2. I have so far mainly discussed what I did in these roles and what the work experience entailed. I haven't really tied it back to skills or spoken much about the skills learnt and how it links back to commercial law, but I have seen that some people do take this approach.

I know that there is no particular or 'correct' way to approach this (the same can be said for the application process in general) and it will also be firm dependent but I wanted to know your thoughts and what you think would work best (and perhaps what would work best for certain types of firms).

I would also ask how to approach it depending on your experience (the work experiences I have been talking about are: summer camp counsellor, sports and fitness assistant at my university gym, Tutor, research intern at client earth (legal research internship), 2 week internship/shadwoing at local high street firm)

Should I speak about more work experiences or are those enough/good?

Hi @Anakin10 to take your questions in turn:

1. There is some disagreement even among recruiters regarding what counts as work experience - some only think it refers to paid positions under a contract, whereas others see it as covering a way broader set of experiences, including attending events with firms, Forage courses, and extracurriculars such as the ones you mentioned. My view here is that you should put down as work experience every position that entailed a substantial degree of responsibility and dedication on your part, even if not paid or governed by a contract; unless this is allowed, even roles in pro bono organisations could not be included. As such, I think roles such as the ones you mentioned could be included, but have a think whether there is enough content to cover on each individual role, or if it makes more sense to bundle a couple together and discuss/list under one heading (for instance, many use this for open days/other career events).
2. I think your current approach is generally the right one. Your focus in the work experience section should be to provide an accurate, comprehensive, and specific description of what the experience entailed; drawing links to motivations and skills is where the cover letter/application form question come in. Nonetheless, if there are any clear and direct links you can draw to an interest or a skill that is particularly relevant to a given firm and you cannot draw them in other sections, it may make sense to include them (but ensure this is done very sparingly). For instance, since Freshfields does not have a cover letter anymore this year, if you have an experience which sparked your interest in corporate M&A, it may make sense to draw that link in a short sentence or two as a concluding thought (given that Freshfields is particularly renowned for work in this practice area).
3. I think you have a good number and variety of work experiences to include, although perhaps I would also mention some career events/Forage courses to show a bit of commercial law focus. In terms of how to speak about them, I advise you to generally follow a STAR structure, and to be concise and specific in regards to what you actually did. You should not feel the need to always write a lot - in the case of "simpler" roles, a 2-3 sentence description may suffice.

 

[Anakin10]

Hi @Anakin10 to take your questions in turn:

1. There is some disagreement even among recruiters regarding what counts as work experience - some only think it refers to paid positions under a contract, whereas others see it as covering a way broader set of experiences, including attending events with firms, Forage courses, and extracurriculars such as the ones you mentioned. My view here is that you should put down as work experience every position that entailed a substantial degree of responsibility and dedication on your part, even if not paid or governed by a contract; unless this is allowed, even roles in pro bono organisations could not be included. As such, I think roles such as the ones you mentioned could be included, but have a think whether there is enough content to cover on each individual role, or if it makes more sense to bundle a couple together and discuss/list under one heading (for instance, many use this for open days/other career events).
2. I think your current approach is generally the right one. Your focus in the work experience section should be to provide an accurate, comprehensive, and specific description of what the experience entailed; drawing links to motivations and skills is where the cover letter/application form question come in. Nonetheless, if there are any clear and direct links you can draw to an interest or a skill that is particularly relevant to a given firm and you cannot draw them in other sections, it may make sense to include them (but ensure this is done very sparingly). For instance, since Freshfields does not have a cover letter anymore this year, if you have an experience which sparked your interest in corporate M&A, it may make sense to draw that link in a short sentence or two as a concluding thought (given that Freshfields is particularly renowned for work in this practice area).
3. I think you have a good number and variety of work experiences to include, although perhaps I would also mention some career events/Forage courses to show a bit of commercial law focus. In terms of how to speak about them, I advise you to generally follow a STAR structure, and to be concise and specific in regards to what you actually did. You should not feel the need to always write a lot - in the case of "simpler" roles, a 2-3 sentence description may suffice.

Thanks for the very coherent and clear advice Andrei! I tend to avoid talking about commercial law events/careers events in the work experience section as most of the applications I have done have asked about events attended/interest in commercial law so I bring those in there.

 

[getitjules]

On behalf of my sister:

Hey! I am struggling a little here.

I am in year 12 currently applying for year 12 schemes. Multiple law firms seem to have programmes and development schemes as well as work experiences for those who are low-income and from underrepresented backgrounds; however, I seem to be rejected from every single one and I am not sure why as there isn't individual feedback.

I have recently been interested in law (in the past couple of years) after years of working towards a STEM career. It started off in a law competition I took part in which was more related to human rights law but then that moved onto searching more about commercial law. I have taken part in online internships (forage) that are available to all in commercial law but I am struggling to find any experiences to showcase my passion.

The general feedback all applicants are receiving is to search up more about the firm, more commercial awareness? I am not sure. I do not know how to do this. I looked into previous cases - although I struggled understanding much of it, I did break the cases down and researched it more. I included the cases I found interesting although probably gave a surface level outlook on it. It also states why I want to join the firm for this programme - again I assume I'd have to research the firm and what the programme offers. Other than the website, I am not sure how to do this further?

I went to an awful school and lived much of my life in poverty so all these opportunities I am coming across, now that I go to a really good school, are eye opening and have completely frazzled my mind! I'd love to get in to one of these programmes but I feel as though I am destined to not get in as someone that doesn't have much experience to begin with especially in commercial law. How is anyone getting into these programmes??

 

[Andrei Radu]

On behalf of my sister:

Hey! I am struggling a little here.

I am in year 12 currently applying for year 12 schemes. Multiple law firms seem to have programmes and development schemes as well as work experiences for those who are low-income and from underrepresented backgrounds; however, I seem to be rejected from every single one and I am not sure why as there isn't individual feedback.

I have recently been interested in law (in the past couple of years) after years of working towards a STEM career. It started off in a law competition I took part in which was more related to human rights law but then that moved onto searching more about commercial law. I have taken part in online internships (forage) that are available to all in commercial law but I am struggling to find any experiences to showcase my passion.

The general feedback all applicants are receiving is to search up more about the firm, more commercial awareness? I am not sure. I do not know how to do this. I looked into previous cases - although I struggled understanding much of it, I did break the cases down and researched it more. I included the cases I found interesting although probably gave a surface level outlook on it. It also states why I want to join the firm for this programme - again I assume I'd have to research the firm and what the programme offers. Other than the website, I am not sure how to do this further?

I went to an awful school and lived much of my life in poverty so all these opportunities I am coming across, now that I go to a really good school, are eye opening and have completely frazzled my mind! I'd love to get in to one of these programmes but I feel as though I am destined to not get in as someone that doesn't have much experience to begin with especially in commercial law. How is anyone getting into these programmes??

Hi @getitjules while I do not have any direct experience with pre-university commercial law applications, I just thought I would share a few thoughts and bits of advice. Firstly, a key thing you should keep in mind and be proud of yourself for is the fact that you have begun exploring an interest in commercial law at such an early stage and are already working towards your career goals. While it may not seem like a huge achievement now, and while you while always find people who have started even earlier than you, you are in a significantly better position at this stage than the vast majority of people I know who have now secured a TC at a top firm. Most of my friends who were successful in getting a TC did not really know anything about commercial law and did not so anything to improve their chances to get a TC until university started; in fact, most of them only ever started investing serious time and effort into this pursuit in their penultimate year of their degree.

As such, while you may not have been as successful as you wanted right now, you should know that you are already way ahead of the curve. Moreover, your efforts now will pay huge dividends later. Commercial awareness and application writing are not skills one can master overnight; they involve a steep learning curve, and are only honed by consistently investing your efforts in this pursuit over large spans of time - this is why the vast majority of people who are ultimately successful in securing a TC only do so in their second or third application cycle. No one comes into this knowing everything they need to to succeed. At first, they are rejected again, and again, and again; and through these experiences they learn. Thus, I urge you to not put too much pressure on yourself, and internalise the fact that rejection is an unavoidable part of the process. Even the most successful candidates (who end up receiving multiple training contract offers) are rejected more often than they are progressed.

Finally, for some concrete advice for what you can do to improve your success chances:

• For improving commercial awareness, I highly recommend listening to commercial awareness podcasts everyday. Some of my favourites include the FT News Briefing, BBC Business News, and Watson's Daily.
• For improving application writing and firm research: a key part of your applications you want to get right is showing why you are motivated to apply to that particular firm (as opposed to one of its rivals); but to find out what makes a firm unique, in many cases the firm's website will not be enough. If you can get a TCLA Premium subscription, I think the best resource in the market for that are our Law Firm Profiles. If not, two great free resources I would recommend are Non Billable and the Chambers Student Guide.

 

[getitjules]

Hey Andrei!

Really appreciate the tips - super helpful and motivational. Congratulations to all of you guys for the offers you have received (I can see why they wanted you all)!

I understand completely and although I have been rejected, it makes me wonder a lot about why especially as someone in year 12. I wish they would provide examples of successful applicants as I am not sure what the successful ones are doing to receive offers and how they are writing/conveying their passion for the firm, the programme, and commercial law in general. I have a few more applications to go but I really want to get this right - getting in would make later on so much easier as I have heard that these programmes have successfully had a lot of the participants accepted onto vacation schemes at the firm and subsequently a training contract.

I know it is early to think about it but I have always wanted to get started early as I have seen the competition of applicants increase year on year.

I will definitely look into both of those resources - maybe my christmas present this year will be a TCLA Premium subscription!

I am just confused with what they're expecting from year 12's. Surely they do not expect year 12's to be fully commercially aware, understand entirely how a law firm works, understand how different news affects a law firm, and understand the differences between law firms and why the applicant is specifically applying to the firm? It all seems like a lot for a year 12? Or am I being naive and not realising that the competition for 16 year old schemes also is insanely competitive?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hey Andrei!

Really appreciate the tips - super helpful and motivational. Congratulations to all of you guys for the offers you have received (I can see why they wanted you all)!

I understand completely and although I have been rejected, it makes me wonder a lot about why especially as someone in year 12. I wish they would provide examples of successful applicants as I am not sure what the successful ones are doing to receive offers and how they are writing/conveying their passion for the firm, the programme, and commercial law in general. I have a few more applications to go but I really want to get this right - getting in would make later on so much easier as I have heard that these programmes have successfully had a lot of the participants accepted onto vacation schemes at the firm and subsequently a training contract.

I know it is early to think about it but I have always wanted to get started early as I have seen the competition of applicants increase year on year.

I will definitely look into both of those resources - maybe my christmas present this year will be a TCLA Premium subscription!

I am just confused with what they're expecting from year 12's. Surely they do not expect year 12's to be fully commercially aware, understand entirely how a law firm works, understand how different news affects a law firm, and understand the differences between law firms and why the applicant is specifically applying to the firm? It all seems like a lot for a year 12? Or am I being naive and not realising that the competition for 16 year old schemes also is insanely competitive?

I agree with you that the expectations are perhaps unreasonably high for year 12s - I did not even know the name of more than a handful of firms at that stage. That said, I also think their expectations are simply a reflection of the levels of competition for these opportunities. While not as many year 12s will be applying for these programmes when compared to VS/TC applications later down the line, there are also significantly fewer spots available at this earlier stage. Furthermore, you can probably count on the fact that most of the people who are already applying at this stage will be particularly driven candidates. Thus, they will likely invest a lot of time and effort into their applications, which further raises the bar. All this is to say, unfortunately you will have to aim very high in terms of the quality of your applications even though you have had limited experience with the process.

 

[Miho000]

Hi everyone!! My name is Abbie, and I am a future trainee at Reed Smith and currently on my SQE internship at the firm! I’m excited to be joining TCLA as a Community Assistant alongside the amazing @Amma Usman and @Andrei Radu, especially as TCLA was such a huge part of my training contract journey last cycle!

To share a bit about my background, I recently graduated from the University of Portsmouth and as the first in my family to go to university, I know how daunting it can be to navigate the legal application process with no prior knowledge or connections. In my first application cycle, I only made one application and was rejected after AC due to my lack of commercial awareness. This was an area that I knew I needed to develop but wasn’t sure how, which is something I’m sure many of you can relate to. This really took a hit on my confidence and I started to question whether I could secure a training contract in a commercial firm.

To build up my CV, I completed a placement year as a paralegal and worked in my university’s legal advice clinic, which were both instrumental in my training contract journey and reaffirmed that I was passionate about a career in law. Additionally, I was the runner-up in BIUCAC last year, and so I am more than happy to share any advice for those wanting to participate in commercial awareness competitions! Following these experiences (and after brushing up on my application writing technique), I started to see a lot more success in my applications. I managed to complete vacation schemes at Stephenson Harwood, Farrer & Co, and Travers Smith (from BIUCAC), and I secured my TC at Reed Smith through their direct route.

I also mentored first-year students during my final year of my degree, and I really enjoyed giving back when I had benefitted from so many wonderful mentors in the past. As I loved this experience, I knew that I wanted to apply to join TCLA to contribute to a community that assisted me so much in my journey.

Among other areas, I feel I am in a good position to answer queries on:

• Navigating the process as a Non-Russell group student, or someone from a socially mobile background.
• How to improve commercial awareness, and tips for preparing for commercial awareness competitions.
• Applying for paralegal or placement year roles, and how to write a tailored CV.
• Preparing for case study interviews and group tasks.

However, please do ask me any questions you have in relation to the application process, and I can help or direct you to the best person to assist!

My top tip for aspiring solicitors is to remember that it’s not a matter of if but when - you will find yourself at the firm that’s right for you. There’s a huge amount of support available throughout this process, especially at TCLA, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions (and truly, no question is ever too small or silly!).

I’m really looking forward to getting to know you all!

Hi Abbie!

I recently read your post about your training contract journey and wanted to ask a few questions!

I saw that you completed a vacation scheme at Farrer & Co and would love to hear more about your experience and any tips you might have. I also noticed that the firms you applied to and received offers from, such as Stephenson Harwood and Reed Smith, are very similar to those I’m interested in. I’d be grateful to know how you expressed your interest in these firms during your applications.

I also wanted to ask about your experience in commercial awareness competitions. I recently participated in the Aspiring Solicitors Commercial Awareness Competition and reached the quarter-finals. I’m trying to continue building my commercial awareness, but I struggle to apply it to real-life situations or specific deals. I’d really appreciate any advice or techniques you found helpful for practising.

Thank you!

 

[Anakin10]

@Andrei Radu

Hey Andrei, thanks for the insightful advice in response to my last question. I wanted to follow up with a question that I have seen in a vs application which I have been struggling to wrap my head around.

The question is : 'Discuss how the role of a commercial lawyer is evolving in today’s business environment. Identify the key skills required and how you have demonstrated these.' with a word limit of 300. I have somewhat of an idea as to what the question is asking but am having difficulty actually attempting to answer it, specifically the first part of the question.

This is what I have drafted so far, to specifically answer 'how the role of a commercial lawyer is evolving in today's business environment.

"The role of a commercial lawyer is evolving as clients operate in faster and more complex business environments. Lawyers are increasingly expected to manage legal risk proactively rather than respond only when issues arise. As regulation expands across jurisdictions, and as technology accelerates decision-making, clients rely on legal teams that can identify emerging risks early, coordinate advice across disciplines, and ensure compliance without slowing commercial activity. The modern commercial lawyer therefore works at the intersection of law, business, and technology, combining technical accuracy with an understanding of how legal outcomes affect corporate strategy and reputation.

This evolution has broadened the skills lawyers need to deliver value. Commercial advisers must pair legal analysis with sound judgment, adaptability, and clear communication. They also need to collaborate with non-legal specialists such as compliance, data, and finance teams to provide solutions that are practical and cost-effective. Increasingly, success depends on the ability to translate complex rules into advice that supports resilient and responsible growth."



Could you please let me know you thoughts on this and how you would go about approaching/answering this kind of question?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi Abbie!

I recently read your post about your training contract journey and wanted to ask a few questions!

I saw that you completed a vacation scheme at Farrer & Co and would love to hear more about your experience and any tips you might have. I also noticed that the firms you applied to and received offers from, such as Stephenson Harwood and Reed Smith, are very similar to those I’m interested in. I’d be grateful to know how you expressed your interest in these firms during your applications.

I also wanted to ask about your experience in commercial awareness competitions. I recently participated in the Aspiring Solicitors Commercial Awareness Competition and reached the quarter-finals. I’m trying to continue building my commercial awareness, but I struggle to apply it to real-life situations or specific deals. I’d really appreciate any advice or techniques you found helpful for practising.

Thank you!

Hello!

Of course, more than happy to answer!

Farrer & Co

Yes, I completed one of the summer schemes at Farrer & Co this summer - I really loved it! When I completed the scheme, I sat in Residential Property and IP & Commercial, and these were both areas that I already had a real interest in. I found that the work at Farrers was super unique (particularly given the client base and history of the firm), and it was really interesting to do work that I was familiar with (i.e. residential property) but with a new ‘twist’. I also could talk for days about how lovely and welcoming everyone I met at Farrers was, and I found that the culture was one of the most striking parts of the firm for me. The assessment process was really fair - I met with my interviewer before the interview for coffee, and it was really nice to get to know them before the assessment as it helped calm my nerves a bit!

In terms of tips for applying for the firm, I honestly think it is really important to be yourself (as cliche as that advice is!). The vacation scheme cohort was super diverse in terms of background, career journey, and education, and I don’t think they’re looking for one certain candidate at all. I even spoke about my interest in trains and the London Underground in my application, and whilst this was a gamble, I think it helped showed my interests and personality! Make sure you discuss why their practice areas and work appeal to you, and explain why other features of the firm (such as the six-seat TC) make you motivated to apply to the firm.

Reed Smith and Stephenson Harwood

When it comes to Reed Smith and Stephenson Harwood, I would say I mainly focused on showing how my previous experiences created an interest in the areas of work they are known for. For example, shipping is a major element at both firms, and through BIUCAC I was able to attend an open day at Shell and learn more about the work that energy companies complete (and how lawyers are involved). This gave me something tangible to draw from and helped me show a genuine interest in the area.

For Reed Smith specifically, as I applied for the DTC route, I already had my Stephenson Harwood vacation scheme experience and the Shell open day as evidence to show that I had experienced these areas of law before, and that I was drawn to the Transportation and Energy sectors through this. It also (weirdly!) helped that my interviewer at Farrer & Co actually trained at Reed Smith, and he spoke really highly of the culture at the firm which I was able to reference in my Reed Smith interview.

Overall, I think the most important thing is doing your research into the firm and finding ways to show genuine interest and motivation throughout. If shipping isn’t your thing, perhaps you have an interest in Entertainment and Media which draws you to Reed Smith, or an interest in Technology that draws you to Stephenson Harwood. Make sure you back up anything you are saying with evidence of why you enjoy it or why you are a good fit - for example, if you apply to Reed Smith as you are interested in their SQE Professional Placement, explain why you believe you’d benefit from it. That’s how you can show genuine interest and motivation towards the firm

Commercial Awareness Competitions

First of all, congratulations on making it to the quarter-finals - that’s a fantastic achievement! Happy to share how I prepared for BIUCAC last year, and things I’ve noticed this year as a committee member for the competition

I think starting with the basics was really important for me - I knew that if I didn’t understand what the general terms were, reading dozens of articles was going to be a waste of time. I found it helpful to use Investopedia and the Finimize glossary to review terms I wasn’t confident in. Whenever I came across an unfamiliar word, I’d note it down and revisit it later to make sure it stuck. Focus on understanding cover concepts such as bonds, equity, securitisation, and derivatives - and make sure that you keep an eye on any that are particularly topical (green bonds came up in BIUCAC).

Once you are comfortable with the terminology, I’d pick one or two reliable sources and follow them consistently - for example, the FT, BBC Business, LittleLaw, or TCLA’s commercial awareness insights. Instead of trying to read absolutely everything, I would use your time most efficiently and pick a few key sectors or industries that you are interested in. Over time, you’ll start to notice patterns and recurring themes, which makes it a lot easier to understand the bigger picture. I also found it really helped to work this into my routine (particularly things such as podcasts) - for example, I listened to the FT News Briefing every morning on my commute which gave me a brief overview.

When reading a commercial news story, the main thing I changed that I found really useful was thinking about where a law firm might be instructed in a deal, and which practice areas would be involved. This shows that you understand both the legal and commercial dimensions. For example, in one of my VS interviews, I discussed the Universal park being built in the UK, and highlighted how various departments across a firm would be instructed (e.g. construction, finance, employment, real estate, etc.). This shows that you understand and can explain how law firms bring value to their clients, and was how I practiced applying the commercial concepts in real time.

For commercial awareness competitions, you are definitely not expected to know everything. I believe if you know the basic terminology, the most important things currently happening in the market/globally, and how to look at a commercial deal with a legal viewpoint, you can do really well!

Try not to worry too much about being ”fluent” straight away - commercial awareness builds gradually as you stay curious and consistent. It took me a few cycles to be confident enough to enter BIUCAC!

I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please do just shout

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Andrei Radu

Hey Andrei, thanks for the insightful advice in response to my last question. I wanted to follow up with a question that I have seen in a vs application which I have been struggling to wrap my head around.

The question is : 'Discuss how the role of a commercial lawyer is evolving in today’s business environment. Identify the key skills required and how you have demonstrated these.' with a word limit of 300. I have somewhat of an idea as to what the question is asking but am having difficulty actually attempting to answer it, specifically the first part of the question.

This is what I have drafted so far, to specifically answer 'how the role of a commercial lawyer is evolving in today's business environment.

"The role of a commercial lawyer is evolving as clients operate in faster and more complex business environments. Lawyers are increasingly expected to manage legal risk proactively rather than respond only when issues arise. As regulation expands across jurisdictions, and as technology accelerates decision-making, clients rely on legal teams that can identify emerging risks early, coordinate advice across disciplines, and ensure compliance without slowing commercial activity. The modern commercial lawyer therefore works at the intersection of law, business, and technology, combining technical accuracy with an understanding of how legal outcomes affect corporate strategy and reputation.

This evolution has broadened the skills lawyers need to deliver value. Commercial advisers must pair legal analysis with sound judgment, adaptability, and clear communication. They also need to collaborate with non-legal specialists such as compliance, data, and finance teams to provide solutions that are practical and cost-effective. Increasingly, success depends on the ability to translate complex rules into advice that supports resilient and responsible growth."



Could you please let me know you thoughts on this and how you would go about approaching/answering this kind of question?

Hi @Anakin10 I think the first part of your question is meant to test your commercial awareness vis-a-vis changing trends in the industry and assess your ability to formulate and argue for a viewpoint about what skills have in recent times become and will continue to become more important for clients. Off the top of my head, the structure I would thus employ would look something like this:

• Paragraph 1 (100-150 words): Explain one changing trend and how this results in X skill/trait to become more important for servicing clients; then explain how you have demonstrated this skill by describing an experience with illustrates it (ideally, making use of the STAR structure).
• Paragraph 2 (100-150): The same, but for a skill and/or different industry trend, and using a different example of an experience.

Since the forums are meant for general applications advice, I will not be able to give you an in-depth review - that is what our applications review service is for. That said, to briefly mention a few high-level points: your answer touches on good points, but I think they can be developed on better. In particular, there is an issue with (i) overuse of "buzz words", which is something almost all recruiters have told me annoys them; and (ii) the lack of a clear and signposted structure - you combine all your points together in a way that makes your answer a bit difficult to navigate.

Finally, in terms of industry trends - important skills links you may wish to consider developing, a few that come to mind are:

• (As you kind of suggested) The increasing prevalence of AI use in client's businesses, taken together with the novel and broadly-formulated regulatory frameworks and with the difficulty of applying previous laws/regulations to this tech (consider all the problems around IP law and data privacy), result in a uncertain enforcement outlook; which means lawyers should indeed try to ensure compliance proactively rather than reactively;
• As clients will likely keep increasingly demanding cost-savings from use of AI, lawyers will likely need to increasingly learn how to use them in a manner that improves efficiency but also does not substantially decrease certainty of quality service (here, you can consider all the news around AI models hallucinating case law etc.) - this you could link to a demand for lawyers who are tech-savvy;
• As the flurry of mandates in high-end transactional work has slowed in recent years (due to a number of reasons), but in particular due to the predictably slower growth of PE-dealmaking following the end of the extremely low interest rate era (so called the "free money era"), winning this type of highly-profitable work has become ever more competitive. Clients are therefore apparently demanding their lawyer to be increasingly commercially-savvy; but not just in general commercial awareness terms. They want lawyers who have particularly deep expertise in their given industries, who know the players, their relative bargaining powers, the history of recent deals and deal structures, which terms are market, which are not, and which market terms are changing and can be pushed. This could be linked with exiting exposure and interest in becoming a sector-expert (alongside a practice area expert) in particular industries.