Hi everyone!
My name is Andrei, a current third year law student at UCL and future trainee at Davis Polk. I’m excited to be joining [USER=36738]@Ram Sabaratnam[/USER], [USER=36759]@Kay Aston[/USER], and [USER=36740]@Amma Usman[/USER] as one of TCLA’s Community Assistants for this year.
I just wanted to introduce myself and 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 10/10 of my applications at the first stage. As for many other applicants, the experience was extremely distressing, and it caused me to start questioning my self-worth – especially since coming to the UK as an international student was a significant financial investment for my family and I was afraid of letting them down.
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.
Subsequently, I have started spending lots of time to help friends and acquaintances in overcoming the same struggles I had faced. Having realised I was finding a lot of fulfilment in giving back to the community, I decided to apply to join TCLA. I spent a month in the summer writing new law firm profiles, and I am now looking forward to becoming a part of the forum community here!
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!
