Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
More options
Toggle width
Share this page
Share this page
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
WhatsApp
Email
Share
Link
Menu
Install the app
Install
Forums
Law Firm Events
Law Firm Deadlines
TCLA TV
Members
Leaderboards
Premium Database
Premium Chat
Commercial Awareness
Future Trainee Advice
Forums
Aspiring Lawyers - Applications & General Advice
Applications Discussion
Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Jaysen" data-source="post: 28598" data-attributes="member: 1"><p>1.</p><p></p><p>During our sessions, the candidates that stand out to me come across as exceptionally prepared. Take commercial awareness for instance, I think most candidates learn what they need to know (e.g. they'll follow 2-3 stories and read up on M&A terms) and that'll be enough for some firms. The stand-out candidates (the ones I see who receive multiple training contract offers) have been building up their knowledge for some time because they have a genuine interest in this area and they've put the time in. In their answers to their questions, they show a fundamental understanding of how businesses work and can draw from a variety of examples to back up their points.</p><p></p><p>These candidates also come across as genuine in their motivations. When they answer questions in an interview setting, they're not focused on giving answers they imagine the interviewer wants to hear. They've really thought about what makes a firm different, why they want to work at a particular firm, and why they want to be a commercial lawyer. Because they've thought a lot about it, their answers come across as unique and tailored to their aspirations/background, rather than sounding like many other candidates.</p><p></p><p>They've also thought about what makes them unique and aren't afraid to discuss how hard they've worked when discussing their experiences. Often I find some of the most memorable candidates also draw upon the journey they've had to back up their strengths/answer competencies.</p><p></p><p>Finally, they come across as personable. Because these candidates are so well prepared, they come across as confident, but not arrogant, in their opinions. They're able to get out of 'interview mode' and make the interview feel more like a dialogue (although this is partly dependent on the interviewer).</p><p></p><p>These are just a few things that I'd say makes a candidate stand out during our mock interviews/virtual training programme. I'd also note that candidates never began as 'stand-out', some were naturally stronger in some areas than others, but often they became exceptional having been through the process for some time, faced rejection, and picked themselves back up.</p><p></p><p>There's also a huge element of luck involved which I haven't touched on here.</p><p></p><p>2.</p><p></p><p>It's completely up to you how you want to structure your answer, they key is to make sure you're communicating your story in a clear, concise and relevant way.</p><p></p><p>Connecting business news stories is definitely not that easy and something that takes time to understand. It really comes down to understanding what commercial law firms/lawyers do; if you understand that, you can connect almost any business news story to the legal profession (although some links will be more tenuous than others).</p><p></p><p>On a very basic level, just keep in mind that commercial lawyers are in the service business; clients pay lawyers to provide legal services/advice. The USP of commercial lawyers is that they know/interpret what the law says on a particular issue and can support clients (typically businesses) on how to respond accordingly. This can range from drafting and negotiating documents to best represent a client's interests, to advising a client on how it can protect itself from changes in the law.</p><p></p><p>As we get a bit deeper, you can see how certain stories might impact commercial law firms on a general level. If there's an event and businesses have to cut back on spending or put on hold projects, this might have a knock on effect on how busy certain legal departments are.</p><p></p><p>Ideally, you want to go even deeper than this, which depends on the news story you are discussing. You might think about how a story might impact the nature of the legal services commercial law firms must provide, or how law firms need to adapt to a situation in order to stay competitive. You can also zoom into the impact on a particular department or geography.</p><p></p><p>You might find it helpful to go through our monthly commercial write-ups here: <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/commercial-awareness-update-april-2020.2292/#post-27373" target="_blank">https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/commercial-awareness-update-april-2020.2292/#post-27373</a> to see how our writers have connected stories to the impact on law firms.</p><p></p><p>3.</p><p></p><p>[USER=2672]@Jessica Booker[/USER] might be best placed to help on this one.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jaysen, post: 28598, member: 1"] 1. During our sessions, the candidates that stand out to me come across as exceptionally prepared. Take commercial awareness for instance, I think most candidates learn what they need to know (e.g. they'll follow 2-3 stories and read up on M&A terms) and that'll be enough for some firms. The stand-out candidates (the ones I see who receive multiple training contract offers) have been building up their knowledge for some time because they have a genuine interest in this area and they've put the time in. In their answers to their questions, they show a fundamental understanding of how businesses work and can draw from a variety of examples to back up their points. These candidates also come across as genuine in their motivations. When they answer questions in an interview setting, they're not focused on giving answers they imagine the interviewer wants to hear. They've really thought about what makes a firm different, why they want to work at a particular firm, and why they want to be a commercial lawyer. Because they've thought a lot about it, their answers come across as unique and tailored to their aspirations/background, rather than sounding like many other candidates. They've also thought about what makes them unique and aren't afraid to discuss how hard they've worked when discussing their experiences. Often I find some of the most memorable candidates also draw upon the journey they've had to back up their strengths/answer competencies. Finally, they come across as personable. Because these candidates are so well prepared, they come across as confident, but not arrogant, in their opinions. They're able to get out of 'interview mode' and make the interview feel more like a dialogue (although this is partly dependent on the interviewer). These are just a few things that I'd say makes a candidate stand out during our mock interviews/virtual training programme. I'd also note that candidates never began as 'stand-out', some were naturally stronger in some areas than others, but often they became exceptional having been through the process for some time, faced rejection, and picked themselves back up. There's also a huge element of luck involved which I haven't touched on here. 2. It's completely up to you how you want to structure your answer, they key is to make sure you're communicating your story in a clear, concise and relevant way. Connecting business news stories is definitely not that easy and something that takes time to understand. It really comes down to understanding what commercial law firms/lawyers do; if you understand that, you can connect almost any business news story to the legal profession (although some links will be more tenuous than others). On a very basic level, just keep in mind that commercial lawyers are in the service business; clients pay lawyers to provide legal services/advice. The USP of commercial lawyers is that they know/interpret what the law says on a particular issue and can support clients (typically businesses) on how to respond accordingly. This can range from drafting and negotiating documents to best represent a client's interests, to advising a client on how it can protect itself from changes in the law. As we get a bit deeper, you can see how certain stories might impact commercial law firms on a general level. If there's an event and businesses have to cut back on spending or put on hold projects, this might have a knock on effect on how busy certain legal departments are. Ideally, you want to go even deeper than this, which depends on the news story you are discussing. You might think about how a story might impact the nature of the legal services commercial law firms must provide, or how law firms need to adapt to a situation in order to stay competitive. You can also zoom into the impact on a particular department or geography. You might find it helpful to go through our monthly commercial write-ups here: [URL]https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/commercial-awareness-update-april-2020.2292/#post-27373[/URL] to see how our writers have connected stories to the impact on law firms. 3. [USER=2672]@Jessica Booker[/USER] might be best placed to help on this one. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?
Post reply
Forums
Aspiring Lawyers - Applications & General Advice
Applications Discussion
Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Top
Bottom
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…