Freshfields Diversity Access Scheme

[SpaceGirl]

Hi all,

Has anyone previously applied for this? simply asked to send in a CV and cover letter. No application form.

How best should I go about doing this in terms of the content? there are no guidelines from freshfields and it feels bizarre that there is no application form to fill in.

 

[SpaceGirl]

Bump this up


@Jaysen any advice?please

 

[Jaysen]

Hi all,

Has anyone previously applied for this? simply asked to send in a CV and cover letter. No application form.

How best should I go about doing this in terms of the content? there are no guidelines from freshfields and it feels bizarre that there is no application form to fill in.

Do you have a link to this?

 

[Salma]

Do you have a link to this?

I still can’t find a link? @SpaceGirl Can you please post it?

 

[SpaceGirl]

I still can’t find a link? @SpaceGirl Can you please post it?

There isn't one. If i remember correctly, we were told via email that the event will take place on the [date] and to provide a CV and cover letter

 

[Sandrou]

Is this the 'Stephen Lawrence' Diversity scheme? In any case, I personally think the best way to approach the cover letter is to either show you academic brilliance OR your involvement in Extra-curricular activities (volunteering or positions of responsibility) OR BOTH.

From my understanding, the Diversity Access Scheme is for those who are academically capable but their surroundings/background prevents them from aiming high. As such, the scheme aims to target such people amongst others.

Cover Letter

Depending on whether there is a word limit for the cover letter, I would try and have a logical structure, i.e., (1) introduce yourself, (2) reasons on why they should select you (Back up any reasons with your experiences), (3) perhaps what diversity means to you etc...

If you have met or know anyone at Freshfields make sure to include the encounter you've had with these people. This always seems to help.

CV

Again its best to keep it 1 to 2 pages max. Make sure you list your experiences, avoid typos, make sure the format and font is consistent throughout, be concise and try to breakdown any long paragraphs.

I would recommend the following format:

(1) Education (I will usually include a breakdown of my marks & grades)
(2) Experiences (I usually have a subsection for Legal experiences and Work experiences)
(3) Extra-curricular Activities
(4) Prizes/Skills/Languages etc

Goodluck!

 

[SpaceGirl]

Is this the 'Stephen Lawrence' Diversity scheme? In any case, I personally think the best way to approach the cover letter is to either show you academic brilliance OR your involvement in Extra-curricular activities (volunteering or positions of responsibility) OR BOTH.

From my understanding, the Diversity Access Scheme is for those who are academically capable but their surroundings/background prevents them from aiming high. As such, the scheme aims to target such people amongst others.

Cover Letter

Depending on whether there is a word limit for the cover letter, I would try and have a logical structure, i.e., (1) introduce yourself, (2) reasons on why they should select you (Back up any reasons with your experiences), (3) perhaps what diversity means to you etc...

If you have met or know anyone at Freshfields make sure to include the encounter you've had with these people. This always seems to help.

CV

Again its best to keep it 1 to 2 pages max. Make sure you list your experiences, avoid typos, make sure the format and font is consistent throughout, be concise and try to breakdown any long paragraphs.

I would recommend the following format:

(1) Education (I will usually include a breakdown of my marks & grades)
(2) Experiences (I usually have a subsection for Legal experiences and Work experiences)
(3) Extra-curricular Activities
(4) Prizes/Skills/Languages etc

Goodluck!

Actually, i got the name wrong! It's FieldFisher! Sorry everyone!

 

[SpaceGirl]

@Jaysen file is still too large

 

[SpaceGirl]

Is this the 'Stephen Lawrence' Diversity scheme? In any case, I personally think the best way to approach the cover letter is to either show you academic brilliance OR your involvement in Extra-curricular activities (volunteering or positions of responsibility) OR BOTH.

From my understanding, the Diversity Access Scheme is for those who are academically capable but their surroundings/background prevents them from aiming high. As such, the scheme aims to target such people amongst others.

Cover Letter

Depending on whether there is a word limit for the cover letter, I would try and have a logical structure, i.e., (1) introduce yourself, (2) reasons on why they should select you (Back up any reasons with your experiences), (3) perhaps what diversity means to you etc...

If you have met or know anyone at Freshfields make sure to include the encounter you've had with these people. This always seems to help.

CV

Again its best to keep it 1 to 2 pages max. Make sure you list your experiences, avoid typos, make sure the format and font is consistent throughout, be concise and try to breakdown any long paragraphs.

I would recommend the following format:

(1) Education (I will usually include a breakdown of my marks & grades)
(2) Experiences (I usually have a subsection for Legal experiences and Work experiences)
(3) Extra-curricular Activities
(4) Prizes/Skills/Languages etc

Goodluck!

Thank you for such an awesome response! Really appreciate your time!
How should i go to town with saying I'm from an asian background?

 

[Jaysen]

Good advice from @Sandrou. @KLaw125 also gave some helpful advice in this thread: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....mitigation-circumstances-in-cover-letter.541/.

If it's too large, you can try uploading the file to Google Drive and sharing the link.

 

[Sandrou]

Thank you for such an awesome response! Really appreciate your time!
How should i go to town with saying I'm from an asian background?

This would pretty much depend on the question being asked. If it’s simply asking you to write a cover letter then talking about your background is up to you.

If you feel like your background will add value to your answer then mention it, if not, you should use the wordcount on something else.

I do not know much about Fieldfisher. However if it’s truly an international firm, it will have clients from different areas of the world who will undoubtedly have different backgrounds. You can perhaps use this to leverage why & how your ‘Asian background’ will add value to this firm.

Point to note: you don’t have to mention your background specifically, it’s better to let them infer it. This way, your answer will be more focused.