My Training Contract Journey

[futuretrainee202X]

Update:

After a very quick turnaround, I was offered a TC at Slaughter and May. I've been thinking hard about NRF vs Slaughter and May over the weekend so that I can make an informed decision quickly when they give me an outcome. Here's my thought process:

Office and Location
The trainee I met at Slaughter and May told me that this did not matter. An office is an office. I disagree. An office is going to be where I spend a significant part of my week and its layout often gives an insight into the way in which people work.

• A fully open-plan office is something I don't really like. Whilst I appreciate why this style of working is used, and I appreciate what is trying to be achieved, I don't like the lack of privacy.
• Individual offices are also something I don't like very much. Whilst it allows for privacy, I don't think it facilitates an environment in which it is easy to foster a sense of teamwork. I prefer this to open-plan offices and hot-desking, however.

Slaughter and May has individual offices, but trainees sit with their supervisors, which would be ideal during a training contract. Norton Rose Fulbright had offices with 4-6 desks in them, which is a fantastic long-term working environment to me. For me Norton Rose Fulbright has the best balance for me to create a good working environment. I also think that Norton Rose Fulbright's location is superior as it is much easier for me to travel there.

Work
I can't really complain about the work at Slaughter and May or Norton Rose Fulbright. They are both doing top of the range work. I suppose the main difference is in the type of work that is being done. At Norton Rose Fulbright, there is a strong sector focus and a lot of this is to do with the energy industry. In comparison, the corporate work at Slaughter and May is stronger than NRF, and they have a multi-specialist approach. This is more practice area based (e.g. financing which includes all elements of this: asset finance, project finance, bonds etc). I find it difficult to choose which I prefer. Both options give me the opportunity to have a wide range of experiences on a training contract.

People
I was told by an ex-Slaughter and May partner that I should choose the firm where I got along with the people better. I actually really liked the people at both firms, but I think there is a difference between liking people and being on the same wavelength as other people. I think I was on the same wavelength as the people at NRF, as I didn't have to try particularly hard with them socially. Whilst I liked the people at Slaughter and May, I felt like I had to try a little bit more.

Due to the above, I have decided that I will definitely be signing with Norton Rose Fulbright! Both firms are excellent, but I think NRF is the better firm for me, and I am ecstatic to be joining them!

Thanks for following my journey!

Huge congrats on the two offers! It sounds like you've had a long and hard think over the weekend about what suits you best. So happy for you

 

[j.s.cox]

Update:

It's been just over a month since my last update and I've been very busy!

Mentoring
This has really started to pick up and I am enjoying it a lot. At first I didn't feel qualified to be giving advice, but having talked to a few people I realised that I have learned so much through the past two cycles of applications. I have so much knowledge that I take for granted, but I know not everyone has had this privilege. Some people I have talked to remind me so much of myself, and it is exciting to be in a position to help them. To keep this thread useful for other forum members, I thought I could give a piece of advice each time I update this thread. I'll post it at the end of each update.

Personal Projects
I'm making real headway with BSL. It's such an expressive and useful language. Hopefully I'll be able to complete a qualification in it by the end of this year. If not, I'll still have managed to open my world a bit wider.

I am also teaching the children I nanny to crochet as they asked to learn. They each have a project they are working on which has encouraged me to pick up the habit again. I'm going to start making crochet toys again and donating them as it's something I really enjoy.

As a semi-professional rower, I am also preparing for a big racing season ahead. Training has amped up and I am excited to see what results I can produce this year with my teammates.

A Final Bit of Advice
For today's advice, I thought I would touch on mitigating circumstances. It seems like an almost insignifant part of the application process, but I know from experience the level of stress it can cause. Sometimes, you may have faced unimaginable difficulties that have deeply affected you, but you feel like you are apologising or making excuses when you write about your mitigating circumstances.

If you find yourself in this situation, I recommend treating the difficulties you have faced as impersonally as possible. Give an overview of your challenges and the impact they have had on your grades, rather than giving your personal life history. As a maximum, I would recommend spending no more than 100-200 words describing this. Sometimes this is not enough space to fully explain yourself. If this is the case, you are almost always able to phone up the Recruitment Team to discuss your circumstances further. This helps your mitigating circumstances appear like a factual account supporting your application.

You can also put a positive spin on mitigating circumstances by demonstrating the skills of resilience, determination, and adaptability you gained when overcoming or getting through those circumstances. This can be done on your main written application form if the style of the application form allows it. This enables you to thoroughly discuss your challenges, whilst demonstrating that you are an appealing candidate.

When I used the advice above (given to me by one of my mentors) in my applications, I also found that my confidence levels around applications changed. I realised that I would be an asset to any law firm that I joined, This attitude change really helped to improve my applications and overall performance during the recruitment process.

Thank you for following my journey!

 

[j.s.cox]

Update

It's been a moment!

Mentoring
As well as the individual mentees I had taken on, I joined "The Mentors Collective" initiative or TMC for short. It's a really fantastic initiative which I very much recommend. There is a document which outlines the names of all the mentors, their experiences, strengths, and weaknesses. It also has a link to their availability for mentoring sessions. It is then up to the group of mentees to book a slot with a mentor who will best serve them. This means that I have been able to help more people than I thought possible. Some mentees have booked regular sessions with me, whilst others have booked a one-off sessions to help them go over specific issues and difficulties they are having. So far, I have helped a few mentees who have gone on to achieve some of their goals:I

• One person got a vac scheme at Slaughter and May which they converted into a training contract.
• One person got a vac scheme at Mishcon de Reya which they converted into a training contract. They were even offered an early start this September over other people who applied to start earlier.
• One person got two vac schemes, one at Womble Bond Dickenson, and one at Bevan Brittain. They are waiting to hear back about whether they managed to convert to a training contract at either firm.

I'm really proud of the positive impact I have made by focusing on sharing my knowledge with people who may not have had access to that knowledge before.

Nannying (plus some advice)
I've found this to be incredibly useful to my personal development. Whilst I had babysat before this year, I had never had to look after children for this amount of time before. I work every afternoon with them and I completely underestimated the level of responsibility that I would gain doing this job. To be honest, it's more than a job. These kids are so important to me and they have taught me adaptability, resilience, and patience among other skills. These are such transferrable skills, and I really believe they will help me when I start working at NRF. To anyone who thinks that their current job is completely irrelevant to legal sphere, I would urge you to examine the transferable skills you have gained.

Next Year...
Next year is going to be intense. I was lucky enough to be accepted into Leander Club, the feeder rowing club for the GB Rowing Team. I'm excited to see what I can do here and how I can improve on my rowing journey! I am also doing my CCP (masters) at BPP Holborn (the SQE1&2 with a dissertation). It's going to require some travelling, but NRF have been fantastic at helping me arrange my study timetable so that I can realistically row and study.

I have been following the SQE forum on TCLA and realised that BPP won't teach all the subjects assessed on the SQE as they expect you to know it all already. Whilst I did study them on my PGDL, I realised that I need to do a lot of revision before my course starts in September. I have already created a revision plan and have started consolidating my notes. Due to the paid work I have done this year (nannying plus some admin jobs) and the fact that I have been able to live at home with minimal outgoing costs, I am lucky enough to be able to purchase several different revision materials. I think I will see which ones I find useful and do reviews of them to help other people. Once I have finished my SQE, I will also be happy to share all the notes I used. Hopefully this will be useful to others on this journey.

Thank you for following my journey!

 

[Jane Smith]

What a wonderful description. Glad you made the choice of firm that suits you (and I write that as an older lawyer who used to be at the one you rejected - they are both good firms). Good luck on the SQE course.