Should I try to apply to 1-2 seemingly less competitive law firms as backup choices?

[ginevrafanshawe]

Hi everyone,

I am going to be applying for vacation schemes in a couple of months and I am finding it difficult to narrow down the list of firms I could apply to. I want to work at a commercial law firm in London, and of course these are all very difficult to get vacation schemes with. I really don't want to end up with no vacation schemes at all, as this may mean I'm unsuccessful when applying for training contracts, and I don't know what I'd do then.

I thought that I could approach these applications in a similar way to the way you're advised to apply to universities: I would apply to the firms I would most like to work at, and also to a firm that isn't one of my targets but which is not as competitive to get a vacation scheme with, and which I like well enough that I wouldn't mind working there if it did end up being my only offer.

The issue with this is that I can't figure out which law firms are less competitive, if any; they all seem to be at a level of competitiveness where you're very lucky to get an offer, and there is therefore no possibility of applying to a "backup" choice that you'd be more likely to get into.

Does anyone have any advice on whether the idea of a "backup" is at all applicable to vacation scheme applications? Is there a list showing the percentage of applicants who get offers from each firm, or some way of figuring this out? I would also really appreciate any advice related to narrowing down which firms to apply to!

Thanks in advance

 

[RoughWood]

I understand your logic but couldn't advise as to less-competitive firms as a back-up as to you they may be a back-up but for others they could be the top choice. In my applications, I didn't want to train at a big city firm so didnt apply to any MC or SC. As i am a mature career changer with a family, my focus was on the work i wanted to experience and work-life balance so those firms would not have been right for me and my situation. I am currently training at a national firm which for someone applying to MC/SC could be seen as a back-up but for me they were my top choice and I was lucky to get a TC where i wanted.
All firms are competitive as they all have varying USPs that make them what they are, from work, location, culture they are all a bit different so will appeal to different people but in my experience they are all as competitive as the others. The only difference i would think of is the larger firms that receive the most applications are also the firms that offer the most spaces in each intake.

I would focus applications on where you want to be for whatever reason. It will make your 'why this firm' so much more genuine and no matter how good your applications are, why you want to be at that firm compared to others is pivotal in receiving an offer. I may be wrong but I believe that a firm would rather have someone who genuinely wants to be at that firm who might need a bit more development, than someone who is more polished but for them it is a fall back firm.

I collated my list of firms first by location, then narrowed by the work that i wanted to experience. From there it was about getting to know the firm through research, linkedin posts, the culture and values and how they aligned with mine. I still had a pretty long list of where I would be happy to train but i ended up with a top 2 firms that I knew aligned with my values. I was lucky enough to start a TC at my first choice.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone,

I am going to be applying for vacation schemes in a couple of months and I am finding it difficult to narrow down the list of firms I could apply to. I want to work at a commercial law firm in London, and of course these are all very difficult to get vacation schemes with. I really don't want to end up with no vacation schemes at all, as this may mean I'm unsuccessful when applying for training contracts, and I don't know what I'd do then.

I thought that I could approach these applications in a similar way to the way you're advised to apply to universities: I would apply to the firms I would most like to work at, and also to a firm that isn't one of my targets but which is not as competitive to get a vacation scheme with, and which I like well enough that I wouldn't mind working there if it did end up being my only offer.

The issue with this is that I can't figure out which law firms are less competitive, if any; they all seem to be at a level of competitiveness where you're very lucky to get an offer, and there is therefore no possibility of applying to a "backup" choice that you'd be more likely to get into.

Does anyone have any advice on whether the idea of a "backup" is at all applicable to vacation scheme applications? Is there a list showing the percentage of applicants who get offers from each firm, or some way of figuring this out? I would also really appreciate any advice related to narrowing down which firms to apply to!

Thanks in advance

Here is a list that includes the number of applications that law firms receive: Application and selection criteria - Chambers Student Guide

However, I'd take this with a large pinch of salt. Application numbers don't really tell how competitive an application process is - it doesn't really tell you anything about the quality of the applicant pool, nor whether the firm values your strengths more so than a firm that maybe put more emphasis on the things you are less strong on. For instance, I did work for a national firm that had some particularly strong views on what they wanted in a candidate - the result was a ridiculously low number of applicants making it sound very uncompetitive, but the reality their standards were exceptionally high (much higher than the Magic Circle firms I worked at).