Reed Smith is live in the forum now

Graduate Recruitment and SQE interns from Reed Smith are here to answer your questions.

Join the live thread →

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kay Aston" data-source="post: 182464" data-attributes="member: 36759">Hi [USER=36751]@Moorview[/USER] - thanks for your questions! Completely understandable to be nervous when approaching applications, especially from a non-conventional route. Similarly, I worked in a different industry before transitioning to law, and I also had to navigate mitigating circumstances in my applications. My thoughts are:1) There is no need to go into detail about your MC's on your CV. My MC's are for lower grades in my A Levels, and so where I state my grades on my CV, I simply add a bullet point underneath which says 'mitigating circumstances available on request'. You could do something similar if concerned, although to be honest, taking 4 years to complete an undergraduate degree instead of 3 is not uncommon at all (think: placement years, Scottish degrees, integrated masters, years abroad...), so I really doubt it would raise red flags to begin with, and I am sure that any questions the firm had about it, they would simply ask. 2) This one is an entirely personal decision. I did something similar in my Clifford Chance written application, where it asked for an 'achievement I was most proud of', and I spoke about overcoming challenging circumstances which fed into my MC's. However, I did this because I was comfortable doing so, and bear in mind that if your application progresses, your interviewers may have access to your written application, so don't discuss anything you aren't comfortable talking about in an interview!3) You don't need to dwell on this too much, people change roles and companies all the time for better opportunities and it isn't considered being disloyal! Focus on the reasons why you are applying to the new role, such as growth opportunities you would like to gain, or qualities about the specific firm that appeal to you, and try not to talk about reasons for wanting to leave your current employer, as this has the potential to come across negatively. You already clearly have a great idea of this, and the reasons you have touched on (broader experience, varied clients), are perfectly legitimate reasons for making a transition.4) Again, this is a personal decision for you, however you can sometimes gauge the level of experience required in direct TC apps by looking at the future trainees that did not undertake a vacation scheme (LinkedIn is great for this!). One thing I would say, is that it is very rare for law firms to specifically require experience in private practice law firms, in order to be successful in a direct TC app. Firms are increasingly valuing diverse experiences, and I personally did not have any experience in a law firm, but I was able to leverage my professional experience (in finance) really effectively in my applications, so focus on what you already have! Having an experience that nobody else has can really be your superpower in applications.I hope this was helpful, happy to discuss further!</blockquote>

Verification: Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?

Top Bottom

Search

Search

Reply to thread