Reply to thread

While there is no right or wrong answer to this question and while what you can discuss will depend significantly on your interests and experiences, it seems to me that it would be optimal if you can discuss a genuine interest in a job within the commercial sphere. Essentially, I believe the point of this question is to test whether your underlying motivations regarding your career options truly fit commercial law. If for instance you were to say you would have become an art painter if not a lawyer, the graduate recruitment department might be naturally suspicious  as to whether your character and aspirations are truly a great fit for being a commercial solicitor. Whilst it is of course possible to have an interest in both fields simultaneously, it might in practice be difficult to write an answer which will not leave recruiters unpersuaded that your true passion lies outside of the work you would be doing for the firm.


For this reason, I think the best answer to this question is to focus on a career path which (i) you think you could actually have had an interest in; and (ii) involves a job experience which has as many similarities as possible to the experience of commercial solicitor. Here, consulting or investment banking seem to me to have lots of common features: you work closely with the same clients you would as a commercial lawyer, you are in an advisory position as well, you need to be very commercially aware, you work across many industries on cross-border transactions etc. Of course, there's many other roles you could choose to discuss besides these two - as long as there's still a substantial overlap between the characteristics of the job you discuss and the practice of a commercial solicitor.


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

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Newsletter

Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.