Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ram Sabaratnam" data-source="post: 214475" data-attributes="member: 36738">Hiya [USER=39312]@applicant457[/USER]Glad you asked this and are starting to prepare now. Way too many people leave their preparation for the next cycle too late. The summer before applications open is one of the best windows you’ll have to prepare properly, without the pressure of deadlines or competing priorities during term time. If you use it well, you’ll put yourself in a much stronger position when the next cycle starts.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make a Work Experience Table: The work experience section is typically the first part of your application that graduate recruitment reads, and it's often pivotal in helping them quickly gauge whether your experience suggests the right transferable skills for a trainee solicitor. Many candidates underestimate its value and end up treating it like a CV entry (i.e. a list of jobs, with vague descriptions) rather than an opportunity to reinforce their credibility and insight. A practical way to build this section is to create a table listing each of your roles (both legal or non-legal) along with a short description of what you did (250 words max for each). For each entry, try to highlight one or two key skills you gained (and how developed them), which can give the reader a glimpse of the skills you have to thrive as a trainee. Do NOT overlook non-legal roles when drafting the table (e.g. mention any retail experience, customer service work, volunteering, etc). If you're unsure whether your work experience entries are demonstrating adequate reflection and elaboration, I’d highly recommend submitting them to the TCLA application review service for feedback. Doing this early can save a lot of time and uncertainty later in the process. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Start Drafting Some Applications Now: I’d recommend starting to draft some of your applications now, especially for firms that tend to keep their questions or format consistent year-on-year. Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Jones Day, and Travers Smith, for example, often rely on cover letters or personal statements rather than changing application questions each cycle. For these firms, there’s no real need to wait for applications to open; you can begin shaping tailored drafts now. Other firms do change their application question forms year to year, but you can use the TCLA application database to look at past questions to give you a sense of the sort of questions they normally ask. This also ensure that, when the cycle does open, you’re not starting from scratch. Overall, the more you can front-load this stage of the application process over the summer, the more you can ensure that you're not submitting rushed or weakly researched applications closer to the deadline. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Develop a Stronger Understanding of the Legal Market in London: If you have a decent summer break, I think now is also the right moment to start deepening your understanding of the legal market. Spend time with the Chambers UK and Legal 500 directories. I think Legal 500 is especially good, since it often provides a clearer breakdown of firms' positioning in terms of more granular practice areas segments. This can help you not only understand how firms differ from one another, but also refine your language when talking about their practice strengths or competitors. Global Legal Post and Legal Business are also worth browsing regularly to stay current on news and trends, particularly in areas you're interested in. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Read Through Past TCLA Threads and Posts: If you haven’t already, I’d also encourage you to go through some of the core threads and posts on the TCLA forum. Doing this was critical in helping me ensure that I understood and set goals for myself between my first and second cycles. The following threads are excellent for building both strategy and structure around your preparation:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/a-guide-to-building-a-winning-application-strategy.9080/" target="_blank">Andrei’s guide to a winning application strategy</a></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/foundations-of-commercial-law-practice-areas-firm-groups-and-applications-monday-article-series.3163/" target="_blank">Foundations of commercial law</a></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/struggling-to-differentiate-between-firms.1332/" target="_blank">How to differentiate law firms</a></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/why-law-vs-why-commercial-law.892/#post-6841" target="_blank">Why law vs why commercial law?</a></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/tcla-vacation-scheme-applications-discussion-thread-2024-25.8976/page-116#post-185107" target="_blank">Researching practice areas</a></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/guide-to-identifying-a-law-firm%E2%80%99s-competitors.9422/" target="_blank">Amma on researching firms</a></li> </ul></li> </ul>I should also emphasise here that the goal over the summer isn’t to do everything perfectly. It’s to give yourself enough of a head start that when applications open, you're not figuring things out on the fly.Really hope I'm not rehashing anything you already know, but hope this is helpful. Good luck with building an application strategy!</blockquote>

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

Top Bottom

Search

Search

Reply to thread