Does anyone know if firms dislike it if you apply to their vac scheme without attending an open day? I want to apply for the Paul, Weiss winter vac scheme but I haven't been to any of their open days and as they are competitive, am unsure if I will gain a place before I apply. Any advice appreciated!!
Hi
@whywhy88,
This is a very good question!
Having reviewed 200+ applications during my time at TCLA, I believe that, in terms of usefulness for applications, an Open Day is only as good as the reflections that you draw from it. Let me explain:
Imagine two applicants.
Applicant 1 has attended an Open Day with [X law firm]. They didn't take any notes, asked generic questions to future trainees and associates, and the only way they used their Open Day experience in the application was by simply stating that they attended it.
Applicant 2 did not attend any Open Days with [X law firm], as it was impossible for them to travel to London. However, they kept track of the firm's thought leadership, such as articles, reports, and interviews; spoke with future and current trainees, asking them specific questions about the law firm based on previous in-depth research; and worked on making really convincing, detailed connections between the aspects of the firm and their own academic and work experiences to justify their interest in the firm and create strong arguments.
In my experience, Applicant 2 will write a much more convincing and impactful application without attending the Open Day than Applicant 1.
It also means that it is definitely possible to write a strong application that will go through to the next stage of a law firm's process without attending an Open Day - I was able to do that with at least three or four firms when I was applying.
The main benefit of attending an Open Day is discovering more nuanced and detailed information about the law firm that you would not be able to get by, say, glossing over the firm's website. However, you can achieve this depth by other means, too. Here are some of my suggestions:
1. Follow the firm's partners and associates on LinkedIn. Partners often go into a greater degree of detail when announcing a deal or speaking about a case online - this is one of the best ways to refine your knowledge of the firm's deals!
2. Read the firms' annual industry reports, track new hires and partnerships. This will give you a better idea of the firm's strategy moving forward. What sectors is the firm hiring in? How does this relate to global commercial and financial news?
3. Interact with the firm's current trainees and associates by asking brief, specific questions - each of your questions should serve a purpose on your application.
4. Contextualise your research. It's very easy to spread yourself too thin and spend hours researching unnecessary firm information that you won't even use on your application. To avoid this, you need to first ask yourself - what exact question am I trying to find the answer to?
I hope this helps!
