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<blockquote data-quote="Jaysen" data-source="post: 718" data-attributes="member: 1"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Question 1: How do I tailor my application to a law firm? Specifically, the 'Why are you applying to this firm?' question. Most law firms seem to say the same thing.</u></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left">When it came to answering this question in my first round of applications, I used language like "multi-jurisdictional" and "innovative" and "an impressive range of clients".</p><p></p><p>Those applications were rejected.</p><p></p><p>As a word of warning, if you find yourself describing a law firm in a way that could be applied to a number of other law firms, chances are it's too generic.</p><p></p><p>I know first-hand that tailoring an application is difficult because firms – despite saying they’re all different – often describe themselves in the same way.</p><p></p><p>So here is what I then did to find out what made a firm different:</p><p></p><p>Step 1. <strong>Research</strong></p><p></p><p>I’d copy/paste all the relevant information I found about a firm into a word document. These are the sources I used:</p><p></p><p>Starting point</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Chambers Student Guide</strong>: Useful to get a sense of what the firm is like from an internal and external perspective. It provides a useful overview of the firm, any recent developments or achievements, and an insight into the firm's biggest practice areas.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Roll on Friday</strong>: The profiles for the ‘firm of the year’ can be a very useful – and informal – outline. <br /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Lex 100/Legal Cheek</strong>: Can be a helpful insight into the culture of the firm.</li> </ul><p>Deals/awards/strategies</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>The Lawyer</strong>: Useful for profiles, recent developments within the firm and insights into a recent deal. I’d usually go back 3-4 years if I found lots of information, sometimes even more. (Note, this is less useful now as much of the content has been moved behind a paywall).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Legal Week</strong>: You should get access to 5 free articles or the opportunity to try a free trial (14 days). Good information on deals, lateral moves, firm strategy and international plans.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Firm’s website</strong>: The graduate page will give you a sense of what the firm is looking for in candidates. It may also discuss the training programme, secondments and the kind of work you'll be doing. The main website is useful for finding out about any awards, recent deals or new investments.</li> </ul><p>Practice areas</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners</strong>: Useful for an insight into a firm’s strongest practice areas and how it compares to competitors – check the top tiers.</li> </ul><p>Step 2: <strong>Condense</strong></p><p></p><p>After compiling the information, I would split my screen with the material on one side and a fresh word document opened up on the other side (alternatively you can print out the research document). I would then condense the information in my own words.</p><p></p><p>By doing this, you’ll not only come out with a useful file containing firm-specific information, but you’ll also start to pick up themes, remember facts and really understand the firm. This will be very handy when it comes to the interview.</p><p></p><p>Step 3: <strong>Sorting into themes</strong></p><p></p><p>I would then group the topics into themes. Some of the ways a firm may differ include:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">International reach - presence in the US/Asia/Europe/Africa</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Practice area strengths</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Culture</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Financials - Size/profits per equity partner/growth</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Important deals</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Clients</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Management structure or management change</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Partner promotions</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Leadership strategy</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Recent mergers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Training or development</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lateral moves and recent partnership moves</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Growth (internal and external)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Recent profit figures</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Innovation</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mergers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Brand reputation</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Trainee retention</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Technology</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alternative service delivery - offshoring/nearshoring</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Size of intake</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Competitors</li> </ul><p>Step 4: <strong>Writing your answer</strong></p><p> </p><p>By this point, I would have a better understanding of the firm. I would pick one of the themes/areas above that interested me and then write down a few sentences (there may be a couple of points here) about why it did.</p><p></p><p>Once I completed a few, I would have a sense of what makes Firm X different from Firm Y and how it sits against its competitors.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jaysen, post: 718, member: 1"] [CENTER][B][U]Question 1: How do I tailor my application to a law firm? Specifically, the 'Why are you applying to this firm?' question. Most law firms seem to say the same thing.[/U] [/B][/CENTER] [LEFT]When it came to answering this question in my first round of applications, I used language like "multi-jurisdictional" and "innovative" and "an impressive range of clients".[/LEFT] Those applications were rejected. As a word of warning, if you find yourself describing a law firm in a way that could be applied to a number of other law firms, chances are it's too generic. I know first-hand that tailoring an application is difficult because firms – despite saying they’re all different – often describe themselves in the same way. So here is what I then did to find out what made a firm different: Step 1. [B]Research[/B] I’d copy/paste all the relevant information I found about a firm into a word document. These are the sources I used: Starting point [LIST] [*][B]Chambers Student Guide[/B]: Useful to get a sense of what the firm is like from an internal and external perspective. It provides a useful overview of the firm, any recent developments or achievements, and an insight into the firm's biggest practice areas. [*][B]Roll on Friday[/B]: The profiles for the ‘firm of the year’ can be a very useful – and informal – outline. [*][B]Lex 100/Legal Cheek[/B]: Can be a helpful insight into the culture of the firm. [/LIST] Deals/awards/strategies [LIST] [*][B]The Lawyer[/B]: Useful for profiles, recent developments within the firm and insights into a recent deal. I’d usually go back 3-4 years if I found lots of information, sometimes even more. (Note, this is less useful now as much of the content has been moved behind a paywall). [*][B]Legal Week[/B]: You should get access to 5 free articles or the opportunity to try a free trial (14 days). Good information on deals, lateral moves, firm strategy and international plans. [*][B]Firm’s website[/B]: The graduate page will give you a sense of what the firm is looking for in candidates. It may also discuss the training programme, secondments and the kind of work you'll be doing. The main website is useful for finding out about any awards, recent deals or new investments. [/LIST] Practice areas [LIST] [*][B]Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners[/B]: Useful for an insight into a firm’s strongest practice areas and how it compares to competitors – check the top tiers. [/LIST] Step 2: [B]Condense[/B] After compiling the information, I would split my screen with the material on one side and a fresh word document opened up on the other side (alternatively you can print out the research document). I would then condense the information in my own words. By doing this, you’ll not only come out with a useful file containing firm-specific information, but you’ll also start to pick up themes, remember facts and really understand the firm. This will be very handy when it comes to the interview. Step 3: [B]Sorting into themes[/B] I would then group the topics into themes. Some of the ways a firm may differ include: [LIST] [*]International reach - presence in the US/Asia/Europe/Africa [*]Practice area strengths [*]Culture [*]Financials - Size/profits per equity partner/growth [*]Important deals [*]Clients [*]Management structure or management change [*]Partner promotions [*]Leadership strategy [*]Recent mergers [*]Training or development [*]Lateral moves and recent partnership moves [*]Growth (internal and external) [*]Recent profit figures [*]Innovation [*]Mergers [*]Brand reputation [*]Trainee retention [*]Technology [*]Alternative service delivery - offshoring/nearshoring [*]Size of intake [*]Competitors [/LIST] Step 4: [B]Writing your answer[/B] By this point, I would have a better understanding of the firm. I would pick one of the themes/areas above that interested me and then write down a few sentences (there may be a couple of points here) about why it did. Once I completed a few, I would have a sense of what makes Firm X different from Firm Y and how it sits against its competitors. [/QUOTE]
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