Weightmans TC Application Question

[Owen10101]

Does anybody have any advice as to how to go about this question;

'Why is it important that our trainee solicitors possess commercial awareness?' (500 words)

 

[Jaysen]

Happy to help. What are your thoughts on the question so far?

 

[AA93]

Hi Jaysen, just following on from the above post.. my thoughts are to start the answer by describing why commercial awareness is important and then link it to the firm's practice area, in particular with the insurance law.. the question seems very broad and can be tackled from various directions. what do you think?

 

[Jaysen]

Hi Jaysen, just following on from the above post.. my thoughts are to start the answer by describing why commercial awareness is important and then link it to the firm's practice area, in particular with the insurance law.. the question seems very broad and can be tackled from various directions. what do you think?

Hi Aaraf,

It may help to break down the question: "Why(1) is it important that our(2) trainee solicitors(3) possess commercial awareness(4)?

So:

• (1) Make sure you are focusing on why commercial awareness is important and not what commercial awareness is.
• (2) Make sure you are writing about what it's important for Weightmans' trainee solicitors (and not just trainees in general).
• (3) Make sure you are writing about how it applies to trainee solicitors and not just lawyers in general.
• (4) Don't just take "commercial awareness" as a given. What does it mean? How does it apply in different contexts?

As you said, you can approach the question in a variety of ways. Just be aware, many candidates fall down here because they take an approach that isn't really answering the question. It's quite easy to veer off topic with questions like these. Likewise, with each point you make, be specific (don't just say "to deliver a better service to clients") and keep asking yourself: why is that important?

Things you may want to consider when planning your answer to the question:

• What is commercial awareness?
• Why do trainees do? How do they use commercial awareness when carrying out their role?
• Why is this relevant to specifically relevant to Weightmans' trainees?

You also want to think about how best to structure your answer to the question factoring in the long word count.

Personally, I'm more of a fan of diving into the question immediately as it makes sure you are 100% answering the question throughout. For example:

• Paragraph 1 - Reason 1 why it's important for Weightmans' trainees to possess commercial awareness
• Paragraph 2 - Reason 2 " "
• Paragraph 3 - Reason 3 " "

Within each paragraph, you can then develop each point in detail (giving examples/applying your knowledge of Weightmans).

That structure is optional though. if you prefer to break down what is commercial awareness first, that's absolutely fine.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.