I'll be going into my first year in September and am not the strongest applicant academically. Apart from joining relevant societies and developing commercial awareness, what can I do to really advantage myself for MC and US firms? Also, would having success on the rowing team be of an relevance? I know it doesn't link to law, but I could say it build team leading skills, learnt to work as a team etc.
What To do in first year to prepare for VC's?
- Thread starter Theyoungone
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Okay, first things first - this is incredible. You're a pre-university student with the foresight and the motivation to start preparing for a career in commercial law... - I want to point out that that is incredible, and there aren't too many others like yourself!
Second (I'm smiling as I write this because this really is fantastic), it is super that you've already identified the core things you need to do:
Fourth, regarding setting yourself up for success. I don't know whether you'll be doing a law or a non-law degree; nevertheless, please start looking into First-Year schemes. These include:
First-Year scheme applications, like CC SPARK, can open and close really quickly - so you have to be on the ball. Start doing some preliminary research over the summer and doing some application preparation work. Increasingly First-Year schemes are becoming the Golden Ticket - they are very exclusive and give you a shot at securing a VS/TC far earlier in your academic career than is usual. By the way, a proper 'First-Year' scheme is essentially like a more chill vacation scheme: unless you're at somewhere like Weil, you won't be doing 'work-work', rather you'll be having presentations, meeting the firm, doing some exercises, and so on. In a way, they are assessments for a VS/TC offer and a chance to meet the firm, like you would on an Open Day.
Aside from First-Year schemes, firms will also offer 'Insight' schemes (a halfway-house between an open day and a full-blown First-Year scheme). You can worry about this slightly later, maybe once you join university but make sure you apply for those. And, of course, apply for Open Days - they're as competitive as the rest. Still, they are beneficial for garnering specific information to deploy when you apply to the firms you have visited for their respective vacation schemes/training contracts.
So, in terms of setting yourself up for all that - TCLA could not be better! Have a look at some of TCLA Premium's courses/firm profiles, and try to research/build up your answers to 'why do you want to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor?' and 'why do you want to train/work/join [insert firm name here]?'. I would also suggest looking at Jake Schogger's Commercial Law Handbook and his Applications, Interviews and Internships Handbook. Finally, over the summer, research First-Year schemes, make a spreadsheet with the core information (estimated app opening/closing dates, etc.), and begin researching/thinking/preparing some basic answers to the motivational questions stated above and core competency questions.
By the way, the core competencies are (my opinion, disclaimer, etc.):
Okay, this is a lot to take in, and I am sorry because I don't want to spook you inadvertently. Nevertheless, I wanted to give you as much advice as possible (in one place, so it doesn't get lost!). I would just conclude with this: the fact that you are pre-university, and are on TCLA asking these kinds of questions, is just fantastic. If you keep up this kind of motivation and conscientiousness, I am convinced you'll do exceedingly well! Good luck, and if you have any more questions, be sure to post them!
Second (I'm smiling as I write this because this really is fantastic), it is super that you've already identified the core things you need to do:
- Building competencies through societies/work experience
- Commercial awareness
Fourth, regarding setting yourself up for success. I don't know whether you'll be doing a law or a non-law degree; nevertheless, please start looking into First-Year schemes. These include:
- Clifford Chance SPARK
- Allen & Overy First
- Linklaters Pathfinder
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges Fast Track
- CMS First Steps
First-Year scheme applications, like CC SPARK, can open and close really quickly - so you have to be on the ball. Start doing some preliminary research over the summer and doing some application preparation work. Increasingly First-Year schemes are becoming the Golden Ticket - they are very exclusive and give you a shot at securing a VS/TC far earlier in your academic career than is usual. By the way, a proper 'First-Year' scheme is essentially like a more chill vacation scheme: unless you're at somewhere like Weil, you won't be doing 'work-work', rather you'll be having presentations, meeting the firm, doing some exercises, and so on. In a way, they are assessments for a VS/TC offer and a chance to meet the firm, like you would on an Open Day.
Aside from First-Year schemes, firms will also offer 'Insight' schemes (a halfway-house between an open day and a full-blown First-Year scheme). You can worry about this slightly later, maybe once you join university but make sure you apply for those. And, of course, apply for Open Days - they're as competitive as the rest. Still, they are beneficial for garnering specific information to deploy when you apply to the firms you have visited for their respective vacation schemes/training contracts.
So, in terms of setting yourself up for all that - TCLA could not be better! Have a look at some of TCLA Premium's courses/firm profiles, and try to research/build up your answers to 'why do you want to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor?' and 'why do you want to train/work/join [insert firm name here]?'. I would also suggest looking at Jake Schogger's Commercial Law Handbook and his Applications, Interviews and Internships Handbook. Finally, over the summer, research First-Year schemes, make a spreadsheet with the core information (estimated app opening/closing dates, etc.), and begin researching/thinking/preparing some basic answers to the motivational questions stated above and core competency questions.
By the way, the core competencies are (my opinion, disclaimer, etc.):
- Teamwork
- Organisation
- Reliance/Determination
- Negotiation/Persuasion/Dealing with Difficult People
- Communication
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Innovation/Entrepreneurship
- Integrity
- Going above and beyond/Going the extra mile
Okay, this is a lot to take in, and I am sorry because I don't want to spook you inadvertently. Nevertheless, I wanted to give you as much advice as possible (in one place, so it doesn't get lost!). I would just conclude with this: the fact that you are pre-university, and are on TCLA asking these kinds of questions, is just fantastic. If you keep up this kind of motivation and conscientiousness, I am convinced you'll do exceedingly well! Good luck, and if you have any more questions, be sure to post them!
Dheepa
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Adding to Neville's super comprehensive advice, if I were to rewind back to first year here's some things I'd tell myself:
1. Work experience
Demonstrating your motivation for commercial law is not impossible without legal work experience (in fact plenty of people do it very successfully) but it is more plausible if you do have some experience to draw on. The summer of your first year is the best time to go all out trying to get that legal work experience. Because of how limited the spaces are on first year schemes and the limited number of firms that even run them, they tend to be more competitive than vac schemes. So while it would be ideal to secure work experience at a City law firm (MC, SC, US, etc.), most people don't. However, this doesn't mean work experience at small high street firms or boutique law firms will not be taken equally as seriously. As Neville says, at the end of the day it's all about being able to link your experiences to the transferrable skills firms expect from trainees. So even if you were working on a small negligence case in the summer, you can still draw links to enjoying the client facing aspect, the research aspect, etc. I would actually also recommend actively seek non-legal 'commercial' work experience. This can help you justify what you might enjoy about the business side of the work.
2. Extra-curricular activities
Fantastic that you already actively do a sport. Definitely stick with it throughout university. I also think it would be beneficial to get involved with at least one society (if not the sporting one) and take on one leadership role. A lot of societies have positions for first year representatives which is an excellent way to start. In most cases these first year reps go on to much higher responsibility positions in societies anyway which again can be very beneficial for answering competency questions. It's not entirely necessary to take up a society position, especially if you do something else that's quite time consuming (for example: working more than 20/30 hours a week part-time; actively volunteering with a particular organisation). Law firms want to see that you have a life outside of academics not just because it makes you a more interesting person to work with but also because academics alone don't replicate the working environment. So definitely try to get heavily involved with at least one society.
3. Diversity Networks
Obviously this is a bit presumptuous as I’m not sure if you qualify as an applicant from a minority background, but if you do, I highly highly recommend getting involved with Aspiring Solicitors, SEO London and Rare Recruitment.
Generally across the board all three offer invites to open days, application reviews and some great mentoring and coaching. If you ask me the most beneficial thing that comes out joining any of these is you automatically get invited to numerous open days with different firms without having to send off additional applications to each one. I cannot even begin to tell you how much time that will save you when researching firms.
Aspiring Solicitors run a fantastic first year scheme called AS First. You'll need to submit a written application and I think there might be a short video interview if you get past the application stage as well. Being on the scheme also means you possibly end up getting work experience placements with the likes of Barclays, Sky and Facebook. If you don't make it onto AS First in your first year, they also run the Aspire coaching programme for second and third year students. I took part in the Aspire programme and in addition to the open day invites, you also get a fortnightly half an hour call with a mentor (usually an ex-associate or graduate recruiter) who can help you review apps, give you advice on application strategy on firms, or just chat to you about anything at all you're struggling with.
SEO London similarly run the Corporate Law Programme which involves a submitting an application and then an assessment centre. Personally the biggest benefit I derived from the SEO was the fantastic speed networking event they hold with their sponsor firms and the fantastic network of trainees and future trainees they have to help you with ACs.
Side note: Like Neville has said, I think it's so impressive that you've already thought about these things before even entering university. However, if for some reason things don't go according to plan and you don't manage to do most or even some of the things we've talked about here in your first year, it's completely okay. All I did in my first year was have a good time, focus on my grades and send some rogue applications here and there that ultimately all failed. I still did far better than I ever thought I would on the TC front by the time I graduated. Basically, don't put too much pressure on yourself is all I'm trying to say.
1. Work experience
Demonstrating your motivation for commercial law is not impossible without legal work experience (in fact plenty of people do it very successfully) but it is more plausible if you do have some experience to draw on. The summer of your first year is the best time to go all out trying to get that legal work experience. Because of how limited the spaces are on first year schemes and the limited number of firms that even run them, they tend to be more competitive than vac schemes. So while it would be ideal to secure work experience at a City law firm (MC, SC, US, etc.), most people don't. However, this doesn't mean work experience at small high street firms or boutique law firms will not be taken equally as seriously. As Neville says, at the end of the day it's all about being able to link your experiences to the transferrable skills firms expect from trainees. So even if you were working on a small negligence case in the summer, you can still draw links to enjoying the client facing aspect, the research aspect, etc. I would actually also recommend actively seek non-legal 'commercial' work experience. This can help you justify what you might enjoy about the business side of the work.
2. Extra-curricular activities
Fantastic that you already actively do a sport. Definitely stick with it throughout university. I also think it would be beneficial to get involved with at least one society (if not the sporting one) and take on one leadership role. A lot of societies have positions for first year representatives which is an excellent way to start. In most cases these first year reps go on to much higher responsibility positions in societies anyway which again can be very beneficial for answering competency questions. It's not entirely necessary to take up a society position, especially if you do something else that's quite time consuming (for example: working more than 20/30 hours a week part-time; actively volunteering with a particular organisation). Law firms want to see that you have a life outside of academics not just because it makes you a more interesting person to work with but also because academics alone don't replicate the working environment. So definitely try to get heavily involved with at least one society.
3. Diversity Networks
Obviously this is a bit presumptuous as I’m not sure if you qualify as an applicant from a minority background, but if you do, I highly highly recommend getting involved with Aspiring Solicitors, SEO London and Rare Recruitment.
Generally across the board all three offer invites to open days, application reviews and some great mentoring and coaching. If you ask me the most beneficial thing that comes out joining any of these is you automatically get invited to numerous open days with different firms without having to send off additional applications to each one. I cannot even begin to tell you how much time that will save you when researching firms.
Aspiring Solicitors run a fantastic first year scheme called AS First. You'll need to submit a written application and I think there might be a short video interview if you get past the application stage as well. Being on the scheme also means you possibly end up getting work experience placements with the likes of Barclays, Sky and Facebook. If you don't make it onto AS First in your first year, they also run the Aspire coaching programme for second and third year students. I took part in the Aspire programme and in addition to the open day invites, you also get a fortnightly half an hour call with a mentor (usually an ex-associate or graduate recruiter) who can help you review apps, give you advice on application strategy on firms, or just chat to you about anything at all you're struggling with.
SEO London similarly run the Corporate Law Programme which involves a submitting an application and then an assessment centre. Personally the biggest benefit I derived from the SEO was the fantastic speed networking event they hold with their sponsor firms and the fantastic network of trainees and future trainees they have to help you with ACs.
Side note: Like Neville has said, I think it's so impressive that you've already thought about these things before even entering university. However, if for some reason things don't go according to plan and you don't manage to do most or even some of the things we've talked about here in your first year, it's completely okay. All I did in my first year was have a good time, focus on my grades and send some rogue applications here and there that ultimately all failed. I still did far better than I ever thought I would on the TC front by the time I graduated. Basically, don't put too much pressure on yourself is all I'm trying to say.
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Aside from what @Dheepa and @Neville Birdi have already said (which covers pretty much everything I'd thought of) I'd just like to reemphasise how much I enjoyed being a part of my sport's society (hockey) at university in conjunction with my course's society and the law society so I'd really encourage you to at least join those 3 if you want as you'll be able to meet so many people and make so many great friends through them! The Law Society will introduce you to all of these various events and publicise them so I'd encourage you to join it and try and network/meet as many people as you can.
If I was to do first-year again, I'd just try and attend as many open days/firm events/dinners etc as possible so I can build my network and so that I really give personal anecdotes when it comes to applying to these firms in my 2nd year for vacation schemes which would set me apart.
Equally though, don't get too caught up with networking ALL the time. Your first year of uni almost certainly won't count towards your final degree mark so make sure you have as much fun as possible as it's likely you won't be able to socialise/go out as much etc in the other years of your degree since your results are more important.
Hope that helps and best of luck!
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Wow, thank you so much, this is precisely what I needed. I've copy and pasted this response into a notepad to refer to later. I really appreciate the in-depth response. It sounds like a fun process, looking at all the different components and trying to make the perfect application.
Ive had a look and I do indeed qualify for Aspiring Solicitors, I'll make sure to utilise that!
Hi, a few of the first year schemes you mentioned, and some other ones i found are actually open to applications now. They close around Feb 2022 generally and im unsure if i should apply early or wait until i perhaps join some societies and get some first year results? I've heard most law firms operate on a rolling-basis and so i didn't want to leave applications close to the deadline.
Jessica Booker
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Wait until your application is in the strongest position it can be, but try to apply by early-mid Jan to get ahead of the vast majority of applicants.
okay, thanks
Do you think it would be worth getting a job at the bar, or something along those lines just so the work experience section isnt empty. If not i'm going to have to leave that section completely blank.
Jessica Booker
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I’d only suggest getting a job if you need to/want to rather than for assuming it may improve your applications. You need to be confident you can balance your studies and extra curriculars, as well as a part time job if that is something you do decide to do.okay, thanks
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