White & Case Cover Letter

[gricole]

Hi guys,

How long should the W&C cover letter be? There is no official word limit on the application from.

 

[Oliver Gilliland]

Hi guys,

How long should the W&C cover letter be? There is no official word limit on the application from.

The general rule of thumb is that it should be one side of A4 unless stated otherwise.

 

[gricole]

The general rule of thumb is that it should be one side of A4 unless stated otherwise.

Thank you - that is what I thought as well but I wanted to confirm it here.

 

[Salma]

Basically what Oliver said, one page, however, if you’re struggling to keep it concise one page and a half can also work.

 

[gricole]

Basically what Oliver said, one page, however, if you’re struggling to keep it concise one page and a half can also work.

I have a 400-word cover letter which I think covers both why W&C and why me.

 

[Salma]

I have a 400-word cover letter which I think covers both why W&C and why me.

I went to their open day and GR said you should also include why you’re interested with their training programme aswell, just a heads up the structure they like to see is why law, why white and case, why the training programme at white & case, why you (essentially what skills you can bring) and conclude.

I hope that helps.

 

[Mimi]

I spoke to a member of GR who said they also really want to know why commercial law - they're interested in that story especially if you're a non-law student.

 

[Salma]

Thanks for sharing Mimi!

 

[bob]

to whom do i address the cover letter? and if there is no specified person, is it best to say dear sir or madam or to whom it may concern ?

 

[Oliver Gilliland]

to whom do i address the cover letter? and if there is no specified person, is it best to say dear sir or madam or to whom it may concern ?

I believe Christina Churchman is head of grad recruitment? (someone correct me if im wrong) but from what I recall at the Open Day I'm pretty sure they said to just do 'Dear Graduate Recruitment Team'

 

[J Wu]

 

[bob]

thank you very much John and Oliver!

 

[tylergab]

I have just been offered a place on W&C's winter vac scheme and my cover letter was around a page and a half and I know others who went over the page limit who got to the interview stage. I definitely think it's a thin line because the 'one-page' suggestion is there so your writing style is concise and informative, however because of the points I was making I was confident I was still being succinct. I've read other people's cover letters under a page which still waffle on certain points, so I think it's just important that when they read it it's very concise, not wordy and every sentence matters.

 

[S87]

I have just been offered a place on W&C's winter vac scheme and my cover letter was around a page and a half and I know others who went over the page limit who got to the interview stage. I definitely think it's a thin line because the 'one-page' suggestion is there so your writing style is concise and informative, however because of the points I was making I was confident I was still being succinct. I've read other people's cover letters under a page which still waffle on certain points, so I think it's just important that when they read it it's very concise, not wordy and every sentence matters.

what's the best advice when it comes to what to actually write?

 

[S87]

I think the starting point for me was thinking about what exact quality W&C has and how that linked or appealed to me. For example, loads of people mention the appeal of W&C's compulsory international seat - so whilst loads of people may say this suits them because they want to work on international work, you could think about: what does this mean for your short-term skills as a trainee? Long-term goals as a lawyer? Everyone can say they like international work (and they know that) so what specific thing shows the reason why you want to?

Think about:
- Where does W&C's 2020 strategy fit into all the things you look for in a firm? Note: It is only 2018 and they have already surpassed their targets: think about what type of skills or what this means for your career goals to work at a firm that is growing this fast and is forced to find new ways to provide solutions for clients in light of this strategy.
- Which practice areas are W&C focusing on and what interests you? It's great to have an amazing answer for what area you're interested in but you can also look in depth at where will this practice area might be in 2050? E.g. if the Oil and Gas industry will be worth X and they work on that area in a specific country and perhaps have a competitive advantage there, what does this mean for you and the firm? Will this practice area change in any way through tech or through changes in the market?
- Be bold enough to make suggestions (well thought out commercial ones or perhaps around innovation) if it fits well within your answer
- Wouldn't advise referring to them as a US Firm. As a global firm think about what the opportunities are when competing with MC and US firms.
- In comparison to other firms, where are the majority of W&C's partners located? and what could this mean for them globally?
- What can W&C offer you right now? and how does this differ to what they can offer you in the future?

It is recommended to have three clear distinct sections (i) why law (ii) why them (iii) why you - but I didn't do this so I guess it depends on your writing style.

Do what fits best with your overall approach and answer and think about your own USP's throughout!

Hi thank you very much for your advice. For what concerns the 2020 strategy..I found it super fascinating but I was wondering how and where did you find the info about the firm already surpassing its goals? In terms of competing against MC would you mention that The Lawyer, in September, has named the firm among the ten fastest growing firms in London, predicting also that will overtake some of the Magic Circle law firms with which is already on a par; this goes hand in hand with the thirty-six percent increase in profits registered at the end of December 2017?
Thank you very much and much appreciate your advice.

 

[tylergab]

Apologies that this is years late! I'm currently on the vac scheme and it's all been quite hectic.

I used the phrase 'surpassing its goals' in my application in the context of things mentioned in this article: https://www.whitecase.com/publications/article/firm-strategy-charts-route-growth
e.g. seeing 20% growth in its four industry sectors and opening 2 offices in the US this year - but I guess it might be more accurate to say on track to meet them, but I think I meant surpass in terms of they didn't expect this much growth this far into the strategy if that makes sense.

Yeah, your last point is strong it's definitely worth mentioning - it might also be good to link your point about working at one of the fastest growing law firms to you and how this will benefit you perhaps short term and long term and in general linking this unique environment to what you want in a firm.

 

[a-858]

@tylergab How many words was your extracurricular section?

 

[tylergab]

Mine was 330 words so not too long

 

[a-858]

@tylergab Do you have tips for the video interview? Also, how many questions did they ask?

 

[tylergab]

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....-tlp-video-interview-simulator.400/#post-4975

Posted the general outline in this forum