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Making the initial training contract application to the graduate recruitment officer
Different recruiters will have their own ways of assessing these forms. Some look at the holistic nature of the form, more than others. Some require cover letters, but others do not, and such firms put a lot on emphasis on their cover letters. This document is not supposed to provide the substrate of a ‘perfect answer’ for the “marking matrix” used by these firms, but is supposed to provide clues as to the rationale for asking the question in the first place.
Competencies are knowledge and skills statements and not task statements. For example: conducting the meetings is a task. In order to do so, one needs required competency. Therefore, in this case the required competency is the combination of skills to make an agenda, to promote a healthy group process, to resolve conflicts, to manage time etc.
General suggestions
- Be clear in your own mind why you want to join the firm and why you wish to become a commercial lawyer. What is it that really interests you about the work we do? Match what you’ve got to what they’re looking for. Most employers nowadays select against criteria. The more precisely you match them, the harder it is for them to avoid interviewing you! A detailed list of what they’re looking for often comes with the application form but, if not, go systematically through their website or recruitment literature; you may find it especially useful to look at their graduate recruitment pages, especially “what we’re looking for” and any statements of competences or shared values of the firm. Knowing precisely what they want will help you match up your own qualities when you complete the form.
- You’re applying to a commercial law firm so you will be expected to know about the world of business and the issues that affect the firm and its clients. It’s probably worth your while if you identify one or two key business or legal news stories that interest you and follow them for at least a few weeks before the interviews, so you can talk quite broadly about the main issues.
- Take your time. Look at various websites, brochures, careers fairs, presentations, and other online resources like http://www.allaboutcareers.com/ . Time spent preparing is time well spent. It’ll make those “why do you want to work for us?” questions so much easier. With longer forms you may need to break it into chunks, filling the form in over two or three sessions.
- Make it easy for the graduate recruitment officer. Give your answers a clear structure. Directly match the skills they want to your own, using headings if necessary. Think about what sets you apart from other applicants. This is your chance to sell yourself, so use a range of examples from both inside and out of university to highlight your skills and achievements.
- Where’s the evidence? Many applications lack the individuality injected by small bits of specific detail which make them come alive. Give relevant interesting examples - go into detail. Make every effort to include practical examples of when and where you’ve demonstrated the skills they want.
- Don’t be modest. Application forms (and interviews) are all about letting people know what we’re good at.
- Treat it like an exam i.e. answer the question! Recognise a multi-part question and tackle all its parts separately, using sub-??headings or breaking it up into paragraphs. Treat each bit separately – don’t smudge it into a single answer.
- Don’t be afraid of your failures. Application forms can read like an unstinting list of successes. It’s sometimes worth going on to analyse the lessons learned – why did things go wrong, how might you do them differently next time?
- Vary it! Get together a list of examples you might use. You can call on all sorts of things - holidays, summer jobs, flatshares, voluntary work, committees. Then go through the form, considering which example is strongest for each of the answers. Think about the job you’re applying for, and try to use the most relevant examples.
- Don’t overdo the academic. Employers seek rounded individuals, adept in a number of situations, not people whose main experience of teamwork, achievement, challenge and communication comes through their course.
- Attention to detail is a key skill for a lawyer and this starts with your application, so check thoroughly for grammar and spelling errors. his is the number one training contract application mistake to avoid on every recruiter’s list. There are good reasons for this. It is something that can be easily avoided. Quickly pasting your work into a word processor for a grammar and spelling check should get most of the job done. Printing a hard copy and proof reading it, with a pen in hand, will do the rest. Do this when you are completely cold to what you have written, the next morning for example. Making these types of mistakes shows a lack of attention to detail, which is not taken lightly by prospective employers. Given the type of service that Law firms provide to their clients, attention to detail is especially important. Errors in drafted legal documents expose cracks in a firm’s amour of professionalism. You can imagine that a client will then start to question the firm’s competence in other less visible but more important areas. Drafting errors also provide ammunition for the opposite side and their lawyers. In the manoeuvreing that happen during negotiations it is much harder to hold your ground and assert your side of the argument if your work is being questioned for lack of quality.
- Copy and pasting. There are no shortcuts to a well-written and constructed application. Next to spelling and grammar errors, cutting and pasting from other sources is not only a waste of time with applications, but also easy enough to detect. Copying and pasting is often betrayed by inappropriate or incorrect information. Addressing the application to the wrong person or company happens all too often.
? “Give an example of ..”
Competency-based questions often involve you demonstrating these key attributes so really think about the answers you give and explain your examples in full. Examples should have a clear structure to highlight your skills and achievements but remember to answer the question succinctly. If you need help with structure, you may want to think about the STAR technique:
- Situation
- Task
- Actions
- Results
A good way of dealing with this type of question is by using the CAR approach. CAR stands for Context, Action, Result. It helps you to structure your answer as a convincing way. The CONTEXT forms an introduction, describing the scenario you faced, date and place. The ACTION forms the main body and should be the longest part. The RESULT is the conclusion, and, like the introduction, should be quite short.
Other aspects might include:
- Try to give quantifiable results if possible.
- If the result was negative, then say what you learned from the experience, and what you would do differently next time. Sometimes interviewers will ask you about a situation where you were unsuccessful. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how well you learn lessons from failure, but also to demonstrate qualities such as resilience (to bounce back and try again); determination; strength of character (when the going gets tough, the tough get going!); flexibility; initiative; and lateral thinking. There is a saying that “The most successful people have failed the most” as the best way to learn is via your mistakes.
- Don’t go into too much background detail – keep to the point! Often there isn’t enough room to use the CAR approach, but it’s still worth keeping in mind when you prepare your draft answer. Think of the most relevant examples, rather than the most “impressive”.
- Use action verbs to improve your content.
? Background
“[X] has minimum academic requirements, so before completing our application form please give careful consideration to the following questions:
Do you have 3 A levels at grades A, B, B or equivalent? (N.B. Taken in one sitting and NOT including General Studies.
Have you gained or are you realistically expecting to gain a minimum 2.1 honours degree or equivalent?
Have you previously made an unsuccessful application to []?”
? Languages
Multiple languages can be added by selecting the language, and fluency levels.
? Education
Percentage grades are now required for undergraduate and postgraduate subject results. You are required to ensure that your institution details and results are correct. You must include at least one secondary and one undergraduate record (including all results). You are also obliged to provide a complete breakdown of all your grades by subject, obtained during secondary school and university. Please list your all of your GCSEs and A’? Levels or international equivalent.
? “How did you hear about us?”
Various options are given. See also the section on “Firm choice” below.
? Referees
You are normally required to enter details of two employers at least, sometimes one academic and one vocational.
? Other details
Excluding motor offences not resulting in a custodial sentence or disqualification from driving, have you ever had a criminal conviction (including any spent conviction which, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order 1975, should be disclosed)?
You will need to disclose any criminal convictions anyway if you wish to gain student enrolment with the Solicitors Regulation Authority to do the Legal Practice Course.
Do you have any disability for which you require any assistance for during the selection process?
As well as being a practical point such that “reasonable adjustments” can be made for any assessments you do, including for online assessments, the law firm will be interested in issues of accessibility for the place in which you have your interview/other assessments, or any necessary adjustments (e.g. special lighting, ergonomic chair) consistent with the Equality Act [2010].
? Work experience
Please set out details of your work experience. (Normally 4 + “others”)
Many large solicitors’ firms run formal work experience schemes, generally known as vacation placements. As well as shadowing solicitors and completing small, discrete tasks there may well be presentations about the firm and its work and a number of social events. Unsurprisingly, vacation placements are extremely popular – it can be harder to get onto one than to get a training contract. Most vacation placements will have fixed closing dates. As well as spending time with a solicitors’ firm, other good forms of legal experience include volunteering at a Citizens Advice Bureau or law centre.
? Detailed questions
? Activities, interests, positions of responsibility
Please give brief details of your key non-academic extra-curricular hobbies, activities, leisure interests, highlighting any positions of responsibility whether at school, university or otherwise.
Describe your biggest achievement and/or most demanding position of responsibility you have held to date; why did this achievement stand out for you, and what did you learn from this?
This question is trying to assess how you manage your time. What have you been or are you doing whilst studying at university or Law School? If you are involved with any sporting or charity work tell them all about it - be specific. Talk about what you have done, what contribution that has made and what you gained from your involvement. These activities provide opportunities to develop skills that will be useful at work and your response should show that you understand this. A simple list of things that look good is less important than offering evidence of what you’ve gained from them. If possible, show how your interests have developed your skills, for example in teamwork, business awareness, or communication. Try to show results in terms of objectives set and achieving improvements. These sections are often quite tight, so some say it’s permissible to provide an answer in note form.
? Prizes
Please provide details of any academic prizes, distinctions, skills, scholarships and any other noteworthy achievements. In the case of skills please specify level of proficiency.
Sometimes the question will specify which “level” of your education these refer to, e.g. school, college or university.
? Firm specification
Please explain why you think you are well suited to [], and have chosen to apply to [] for a training contract or vacation scheme placement? why you think you would make a successful trainee?
[X] is a leading UK law firm. How do you think we are distinct from other law firms?
All [X] trainee solicitors are based in our [Y] office. Please give your reasons for choosing to live in or around and train at the [Y] office.
Again this question is trying to determine your commitment to a career and specifically your commitment to their particular law firm. Recruiters look for motivation, commitment and enthusiasm. So, why have you chosen them? Is it because you have spoken to trainees and like the sound of the firm’?s working environment? Have you researched their work and found a specific case / area interesting? Do you have relevant industrial experience? Do you have a language or are from a country that they have clients / offices in? Is there something particular about their training that appeals to you? Show that you have done your research about the firm and that you are genuinely interested in them.
Apparently most law students do extensive research in fact into their choice of firm. It’s also worth noting that @AllAboutCareers and @AllAboutLaw are very helpful in this regard, as well as “The Training Contract Handbook”.
? Career motivation
What qualities do you think you possess to be a successful lawyer in location [X] with [Y]? Which areas of law interest you and why?
Please explain what attracts you to a career as a solicitor at an international business law firm, with reference to other careers that you might have considered and why you chose not to pursue them.
This question tries to determine your commitment to a career in law: the thinking and research you have done about the profession and what you want from a career as a lawyer. Can you demonstrate enough commitment and interest in law to persuade the firm to invest money and time in you for the Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course and/or training contract? This may seem an obvious question but do you really know why you want to be a solicitor or barrister – think hard about it, this may be asked at interview.
If you can produce a convincing answer to this question you’re one step ahead. Think about what first sparked your interest in law, or what you like most about it. Maybe being a solicitor was your childhood dream, or maybe it runs in the family. Whatever the case, you need to show that you are passionate about the law. With all the academic requirements and vocational training, becoming a solicitor is a long-term project. To be offered a law training contract you need to show that you have the passion and the drive to see it through to the end.
Be specific in your reasons for choosing a legal career. Have you had any relevant work experience that has helped you to see first hand what a lawyer actually does? Have you had any personal experience of the work of a lawyer – perhaps through family or friends? Even if you have done pro bono in a law centre or a CAB, has this experience been useful in you understanding generic skills such as teamwork, communication or meeting deadlines? Has your law course or degree furthered your interest and commitment to law? Have you developed a substantial interest in access-to-justice? Have you had any relevant experience that has developed skills that would be easily transferable to a career as a lawyer?
The work of solicitors is more varied than you might think. There are a number of different settings in which solicitors work, for example commercial, private or in-house practice. You should be aware of the differences between the various settings, but if you’re not, do some research. Find out about the kind of role you might find yourself in if you were to go for commercial practice, for example. Is this what you hoped for when you embarked upon your law studies? If not, look into the other options. Being aware of your preferences is vital when choosing a firm with whom you want to carry out your training. Not only will it make what you learn more worthwhile, but you will find it easier to choose a firm. The firm will also find it easier to choose you.
For most training contract applicants, the choice boils down to the simple question: “Do I work in London, or do I work for a local regional firm? This is something of a personal choice, with implications that will affect your quality of life and your career. The largest firms are based in London and the legal market which circles the capital’s financial services industry is one of the most lucrative in the world. This translates into higher average pay packets for London solicitors. Aside from the careers benefits to choosing London, trainees can enjoy all the social and cultural activities that the cosmopolitan city has to offer. However, the cost of living is higher in London and you will have to content with the traffic and rush hour crushes on the tube. Working hours are often longer at London firms and you may find a more attractive work-life balance at firms outside of the capital. The choice, as always, is yours.
? Commercial awareness
Identify a current commercial article that you read or a recent event from the business world which has attracted your attention recently. Why do you consider it to be significant? Who are the key stakeholders in this situation and what are the implications for those concerned?
Business acumen and commercial awareness are important elements to becoming a successful solicitor. Please outline, in your opinion, why you think this would be important and tell us about a time when you’ve demonstrated your abilities in this area. What was the occasion and what impact did possessing this awareness have over the final outcome?
Choose a sector group of the firm and summarise the biggest challenges and opportunities they will face in the future.
Commercial awareness is something that firms almost without exception mention as a desirable quality. Commercial awareness is generally defined as a candidate’?s general knowledge of business. It can be summed up as an interest in business and an understanding of the wider environment in which an organisation operates: its customers and competitors. For corporates, this is about establishing “competitive advantage”, and it’s often interesting to work out how companies enter new markets (especially the BRIC emerging economies), and what barriers there might be for companies competing effectively in critical markets.
Commercial awareness generally means an understanding of a client’?s business and the industry or sector in which it operates. It is a key competency for applicants. It involves not only keeping up to date with commercial issues and it is also about being able to demonstrate commercial awareness through any business/work experience and, specifically, the applicant’s understanding of the type of firm to which they are applying. Clients seek business solutions, presented in a way that makes sense. An understanding that a law firm operates in a competitive industry is also considered as being commercially aware.
As a result you may be expected to demonstrate an understanding as to how the firm or chambers markets itself to its clients. To know who the firm’s main competitors are. To explain how you would attract a potential client by explaining the unique selling points of the firm (USPs). For example, if you’re applying to a foreign firm, it’s not inconceivable you could be asked who the major players are in that particular market (e.g. the US market). In addition to this you will be expected to know about the practice areas in which the firm or chambers operate and to be aware of key changes in legislation and the economic market which may affect the way in which they operate.
Have you done a LL.M. in international commercial law where you might have gained important experience in drafting or case analysis in this particular field of law? Have you even done a M.B.A. where you have studied business management in great detail? You could also think about participating in any student societies where you are doing the GDL or LPC – these are very active the vast majority of “learning providers”.
Mention any business/commercial experience you have had, including non-legal work and/or roles which involve dealing with clients or members of the public. Have you ever been a Director of a private limited company yourself? This can highlight your awareness of customer needs and expectations. Were you ever given the task of improving a current service or product? Did you add value to it? If so, how did you go about it, what factors did you have to take into consideration? Are you able to identify the long term and short term goals of an organisation or a project?
Thinking in terms of a SWOT (the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the firm or legal sector can be helpful.
Did you have a key role in any society committees at school or university? Were you given a financial role? Any of these can be good indicators that you have had to think about different perspectives in the market place.
Have you ever raised money for a charity, secured sponsorship for an event? What process did you go through to secure the funds? Read the business press regularly. Try to know something about current leading stories/issues, and how they might have an impact on the firm’s clients. Look out for stories that will affect the firm to which you are applying, or its clients, directly or indirectly.
Look at the BBC news and business website. Read also publications like the Financial Times, the Economist, and The Lawyer. There are business related programmes on BBC Radio which are also available to listen again on-??line and as podcasts such as:
The Bottom Line (with @EvanHD) http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bottomline “Insight into business from the people at the top. Evan Davis meets influential business leaders for a round table conversation about the issues that matter to their companies and their customers.”
? Proactivity
Describe an occasion when you spotted an opportunity to make an improvement in ‘going the extra mile’, and took action without being asked to do so. What steps did you take? What was the outcome? Explain why you think this attribute is relevant for a solicitor.
This question is testing your problem solving ability. Detail what the issue was, why it was difficult and then what you did to resolve it. If you are talking about a group activity, do not put ‘?we‘? - they are interested in what you did. As with all your answers use this question to differentiate yourself i.e. make it personal and substantiate what you say with specific examples.
Aspects of a good answer might be as follows.
- Use initiative to act on opportunities. Become a leader before other people view you as one. Healthy organisations often reward those who take the lead, not just those with formal management roles.
- Take responsibility for own objectives: set priorities. Display a “?can do“? attitude even in demanding situations. Try to solve problems, rather than to pass them on to other people.
- ?Go the extra mile? when asked to do tasks. Go beyond your job description. Do work that gets you noticed. Show enthusiasm: this will be noticed and you will eventually be rewarded.
- Take ownership of problems: anticipate potential problems, take pre-emptive action and act quickly to resolve problems. Develop innovative practices. Value innovative thinking.
- Learn new skills that will enhance capability.
? Flexibility
Describe a time that you have had to change your approach to a project or task halfway through. What changes did you have to make? Why did you need to make these changes? What was the outcome?
This means that you are able to modify your approach to achieve a goal, and you are open to change and new information; you can rapidly adapt to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Legal recuiters are often looking for the following aspects.
1. Values need for flexibility:
- Accepts that other people’s points of view are reasonable or valid.
- Acknowledges that people are entitled to their opinions, and accepts that they are different.
- Steps into colleagues’ tasks when needed or required.
2. Demonstrates flexibility:
- Works creatively within standard procedures to fit a specific situation.
- Understands policies and can work within them to meet office, work group, team or individual goals.
3. Adapts approach:
- Changes one’s approach as required to achieve intended outcomes.
- Prioritises actions effectively in order to respond to numerous, diverse challenges and demands.
4. Adapts strategy:
- Changes the overall service plan and implements new practices when original approach and assumptions are no longer valid.
- Able to shift strategic focus and activities quickly in response to changing organisational priorities.
? Teamwork
Teamwork is considered crucial to functioning well as a trainee/junior in a corporate law firm.
Please give an example of a situation where you were required to work in a team to accomplish an important objective and describe your role in achieving this objective.
A law student who is good at teamwork might:
- Believe that working together with others or in teams gives higher synergies to self and the teams, and therefore is positive and enthusiastic about teamwork and team building.
- Contributes significantly when working as a member of a team or when working as a team leader to build a strong team; respects all the members of the team and cooperates with every team member and the team leader.
- Provides help and support to those team members who are in need of help and support, and shares relevant knowledge and information with all the team members including the team leader.
- Maintains the required level of communication in terms of quality, quantity and timeliness with the team members and the team leader.
- When working as a team leader, facilitates developing team goals with team members’ participation.
- Motivates the team members while working as a leader of the team or even when working as a member of the team, building up high team morale; creates a sense or feeling of cohesiveness among the fellow members.
- Is good at resolving the conflicts that might arise due to diverse personalities of various team members.
- When the members seem to err from the shared mission, goals and priorities, brings them back on the desired focus.
- Seeks for each and every member’?s active and enthusiastic participation all the time and accordingly motivates the members who seem to be getting disinterested or tuned out from time to time.
- Makes every member feel that each one’?s work or contribution is equally important.
- Shares credit for success of team with all the others in the team.
- Celebrates the team’?s success together with all the others in the team.
- Makes sure that the various teams do not become islands in themselves and form unnecessary boundaries around them.
? Defining qualities of the candidate
What can you tell us about yourself that sets you apart from other applicants, and which are convincing reasons why we should recruit you?
In a sense, your answer to this question is to some extent governed by your personal qualities not covered elsewhere in the form. Here are some further competences which might be relevant here.
Integrity
A trainee will be expected to upholds the principles of the current SRA Code of Conduct. Some aspects might include:
- Holds to a laudable value structure all the time and in all the situations.
- Practices integrity while dealing with everyone and therefore is regarded as trustworthy person.
- Does not turn and twist the information to gain something or to score a point in an underhand manner.
- Uses confidential information confidentially. Does not divulge the confidential information even under any pressure.
- Does not indulge in any kind of corruption or corrupt practices.
- Motivates others to practice integrity by being an example to others.
Leadership
Some aspects might include:
- Can envision the advancement and growth opportunities.
- Possesses abilities for high degree of conceptualization, strategising and analysis.
- Demonstrates high achievement orientation. Therefore, emphasises commitment, accountability, action orientation and results.
- Adept at interpersonal relationships and puts emotional intelligence in action.
- Excellent communicator.
- Uses his excellent influencing skills for bringing out the desired consensus, decisions and actions.
- Very good at decision making processes and once decisions are reached, displays firmness and decisiveness in implementation.
- Displays required flexibility and adaptability in different situations and times.
- Is great team builder and team player. Provides necessary support and cooperativeness.
- Possesses high commercial awareness and business acumen.
- Develops many next line leaders.
? Communication skills
All solicitors at [X] work with a wide range of people so need to be able to persuade, influence and display effective communication skills. Describe a situation when you have had to communicate effectively.
You should think of various forms of effective communications, e.g. oral presentations, written papers, written papers, drafting, interviewing or advising (on the LPC), practical legal research (on the LPC), blogging, participating in podcasts, and how you have adapted your method of communication according to the target audience. Your answer is bound to be more compelling if you can give concrete examples. Some related specific competences are given as below.
Persuasion
One scenario where persuading skills can be important is the job interview, but the following tips are valuable in many other settings.
- Focus on the needs of the other party. Take time to listen to them carefully and find out about their interests and expectations. This shows that you are really interested in them and they are then more likely to trust and respect you. It will also make it easier for you to outline the benefits of your proposal in terms they understand.
- Argue your case with logic. Do careful research on your ideas and those of your competitors (if there are any) and make sure that any claims you make can be verified.
- Use positive rather than negative language: instead of saying “?You’?re wrong about this”?, say “?That’?s true but ….”?, “?That’?s an excellent idea, but if we look more deeply …..”? or “?I agree with what you say but have you considered ….”?.
Listening
Some aspects might include:
- Believes that listening strengthens the quality of communication, interpersonal relations, human relations, emotional intelligence, conflict management and team management.
- Every interaction requires one to respond and since the quality of response depends on the quality of listening, tries to improve quality of his listening constantly.
- Thus, listens to understand the other person and not just to react, reply, control or manipulate the other person. By understanding the other person properly, can respond or act in the best possible manner.
- Generally respects other people and demonstrates openness and trust through his body language and spoken words.
- Then, paves way to influencing the people in right directions by diagnosing the issues and concerns of others in a better way for effective problem solving.
- Promotes a more participative style of managing by involving people.
? Conflict and pressure
The success of [X] is built on the self-motivation and applied effort of all its employees, as demonstrated by their ability to work through setbacks coping effectively with conflict and pressure. Describe a situation when you have had to deal with conflict and pressure. Which other people involved? What did you learn about yourself?
Some aspects might include the observations that the law student:
- Recognises the fact that conflicts are quite natural in any organization and yet these need appropriate redressing to move on with apt solutions, thereforeis willing to take up the responsibility of managing and resolving the conflict.
- Can think through clearly in a conflicting situation.
- Keeps his eyes constantly on the desired goals and therefore, does not drift away from them despite conflicting arguments and points of views.
- Listens well and patiently all the conflicting arguments and presentations.
- Controls the people and their communication patterns in the discussions that takes place when resolving a conflict.
- Facilitates the innovative and creative thinking of the people caught up in the conflict.
- Does not take sides of any particular set of people or their thinking. Rather, tries to facilitate working out genuinely appropriate and optimal solutions.
- Contributes his own inputs, ideas, creativity and analysis to supplement the missing or erroneous information and thus uncover the real issues and reasons that led to the conflict. Then proceeds to help find the answers.
- Gains agreements without leaving behind any bitter taste or disrupting the human relationships.
- Is proactive and as far as possible anticipates the conflicting situations and dissolves them well before they turn into conflicts.
? Commitment to excellence
Describe an occasion when you have demonstrated commitment to a task or project that resulted in you exceeding expectations either for yourself or others. What steps did you take? What was the outcome?
You will be able to achieve the excellence in any skill or competency only if you rehearse or practice the learned skill a large number of times. Knowledge alone is no guarantee for achieving great levels in skills or competencies. For example, only if you start swimming, you will become a swimmer; mere knowledge of swimming or great theories of swimming will not automatically make you even an ordinary swimmer. Knowledge surely helps and is a must but without doing, it is of no use to you. Implementation of knowledge is the name of the game. Wisdom is in knowing what to do and how to do but the virtue is doing it.
It’s said that you should become both consciously and unconsciously competent in your strive for excellence. Consciously competent means gaining the knowledge about the skill to be mastered and begin practicing the knowledge gained (example: gaining knowledge on how to swim using proper styles of swimming and start swimming using the right styles of swimming). On the other hand, unconsciously competent means keep practicing the knowledge gained till you gain mastery in the skill (example: you have now become an expert swimmer since you have been swimming using the proper styles of swimming over number of hours and you can now give yourself 9 on 10 or even 10 on 10). For greater success in life, you should try to reach the unconsciously competent level in the skills required by you for your professional, personal, family and social activities/tasks/projects.
? Personal challenge
Describe a significant challenge that you have faced outside of your academic studies ideally from the last 2 years. How did you initially analyse the challenge? What approach did you take to solving it? What did you learn from this challenge?
- Successful answers to these sorts of questions need to be as concrete as possible. Supply specific detail on the situation, the actions taken and the results achieved. Figures can be particularly useful in this context.
- Your example need not be very “significant”. Go for something you genuinely believe to be a real achievement rather than give them something you think they want to hear - it’ll be more convincing. The important thing is to set it in context. Explain why it was significant to you - if you’re unsporty, uncoordinated and broke your leg six months previously, learning to stay upright while sliding a few hundred metres downhill may well have been a major achievement.
- A useful device is the Trojan horse technique, which allows you to smuggle in other examples as in “ I considered selecting one of several achievements, including x and y. However I have chosen z because…....”
Aspects of a convincing answer might include the following.
1. Recognises Lack of Success:
Acknowledges areas where expectations are not met, and provides reasons which may or may not involve self.
2. Remains Positive:
Re-energises after loss or failure or after encountering a significant hurdle to readdress the situation and to overcome it; approaches new situations with continuing positive outlook, despite previous disappointments.
3. Takes Responsibility:
Acknowledges personal responsibility for outcomes, even when not all elements of a situation are within direct control but could have been personally managed.
4. Learns from Mistakes and Successes:
Analyses situations on an ongoing basis to improve own performance; designs a personal action plan to address own issues constructively and decisively.
5. Shares Learning with Team:
Deals openly with failure by bringing team together to define specific problems and present solutions; may involve team in diagnosis and in developing solutions to effectively transfer knowledge into the organisation.
? Mitigating circumstances
Are there any important mitigating circumstances why you feel the exam results you have listed do not fully reflect your abilities?
There may be good reasons why you ‘underperformed’, due to recent bereavement, or illness and disease, and these should be set out with reference to documentary evidence where possible.
Additional information
If applicable, please state any additional information which you think is relevant and supportive to your application or which you think has not been covered adequately in this form.
This is a good opportunity to do precisely that!
'Commercial January 2013': the Legal Awareness Society, for students, launches free workshops in commercial awareness at BPP Law School
I have been most overwhelmed by the positive feedback and response to this new initiative of commercial awareness workshops for students. Surprisingly, other law students have not just remarked how they would like to be seen to have made efforts into learning about ‘commercial awareness’, but have expressed a genuine interest in the discipline of business management as complementary to their legal studies. Feedback has included a genuine gratitude for a forum to discuss these topics using latest, cutting-edge theories and practitioner guidance, in an informal setting, in a social way. It’s been particularly great for our society, in a real way of achieving student engagement nationally, putting students at the heart of the experience. There is currently an ongoing discussion of how best to encourage ‘commercial awareness’ in the legal curriculum, and indeed what commercial awareness might mean, through the ongoing Legal Education and Training Review.
‘Commercial awareness’ or ‘commercial insight’ is an incredibly important skill. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the Graduate Diploma of Law which addresses this commercial acumen, which remains a much sought-after skill in commercial and corporate law firms. Even in the Legal Practice Course, unless you do specific electives in commercial or corporate law, you can easily find yourself missing out on basic commercial competences. However, there’s no avoiding questions on commercial awareness in your training contract or vacation scheme application process. You might be asked to describe a news story of commercial interest on your application form, or in your actual interview. If you have to explain the issue face-to-face in an interview, you will almost certainly be interviewed by a Partner and/or Associate with an understanding of the context of corporate management to the commercial legal matter being discussed.
This unique series of four workshops, called “Commercial January”, will be held at BPP Law School, Holborn. They are being run by the Legal Awareness Society, an independent student society at BPP, but do not constitute official BPP learning material. They are intended as an informal introduction to essential business management competences, by students for other students, but at a Master’s level. The workshops, each an hour long, provide challenging contemporary material, and provide an excellent introduction to key knowledge, behaviours and skills. As such, they are therefore perfect as background for applications to commercial or corporate law firms. These workshops are provided free-of-charge by students for other students. We are indeed we have been given permission to have five external delegates, in our cohort of 29, from other higher educational institutions, including Nottingham, UCL, Essex and Westminster. All of these individuals are law students who have expressed substantial enthusiasm in learning about advanced contemporary business management.
The details of the four workshops are provided in this new booklet.
The response has been much greater than we expected. Local recruitment was through posters at BPP Law School, Holborn, aimed at Legal Practice students there, but all members of the BPP Legal Awareness Society and BPP Commercial Awareness Society. The BPP Legal Awareness Society is especially grateful for the support of Sonia Goodman, President of the BPP Commercial Awareness Society. Finally, the BPP Students Association kindly gave us permission to allow a small number of law students nationally to attend, provided they could provide evidence of their studies, and provided details were provided to security at Holborn. Understandably security at BPP Law School is important, as the site is in a prime location in Central London. Our student society is currently in negotiation about which room to hold our workshops in. I will confirm the precise location as soon as this has been confirmed, but please note that they will take place on thursday evenings between 6.15 pm – 7.15 pm (map here). There’s a possibility we may need the lecture theatre, if available, as we have so many delegates.
Whilst there are around twenty delegates, and we cannot accept any further requests for attendance in our season of workshops, we are pleased to distribute information from our workshops as widely as possible. Regular updates will be provided on the @legalaware twitter thread and the legal aware blog if and when appropriate. Furthermore, extensive reading material will be especially provided for all delegates in advance of the four workshops.
Thursday Jan 10 2013 Leadership
Thursday Jan 17 2013 Strategy
Thursday Jan 24 2013 Innovation
Thursday Jan 31 2013 Marketing
Please contact me if you have any inquiries, legalaware1213@gmail.com
merry xmas, shibley
BPP Legal Awareness Society
About the BPP Legal Awareness Society
The BPP Legal Awareness Society was founded in January 2011 at BPP Business School, The City, London. The aim of the Society is to consider how key decisions are made in corporate strategy by corporate clients, and to consider further the importance of commercial and corporate lawyers in promoting business success.
Whilst currently based at BPP Law School in Holborn (as of January 2012), the Society continues to generate much goodwill and a good reputation across the whole of England, in part due to its very active efforts in the social media. The Society prides itself on inclusivity and accessibility, and is therefore open to all past, current, and future members of BPP, in all disciplines, across all sites.
How to contact the BPP Legal Awareness Society
To contact the Society over anything, please e-mail us at: legalaware1213@gmail. Alternatively, tweet Shibley, the Society’s current President, directly at @legalaware. We should be particularly keen if you would like to offer input into the ‘Corporate Client Strategy’ project, described below, if you, as a lawyer, are interested in how business strategy is taught at GDL/LLB(Hons) or LPC level to law students, or if you would like to take part as a guest in the podcasting project; you do not have to have trained or taught at BPP to be able to contribute.
The ‘Legal Aware’ flagship blog
Our blog contains up-to-date corporate and commercial news, as well as educational videos (http://legal-aware.org). You might find it useful in preparation for training contract interviews, inter alia.
Our meetings
The BPP Legal Awareness Society as in previous terms will be holding fortnightly meetings during term time at BPP Law School. For timetables of previous meetings which we have held please go to the following links: Jun – Dec 2011, Jan – May 2012, and May – August 2012. You will notice that our meetings consider in detail common practice areas of international commercial and corporate professional legal work, and also the online psychometric verbal reasoning tests used by the majority of City law firms in their selection process.
Activities
These provide information about how to get involved in activities of the Society:
The brand new ‘Corporate Client Strategy’ project of the BPP Legal Awareness Society
This is a brand new initiative which we are launching for the 2012/3 academic year. The aim is for students who are current members of the Society to research in detail the corporate strategy of clients of their choice using only information in the public domain (these may be firms that they may be dealing with in their training contracts, for example). Then, these students give mini-presentations on their findings, suggesting how commercial and corporate law can be used innovatively to create competitive advantage for the corporate client, thus maximising shareholder dividend. We anticipate that students who are yet to secure a training contract may seek to be involved with this new project, as evidence of ‘commercial awareness’ for the training contract application form.
Take part in blogging for Legal Aware
Blogging is an excellent mechanism of knowledge sharing, and creating networks of like-minded individuals. Our popular blog is read by people from a number of different backgrounds, including junior and senior lawyers, professionals in business, finance and economics, and current, past and future GDL/LPC/LLM students. The blog is currently updated virtually daily, and we are looking for a small team of writers to take responsibility for producing accurate, intelligent and thought-provoking articles based on the contemporary commercial and corporate news, for publication on the blog. All authors will be given their own admin credentials for the blog, and there will be minimal editorial input. All posts will necessarily conform to the current SRA Code of Conduct (LPC student edition).
Apply to be a member of the executive steering committee of the BPP Legal Awareness Society
The BPP Legal Awareness Society executive committee runs on the basis of the ‘cluster’ basis of management. These means that executive committee members tend to have defined roles, such as internal publicity across various sites, liaising with internal stakeholders, arranging meetings at Holborn, taking responsibility for podcasting (see below), but will participate in running the society according to demands of the Society within BPP. This allows flexibility according to our needs, and encourages teamwork amongst our team members. We will this year be asking students to prepare a short CV of their relevant background, education and/or experience, at the least, as we should wish all members of our committee to pull their weight and not to require prompting to do things.
Be a member of our podcasting team
In this academic year, we are especially keen to produce podcasts and widely distribute them. If this project is successful, we wish to make our Legal Aware podcasts available for free subscription on the internet through the iStore. The podcasts are produced by members of our podcast team, who research and discuss topics of their own choosing. This is our last podcast (from the last academic year) on the changing nature of legal education, in response to the ongoing ‘Legal Education and Training Review’. This initiative relies heavily on the competences of attention-to-detail, proactivity, commercial awareness and teamwork.
Verbal reasoning psychometric tests for training contract applications
The Society has also been involved in an initiative for law students to improve their performance in verbal reasoning psychometric tests for training contracts (“Legal Recruit”). This initiative is entirely separate from the teaching provided by BPP.
Educational videos
Factsheets: Please feel free to download and print for personal use, but the Legal Recruit project would be very grateful if you could observe the terms of use contained in the copyright statement at the end. These factsheets are not endorsed by BPP Careers, and they have had no input at all from BPP Careers.
Background to verbal reasoning tests
Background to situational judgement tests
Background to difficulties and online assessments
25 September 2012
The brand new "Corporate Client Strategy" project of the BPP Legal Awareness Society
We will be at the Freshers’ Fair this Friday, 1 – 5 pm Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DA. A chance for new and existing BPP students to sign up to BPP’s clubs and societies as well as meet loads of external exhibitors (companies, organisations and charities of all kinds!) It’s one of the biggest events in the BPP student calendar so MAKE SURE YOU’RE THERE!
** To download our new brochure, please go here **
At BPP, some law students already have training contracts to go to, after they have successfully passed the core practice areas and the electives of the Legal Practice Course. According to Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulations, it is necessary to pass the academic stage of training, through for example a law degree or the GDL, to be able to do the Legal Practice Course (LPC). All LPC students must be allowed by the SRA to be able to do the LPC in the first place.
The BPP Legal Awareness Society is a student club based in Holborn, but inclusive of all students at BPP through widespread publication of our activities on our blog, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (@legalaware). The Society has regular meetings here in Holborn, in Central London.
The main function of the BPP Legal Awareness Society is to discuss how corporate clients maximise competitive advantage in their chosen sector, with reference to an in-depth discussion of corporate strategy, domestic and international marketing, operations management, innovation management, organisational culture and structures, leadership, performance management, and management accounting. The Society is suitable for law students of any background who do not have a formal qualification in economics, business, finance or accounting, but who do wish to understand the precise context of commercial law.
To this end, being introduced for this intake, including students for the ‘accelerated LPC’ who wish to do well in their LPC before going onto their chosen firms to complete their contract firm, we will be launching a brand new “Corporate Client Strategy” project, where members of our Society are invited to give presentations on clients of their firms. All research will be done only on the basis of information only in the public domain, and the aim of these presentations is to offer a high-level interactive discussion of business strategic decisions faced by corporate clients and their law firms, and to further competences in research, commercial awareness, teamwork and communication.
To support this new project, please email legalaware1213@gmail.com ; you could be a student of any level of your studies (GDL, LLB, LLM or LPC), or may even be a professional involved in commercial and corporate law or education. Please use as the subject “CCSP” in sending an email, and you will receive an immediate reply.
Brand new promotional fliers for this academic year (2012/3):
The brand new ‘Corporate Client Strategy’ project of the BPP Legal Awareness Society
Take part in blogging for Legal Aware
Apply to be a member of the executive steering committee of the BPP Legal Awareness Society
Be a member of our podcasting team
The training contract interview itself
I have previously done blogposts here on the online application form for training contracts and vacation placements, including typical questions you might be expected to face, as well as valid responses you might wish to give. I have summarised what could be a reasonable approach for the cover letter, as well as a specialised platform for online verbal reasoning psychometric tests (and free material developed pro bono), which we developed in the Legal Awareness Society, a student society at BPP, but totally independent of BPP. I should now like to devote this blogpost to the interview itself. Please take advantage of any mock interviews at your law school or University, as it is said that poor interviews are really obvious, but easy to improve upon. I hope that you find this blogpost useful and interesting.
Virtually all law firms use ‘competency-based interviewing‘ allowing candidates to demonstrate skills based on past experiences, as these thought processes are considered to be a good predictor of future behaviour. They normally begin with a ‘main question’ proceeding onto a ‘probe’ question, in a technique called ‘information funnelling’. The probe questions, in a conversational way, will ask you to elaborate on aspects which you haven’t spontaneously discussed. An interview for a training contract will normally last for 45 minutes – 1 hours. Companies tend to talk about ‘values’, ‘competencies’ and ‘behaviours’ interchangeably; it is very unlikely that in a training contract interview you will be asked technical matters about law (especially if you’re a non-law applicant).
Look around graduate recruitment websites of various firms; for example there’s a very useful video by Anna King, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Simmons & Simmons LLP, on their website here.
The start of the interview may start with your application form. However, screening of CVs normally does not allow subjectivity or bias to creep into your interview, such that a baseline of performance will have been ascertained already by interview stage. The interview will then get to grips with what you’re like as a person, and whether you’re a good cultural fit for that organisation. Interviewers will often be too busy scribbling, so it’s not uncommon for interviewers to show little eye contact!
Companies ask questions based on their job description for all levels of the organisation, including a list of criteria of attributes a person needs to have to do the job competently; this consists of behaviours, skills, experience and cultural goodness-for-fit. Job descriptions will be specific for the role and the company (e.g. different law firms, vacation scheme or training contract), so it’s important to prepare for every interview individually. The interview is then designed around evidence-seeking, evidence consists of answers to the questions you’ve been asked, to be subsequently analysed after the interview. Scoring matrices are designed around the criteria for the role, and are considered to be the fairest and most robust way to analyse an interview. An example of a matrix around communication might be as follows:
“Star performer” – 10 points
Demonstrates confidence in their communication – spoke clearly and presented information confidently
Effective – 5 points
Mostly clear and spoke with fluidity – occasionally faltered but on-the-whole quite good
Need for improvement – 2 points
Not effective – demonstrated lack of confidence – mumbled, was unclear or hesitant – or was overconfident (tended to be arrogant, boast about achievements, “me me me“, too long)
A matrix for teamwork might look at the following attributes:
- Flexible and open to new ideas and methods
- Maintains a positive attitude in most situations and makes appropriate adjustments when advised and instructed
- displays cooperation and commitment
- readily accepts responsibility
- quickly adapts to change
- conflict-resolution
- shares information
- individual (self) vs. team (other) mindset
- diplomatically states opinions/position
- is personal style compatible with company/group culture?
Another scoring matrix might look at the following attributes for leadership.
- influence on others
- relationship focus
- ability to gain respect of others
- ability to discern/make good judgments
- serving mindset/attitudes
- creativity – readily offers ideas
- committed to learning
- takes initiative/is proactive
- work/life balance
Interviewers are looking for enthusiasm about the organisation (clients, achievements, market context, general business knowledge/commerciality), and a good understanding about the organisation. It is insufficient to know pockets of knowledge, but it is essential to link knowledge in a succinct manner. Here is a previous post on this blog about commercial awareness.
Check
- who are you seeing?
- which office you are at?
- what time do you have to get there by? are there any disruptions planned?
- is your suit ready? are your shoes polished? (a suit is obligatory and is immaculately presented)
- will you be a good Associate or solicitor? (first impressions are vital – you must look as if you’re somebody a Partner would be happy to go to a client meeting with)
- why do you wish to work for a particular organisation (defined on the basis of who there is, what do they do that makes them stand out, their position within the client market, where are they?)
Reading blogs or an article commentary in Charonqc, Legal Week or Lawyer 2 be may be useful. Contributing to blogs can also be useful, to help your understanding! Companies care about how you synthesise this information at a personal level, as it’s a key skill for you behaving with clients professionally.
Listen to the question actually asked. Do not answer what you have prepared if it’s at the expense of what is actually asked. Speak clearly and concisely, with a good structure. Think about the situation overview, the tasks which had to happen for an action to take place, and then what was the outcome/results. Do not answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ without some qualification or background. If you do not understand the question, you should ask the interviewer what they mean; e.g. you could offer to repeat or paraphrase the question (this could even allow you some ‘thinking time’).
Look up the shared values of the firm that you’re applying to. Try to think of examples that you can give for, which could have resulted from your own experience. Here are key values from Eversheds for example:
Our vision
To be a great place to work and the most client centred international law firm.
- Client centred
We will look after our clients’ interests as if they were our own. We will deliver levels of service and build relationships that are second to none.- Straightforward
We will be straightforward, open and honest in all our dealings and we will act with utmost integrity.- Teamwork
We will place the firm’s interests ahead of the agenda of any individual. We will act as one firm, recognising the different important contributions we each make.- Mutual respect
We will take care of each other and we will treat everyone with respect, fairness and courtesy. We will recognise the need to balance personal and business lives.- Accountability
We will take responsibility for problems and strive to always find solutions to the issues faced by our clients and colleagues.- Continuous improvement
We will embrace change and challenge the status quo, always seeking to find better ways of doing things.
Make sure
- that you’re polite throughout;
- that you’re not too early as the reception will need to alert people that you’ve arrive;
- that you’re comfortable with shaking hands;
- that you thank the interviewer for their time;
- that you do not sit before your interviewer, or take your jacket off without being asked;
- that you keep eye-contact with all people in the room (not just the interviewer);
- that you do not slouch.
This is an independent blogpost, and nothing to do with BPP (including their Careers Service), or any specific law firms. Students may use this information at their own risk, and the information is only provided out of goodwill, and for educational purposes.
A rough guide to the online application form for City law firms
Here are some ideas about how to tackle those common online applications for training contracts and vacation scheme placements.
Activities, interests, positions of responsibility
Please give brief details of your key non-academic extra-curricular hobbies, activities, leisure interests, highlighting any positions of responsibility whether at school, university or otherwise.
This question is trying to assess how you manage your time. What have you been or are you doing whilst studying at university or Law School? If you are involved with any sporting or charity work tell them all about it – be specific. Talk about what you have done, what contribution that has made and what you gained from your involvement. These activities provide opportunities to develop skills that will be useful at work and your response should show that you understand this. A simple list of things that look good is less important than offering evidence of what you’ve gained from them. If possible, show how your interests have developed your skills, for example in teamwork, business awareness, or communication. Try to show results in terms of objectives set and achieving improvements. These sections are often quite tight, so some say it’s permissible to provide an answer in note form.
Prizes
Please provide details of any academic prizes, distinctions, skills, scholarships and any other noteworthy achievements. In the case of skills please specify level of proficiency.
Sometimes the question will specify which “level” of your education these refer to, e.g. school, college or university.
Firm specification
Please explain why you think you are well suited to [], and have chosen to apply to [] for a training contract or vacation scheme placement? why you think you would make a successful trainee?
[X] is a leading UK law firm. How do you think we are distinct from other law firms?
All [X] trainee solicitors are based in our [Y] office. Please give your reasons for choosing to live in or around and train at the [Y] office.
Again this question is trying to determine your commitment to a career and specifically your commitment to their particular law firm. Recruiters look for motivation, commitment and enthusiasm. So, why have you chosen them? Is it because you have spoken to trainees and like the sound of the firm’s working environment? Have you researched their work and found a specific case / area interesting? Do you have relevant industrial experience? Do you have a language or are from a country that they have clients / offices in? Is there something particular about their training that appeals to you? Show that you have done your research about the firm and that you are genuinely interested in them.
Despite the temptation to apply for as many different corporates as possible, it turns out from http://www.cvmailuk.com/user/main.cfm?rcd=160922 that law students do extensive research in fact into their choice of firm. The 2010 CVmailUK survey indeed provided these as the top ways in which law students ‘did their research’:
- Firm website (17.6%)
- LawCareers.net (12.4%)
- Training Contract Handbook (11.7%)
- Lex100 (10.4%)
- Chambers and Partners Students Guide (10.4%)
It’s also worth noting that @AllaboutCareers and @Allaboutlaw are also very helpful. LawCareers.Net and @AllAboutCareers also post the latest deadlines for training contract and vacation scheme placements on their websites. Some firms, such as @Eversheds, run a very active account such as @legaltrainee where law students are able to interact with a current trainee, to get an idea of the organisational structure, culture and training of that firm.
Career motivation
What qualities do you think you possess to be a successful lawyer at [X]? Which areas of law interest you and why?
This question tries to determine your commitment to a career in law: the thinking and research you have done about the profession and what you want from a career as a lawyer. Can you demonstrate enough commitment and interest in law to persuade the firm to invest money and time in you for the Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course and/or training contract? This may seem an obvious question but do you really know why you want to be a solicitor or barrister – think hard about it, this may be asked at interview. Be specific in your reasons for choosing a legal career. Have you had any relevant work experience that has helped you to see first hand what a lawyer actually does? Have you had any personal experience of the work of a lawyer – perhaps through family or friends? Even if you have done pro bono in a law centre or a CAB, has this experience been useful in you understanding generic skills such as teamwork, communication or meeting deadlines? Has your law course or degree furthered your interest and commitment to law? Have you developed a substantial interest in access-to-justice? Have you had any relevant experience that has developed skills that would be easily transferable to a career as a lawyer?
Commercial awareness
Identify a current commercial article that you read or a recent event from the business world which has attracted your attention recently. Why do you consider it to be significant? Who are the key stakeholders in this situation and what are the implications for those concerned?
Business acumen and commercial awareness are important elements to becoming a successful solicitor. Please outline, in your opinion, why you think this would be important and tell us about a time when you’ve demonstrated your abilities in this area. What was the occasion and what impact did possessing this awareness have over the final outcome?
Choose a sector group of the firm and summarise the biggest challenges and opportunities they will face in the future.
Commercial awareness is something that firms almost without exception mention as a desirable quality. Commercial awareness is generally defined as a candidate’s general knowledge of business. It can be summed up as an interest in business and an understanding of the wider environment in which an organisation operates: its customers and competitors. For corporates, this is about establishing “competitive advantage”, and it’s often interesting to work out how companies enter new markets (especially the BRIC emerging economies), and what barriers there might be for companies competing effectively in critical markets.
Commercial awareness generally means an understanding of a client’s business and the industry or sector in which it operates. It is a key competency for applicants. It involves not only keeping up to date with commercial issues and it is also about being able to demonstrate commercial awareness through any business/work experience and, specifically, the applicant’s understanding of the type of firm to which they are applying. Clients seek business solutions, presented in a way that makes sense. An understanding that a law firm operates in a competitive industry is also considered as being commercially aware.
As a result you may be expected to demonstrate an understanding as to how the firm markets itself to its clients. To know who the firm’s main competitors are. To explain how you would attract a potential client by explaining the unique selling points of the firm. For example, if you’re applying to a foreign firm, it’s not inconceivable you could be asked who the major players are in that particular market (e.g. the US market). In addition to this you will be expected to know about the practice areas in which the firm or chambers operate and to be aware of key changes in legislation and the economic market which may affect the way in which they operate.
Have you done a LL.M. in international commercial law where you might have gained important experience in drafting or case analysis in this particular field of law? A LL.M. can teach you a lot of basic international corporate law, practical drafting and commercial research case analysis skills. Have you even done a M.B.A. where you have studied business management in great detail? You could also think about participating in any student societies where you are doing the GDL or LPC – these are very active the vast majority of “learning providers”.
Mention any business/commercial experience you have had, including non-legal work and/or roles which involve dealing with clients or members of the public. Have you ever been a Director of a private limited company yourself? This can highlight your awareness of customer needs and expectations. Were you ever given the task of improving a current service or product? Did you add value to it? If so, how did you go about it, what factors did you have to take into consideration? Are you able to identify the long term and short term goals of an organisation or a project? Thinking in terms of a SWOT (the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the firm or legal sector, or PESTEL, can be helpful.
Did you have a key role in any society committees at school or university? Were you given a financial role? Any of these can be good indicators that you have had to think about different perspectives in the market place.
Have you ever raised money for a charity, secured sponsorship for a key event? What process did you go through to secure the funds? ?Read the business press regularly. Try to know something about current leading stories/issues, and how they might have an impact on the firm’s clients. Look out for stories that will affect the firm to which you are applying, or its clients, directly or indirectly.
Look at the BBC news and business website. Read also publications like the Financial Times, the Economist, and The Lawyer. There are business related programmes on BBC Radio which are also available to listen again on-line and as podcasts such as:
The Bottom Line (with @EvanHD) http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bottomline “Insight into business from the people at the top. Evan Davis meets influential business leaders for a round table conversation about the issues that matter to their companies and their customers.”
www.lawcareers.net/Information/BurningQuestion/Introduction.aspx
http://targetjobs.co.uk/law-solicitors/articleview-48s_20a_2733.aspx
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law
Proactivity
Describe an occasion when you spotted an opportunity to make an improvement in ‘going the extra mile’, and took action without being asked to do so. What steps did you take? What was the outcome? Explain why you think this attribute is relevant for a solicitor.
This question is testing your problem solving ability. Detail what the issue was, why it was difficult and then what you did to resolve it. If you are talking about a group activity, do not put ‘we’ – they are interested in what you did. As with all your answers use this question to differentiate yourself i.e. make it personal and substantiate what you say with specific examples.
Aspects of a good answer might be as follows.
- Use initiative to act on opportunities. Become a leader before other people view you as one. Healthy organisations often reward those who take the lead, not just those with formal management roles.
- Take responsibility for own objectives: set priorities. Display a “can do” attitude even in demanding situations. Try to solve problems, rather than to pass them on to other people.
- “Go the extra mile” when asked to do tasks. Go beyond your job description. Do work that gets you noticed. Show enthusiasm: this will be noticed and you will eventually be rewarded.
- Take ownership of problems: anticipate potential problems, take pre-emptive action and act quickly to resolve problems. Develop innovative practices. Value innovative thinking.
- Learn new skills that will enhance capability.
Flexibility
Describe a time that you have had to change your approach to a project or task halfway through. What changes did you have to make? Why did you need to make these changes? What was the outcome?
This means that you are able to modify your approach to achieve a goal, and you are open to change and new information; you can rapidly adapt to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Legal recuiters are often looking for the following aspects.
1. Values need for flexibility:
- Accepts that other people’s points of view are reasonable or valid.
- Acknowledges that people are entitled to their opinions, and accepts that they are different.
- Steps into colleagues’ tasks when needed or required.
2. Demonstrates flexibility:
- Works creatively within standard procedures to fit a specific situation.
- Understands policies and can work within them to meet office, work group, team or individual goals.
3. Adapts approach:
- Changes one’s approach as required to achieve intended outcomes.
- Prioritises actions effectively in order to respond to numerous, diverse challenges and demands.
4. Adapts strategy:
- Changes the overall service plan and implements new practices when original approach and assumptions are no longer valid.
- Able to shift strategic focus and activities quickly in response to changing organizational priorities.
Teamwork
Teamwork is considered crucial to functioning well as a trainee/junior in a corporate law firm.
Please give an example of a situation where you were required to work in a team to accomplish an important objective and describe your role in achieving this objective
A law student who is good at teamwork might:
- Believe that working together with others or in teams gives higher synergies to self and the teams, and therefore is positive and enthusiastic about teamwork and team building.
- Contributes significantly when working as a member of a team or when working as a team leader to build a strong team; respects all the members of the team and cooperates with every team member and the team leader.
- Provides help and support to those team members who are in need of help and support, and shares relevant knowledge and information with all the team members including the team leader.
- Maintains the required level of communication in terms of quality, quantity and timeliness with the team members and the team leader.
- When working as a team leader, facilitates developing team goals with team members’ participation.
- Motivates the team members while working as a leader of the team or even when working as a member of the team, building up high team morale; creates a sense or feeling of cohesiveness among the fellow members.
- Is good at resolving the conflicts that might arise due to diverse personalities of various team members.
- When the members seem to err from the shared mission, goals and priorities, brings them back on the desired focus.
- Seeks for each and every member’s active and enthusiastic participation all the time and accordingly motivates the members who seem to be getting disinterested or tuned out from time to time.
- Makes every member feel that each one’s work or contribution is equally important.
- Shares credit for success of team with all the others in the team.
- Celebrates the team’s success together with all the others in the team.
- Makes sure that the various teams do not become islands in themselves and form unnecessary boundaries around them.
Defining qualities of the candidate
What can you tell us about yourself that sets you apart from other applicants, and which are convincing reasons why we should recruit you?
In a sense, your answer to this question is to some extent governed by your personal qualities not covered elsewhere in the form. Here are some further competences which might be relevant here.
Integrity
A trainee will be expected to upholds the principles of the current SRA Code of Conduct. Some aspects might include:
- Holds to a laudable value structure all the time and in all the situations.
- Practices integrity while dealing with everyone and therefore is regarded as trustworthy person.
- Does not turn and twist the information to gain something or to score a point in an underhand manner.
- Uses confidential information confidentially. Does not divulge the confidential information even under any body’s pressure.
- Does not indulge in any kind of corruption or corrupt practices.
- Motivates others to practice integrity by being an example to others.
Leadership
Some aspects might include:
- Can envision the advancement and growth opportunities.
- Possesses abilities for high degree of conceptualization, strategizing and analysis.
- Demonstrates high achievement orientation. Therefore, emphasizes commitment, accountability, action orientation and results.
- Adept at interpersonal relationships and puts emotional intelligence in action.
- Excellent communicator.
- Uses his excellent influencing skills for bringing out the desired consensus, decisions and actions.
- Very good at decision making processes and once decisions are reached, displays firmness and decisiveness in implementation.
- Displays required flexibility and adaptability in different situations and times.
- Is great team builder and team player. Provides necessary support and cooperativeness.
- Possesses high commercial awareness and business acumen.
- Develops many next line leaders.
[There are other competences discussed in this factsheet which might be relevant to this question as well.]
Communication skills
All solicitors at [X] work with a wide range of people so need to be able to persuade, influence and display effective communication skills. Describe a situation when you have had to communicate effectively.
You should think of various forms of effective communications, e.g. oral presentations, written papers, written papers, drafting, interviewing or advising (on the LPC), practical legal research (on the LPC), blogging, participating in podcasts, and how you have adapted your method of communication according to the target audience. Your answer is bound to be more compelling if you can give concrete examples. Some related specific competences are given as below.
Persuasion
One scenario where persuading skills can be important is the job interview, but the following tips are valuable in many other settings.
- Focus on the needs of the other party. Take time to listen to them carefully and find out about their interests and expectations. This shows that you are really interested in them and they are then more likely to trust and respect you. It will also make it easier for you to outline the benefits of your proposal in terms they understand.
- Argue your case with logic. Do careful research on your ideas and those of your competitors (if there are any) and make sure that any claims you make can be verified.
- Use positive rather than negative language: instead of saying “You’re wrong about this”, say “That’s true but ….”, “That’s an excellent idea, but if we look more deeply …..” or “I agree with what you say but have you considered ….”.
Listening
Some aspects might include:
- Believes that listening strengthens the quality of communication, interpersonal relations, human relations, emotional intelligence, conflict management and team management.
- Every interaction requires one to respond and since the quality of response depends on the quality of listening, tries to improve quality of his listening constantly.
- Thus, listens to understand the other person and not just to react, reply, control or manipulate the other person. By understanding the other person properly, can respond or act in the best possible manner.
- Generally respects other people and demonstrates openness and trust through his body language and spoken words.
- Then, paves way to influencing the people in right directions by diagnosing the issues and concerns of others in a better way for effective problem solving.
- Promotes a more participative style of managing by involving people.
Conflict and pressure
The success of [X] is built on the self-motivation and applied effort of all its employees, as demonstrated by their ability to work through setbacks coping effectively with conflict and pressure. Describe a situation when you have had to deal with conflict and pressure. Which other people involved? What did you learn about yourself?
Some aspects might include the observations that the law student:
- Recognises the fact that conflicts are quite natural in any organization and yet these need appropriate redressing to move on with apt solutions, thereforeis willing to take up the responsibility of managing and resolving the conflict.
- Can think through clearly in a conflicting situation.
- Keeps his eyes constantly on the desired goals and therefore, does not drift away from them despite conflicting arguments and points of views.
- Listens well and patiently all the conflicting arguments and presentations.
- Controls the people and their communication patterns in the discussions that takes place when resolving a conflict.
- Facilitates the innovative and creative thinking of the people caught up in the conflict.
- Does not take sides of any particular set of people or their thinking. Rather, tries to facilitate working out genuinely appropriate and optimal solutions.
- Contributes his own inputs, ideas, creativity and analysis to supplement the missing or erroneous information and thus uncover the real issues and reasons that led to the conflict. Then proceeds to help find the answers.
- Gains agreements without leaving behind any bitter taste or disrupting the human relationships.
- Is proactive and as far as possible anticipates the conflicting situations and dissolves them well before they turn into conflicts.
Commitment to excellence
Describe an occasion when you have demonstrated commitment to a task or project that resulted in you exceeding expectations either for yourself or others. What steps did you take? What was the outcome?
You will be able to achieve the excellence in any skill or competency only if you rehearse or practice the learned skill a large number of times. Knowledge alone is no guarantee for achieving great levels in skills or competencies. For example, only if you start swimming, you will become a swimmer; mere knowledge of swimming or great theories of swimming will not automatically make you even an ordinary swimmer. Knowledge surely helps and is a must but without doing, it is of no use to you. Implementation of knowledge is the name of the game. Wisdom is in knowing what to do and how to do but the virtue is doing it.
It’s said that you should become both consciously and unconsciously competent in your strive for excellence. Consciously competent means gaining the knowledge about the skill to be mastered and begin practicing the knowledge gained (example: gaining knowledge on how to swim using proper styles of swimming and start swimming using the right styles of swimming). On the other hand, unconsciously competent means keep practicing the knowledge gained till you gain mastery in the skill (example: you have now become an expert swimmer since you have been swimming using the proper styles of swimming over number of hours and you can now give yourself 9 on 10 or even 10 on 10). For greater success in life, you should try to reach the unconsciously competent level in the skills required by you for your professional, personal, family and social activities/tasks/projects.
Personal challenge
Describe a significant challenge that you have faced outside of your academic studies ideally from the last 2 years. How did you initially analyse the challenge? What approach did you take to solving it? What did you learn from this challenge?
Successful answers to these sorts of questions need to be as concrete as possible. Supply specific detail on the situation, the actions taken and the results achieved. Figures can be particularly useful in this context.Your example need not be “big”. Go for something you genuinely believe to be a real achievement rather than give them something you think they want to hear – it’ll be more convincing. The important thing is to set it in context. Explain why it was significant to you – if you’re unsporty, uncoordinated and broke your leg six months previously, learning to stay upright while sliding a few hundred metres downhill may well have been a major achievement. A useful device is the Trojan horse technique, which allows you to smuggle in other examples as in “ I considered selecting one of several achievements, including x and y. However I have chosen z because…….”
Aspects of a convincing answer might include the following.
1. Recognises Lack of Success:
Acknowledges areas where expectations are not met, and provides reasons which may or may not involve self.
2. Remains Positive:
Re-energises after loss or failure or after encountering a significant hurdle to readdress the situation and to overcome it; approaches new situations with continuing positive outlook, despite previous disappointments.
3. Takes Responsibility:
Acknowledges personal responsibility for outcomes, even when not all elements of a situation are within direct control but could have been personally managed.
4. Learns from Mistakes and Successes:
Analyses situations on an ongoing basis to improve own performance; designs a personal action plan to address own issues constructively and decisively.
5. Shares Learning with Team:
Deals openly with failure by bringing team together to define specific problems and present solutions; may involve team in diagnosis and in developing solutions to effectively transfer knowledge into the organisation.
Mitigating circumstances
Are there any important mitigating circumstances why you feel the exam results you have listed do not fully reflect your abilities?
There may be good reasons why you ‘underperformed’, due to recent bereavement, or illness and disease, and these should be set out with reference to documentary evidence where possible.
What is 'commercial awareness'? A student's perspective
What is ‘commercial awareness‘? Nearly all law firms call this ‘commercial awareness’ in recruitment (it’s on their website); Freshfields call it ‘commercial insight’ with a semantic difference that is important to them.
My understanding of commercial awareness has evolved somewhat with time. A very nice follower on my new thread @tc_applications wondered if one could put my BPP Legal Awareness Society as a legal tweep to follow. I was of course honoured, but the answer is clearly ‘no’ as I doubt any legal recruiters have heard of our student society at BPP, the BPP Legal Awareness Society, although we’ve had a year’s worth of successful activities promoting the importance of regulation to corporate strategy. Besides, there are far more authoritative threads to follow, such as @GdnLaw or @EU_Commission. That’s from the perspective of a legal recruiter, mind you. I cover a lot of social justice, corporate and legal issues on my @legalaware thread.
So what about that dreaded question? Can you bottle ‘commercial awareness’, similar to ‘Eau de Commercial Awarenesss’. In a sense, yes, you can give somebody the tools to be commercial aware, but, given that I am physically disabled, I will never in my lifetime be able to beat Yusain Bolt in the 100m. Like other aspects of business life, you can run courses and workshops in subjects such as marketing, corporate finance, leadership, and even corporate awareness itself.
My framework for understanding ‘commercial awarneness’ has changed over time. To begin with, it was very much ‘being seen’ to attend events, to demonstrate commercial awareness. However, it’s clearly more than that. I don’t even think it’s to do with the huge amount of international commercial law I learnt in my LLM at the College of Law, or business management I learnt in my MBA this year. We covered all ‘the usual suspects’ ranging from leadership to international capital markets and loans.
Asking a future corporate trainee about commercial awareness in a sense is like asking a future junior doctor, who’ll be doing 5 billion phlebotomy sessions in their time, whether they like the actual subject of medicine before subjecting them to an on-call covering the Bank Holiday weekend. Or maybe it’s similar to asking a future cardiology registrar to write 200 words on their awareness of the physiology of the heart and cardiovascular system.
For me, I have learnt most about corporate law life, without any of the mundane aspects of doing the job for real, by keeping my ears close to the news. I understand the vocabulary of law and business from my degrees, but it’s very different to doing the job.
For example, I set up a website this year, ‘Legal Recruit‘, to help individuals tackle their online training contract assessments. This has been very successful, as I’ve had to consider carefully issues about pricing, quality, marketing, e-commerce, budgeting, and operations management. I have had to understand also intellectual property in delivering this, in particular being meticulous about the fact that I should not infringe intellectual property, and also I have considered carefully the branding issues, in making it extremely clear that it is an independent venture from students in my student society, and nothing to do with BPP. It has therefore be a minefield, but this is real life. I have gone through the motions of incorporating my own private limited company with Companies House, and therefore the Business Legal Practice course will mean something to me when I start it at BPP next week (as part of the Legal Practice Course).
So can you learn it from a book? Probably not. It’s for legal recruiters to mark it using whatever ‘matrix’ they wish. I feel it is about living a life that understands ‘competitive advantage’ for corporates. I believe that understanding, anticipating and implementing law and regulation all contribute to giving a corporate competitive advantage. Take for example the fact that BPP has a Business School, but the College of Law doesn’t (and to build one overnight would be impossible). This has implications for how they can organise commercial awareness curriculums (sic) in their law courses. I am currently doing the LPC, and I’ve been struck how little commercial awareness my student colleagues appear to have, simply in terms of knowing what’s going on in the business world around them.
The LegalAware Training Contract Applicant Of The Year Award Competition 2011
It is with great It is with pleasure that @legalaware and @tc_applications announce the first ever “Training Contract Applicant Of The Year Award” for 2011. Modelled on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award #SPOTY, the winner will be:
Training Contract Applicant Of The Year
Next year, if there is a sufficient number of entries, prizes will also be awarded for:
Best International Student Entry
Best Legal Education Team
Best Newcomer
Anyone can in fact enter this competition. It’s only for fun – you could be a lawyer, law teacher, law student, legal recruiter, or none of the above.
Unlike most ‘marking matrices’ commonly used by corporate law firm HR specialists, each question will be marked on the following basis:
Spelling and grammar 5
Relevance 5
Humour 10
Interest 10
Each question will be double-marked. All competition entries should be through a valid e-mail address, although entries can be anonymous. If you work for a law firm, you must never give your real name or firm details. Answers should be emailed to correspondence@lasmeetings.org
There is a word limit of 100 words per question. You may decide that you wish to answer in much fewer words. In the event of a tie, a winner will be selected at random.
This year’s questions are as follows.
1. Describe an example of team in which you have taken part. What did you learn from this experience?
2. Describe an example of where you have demonstrated commercial awareness.
It’s important to realise that this is a spoof of online training contract application forms. Therefore the panel is looking for comical examples you’d never put in a real application!
The prize will be the prestigious award at a prestigious awards ceremony at a prestigious hotel in London, sometime in the future. The best answers will be published, with the permission of the contestant, in a blogpost in early 2012.
Deadline: January 3rd 2012.
Best of luck!
A new podcasting initiative from BPP Legal Awareness and Commercial Awareness Student Societies
Harry Walker, President of the Commercial Awareness Society at BPP, and I have decided to launch immediately a series of podcasts.
These podcasts will be recorded by me using mobile apparatus (a MacBook Air and Yeti microphone).
The podcasts will cover issues interesting to members of our BPP student societies which are complementary. The BPP Legal Awareness Society promotes the importance of law to business, and the BPP Commercial Awareness Society promotes the importance of business to law.
The podcasts will therefore be considering topical issues of importance to our members, such as the Legal Services Act, anti-bribery legislation and ringfencing in financial regulation.
The podcasts are wholly a project of the aforementioned student societies, and BPP has no involvement. Any views or opinions in the podcasts are personal to the authors, and will be the responsibility of the BPP Legal Awareness Society and the BPP Commercial Awareness Society.
This podcast is a great way to demonstrate on training contract or vacation placement application forms that you have an ability to work in teams and that you are developing commercial awareness, which is a very important competence for trainee corporate lawyers.
Harry and I are recruiting for a team of BPP students without delay, with a view to an immediate start in recruitment for the podcast and its recording. Selection will be done on a first-come basis. You don’t have to be at BPP to participate, but priority will be given to members of BPP.
No prior experience or in-depth knowledge of law/business is necessary.
To express an interest, please email as soon as possible to correspondence@lasmeetings.org putting ‘podcasts’ in the subject line.