Managing expectations and general advice

[theaspiringrealestatelawyer]

Hi all,

I’ll be starting the MA Law Conversion course part-time at the University of Law later this year. Unfortunately, the firm I currently work for doesn’t offer funding for the course, which is a significant factor for me as I come from a lower-income background.

Unfortunately, I've also already taken out a postgraduate loan when I began studying at BPP in 2023. I dropped out a few months into the course due to issues with the university such as mismanagement, admin, and frequent phone calls threatening to remove me from the course because I couldn’t provide my undergraduate results at the time, as they were delayed due to the marking boycott and strikes (For context, I graduated in July 2023 but didn't receive my final degree classification until January 2024).

As a result, I’ll be applying for training contracts in hopes of securing some funding. I’ve spent some time improving my CV in preparation and would really appreciate any feedback, so I can give myself the best possible chance of securing a TC. I’ve redacted and changed some details to remain anonymous.

The only potential concern I have is that I scraped a pass in one of my second-year modules. Will this limit the firms I can apply to?

My top firms are DLA Piper, BCLP, Clifford Chance, Addleshaw Goddard, and Pinsent Masons. Do I realistically have a chance, or should I manage my expectations?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[theaspiringrealestatelawyer]

Also, is there anything else I can do between now and application season to boost my application?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Some feedback on your CV:

• I would remove the table formatting - this is creating a lot of unused space in your CV on the left hand column. It is also making the formatting slightly odd in places, such as how your certificates are listed (there is no reason why these need to be across two lines).
• I would also put the dates on the right hand side rather than the left. Your dates are actually the least important information, and because your reader reads left to right, you want to put the most important information first (e.g. your job title).
• If you are applying to TC/VS opportunities, put your academics ahead of your work experience
• You don't need to say things like "top 40 national firm" if your employer's name is on your CV.
• Try to avoid the use of "I" or "my" when writing descriptions - for instance "I was selected to accompany" can just be "Selected to accompany" in bullet points.
• Similarly "I was responsible for overseeing the monthly..." can be "Oversaw the monthly..."
• Similarly "Got the opportunity to speak with..." can be "Spoke with..."
• I would add the dates of when you completed the Forage programmes
• I would write your degree classification as 2:1 rather than "second class (division 1)".
• I would include additional sections of your CV:
  • Non-legal work experience (part-time jobs etc)
  • Extracurriculars (any extracurriculars done at school, college, or university)
  • Skills: languages, knowledge of legal systems/software

For anyone interested, we provide a full CV review service that can be found here. With the CV review, we work on changing the formatting/layout and make recommendations for improving the content, focusing on the detail and language used to improve how your descriptions sell your experiences clearly.

 

[Jessica Booker]

The only potential concern I have is that I scraped a pass in one of my second-year modules. Will this limit the firms I can apply to?

My top firms are DLA Piper, BCLP, Clifford Chance, Addleshaw Goddard, and Pinsent Masons. Do I realistically have a chance, or should I manage my expectations?

Many thanks in advance!

One module being a pass is not going to be an issue for the vast majority of firms, and especially if your other modules are consistent. I don't think this will limit you for the type of firms you have listed below anyway.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Also, is there anything else I can do between now and application season to boost my application?

I would recommend applying to open days/insight programmes.

You may find it difficult to do vacation schemes where you are working for a direct competitor, both in terms of getting time off work and agreement from your current employer to work for a competitors (or general conflict checks). Therefore, interacting with firms via open days and insight programmes is likely to be much easier for you but will help build out your CV/application form while showing interest in these type of firms and building out your knowledge for future VS or TC applications.