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2nd year law student query on a legal career within the corporate world
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<blockquote data-quote="James Carrabino" data-source="post: 90525" data-attributes="member: 16764"><p>Hi Aleksandar,</p><p></p><p>First of all, congratulations on your 70% during first year - that is a very difficult feat by itself!</p><p></p><p>Secondly, you will be pleased to know that many firms simply don't take A Level grades into account. [USER=17473]@WillkieGemma[/USER] attests to the fact that Willkie does not specify A Level grades here: <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/ask-willkie-farr-gallagher-anything.4439/post-90305" target="_blank">https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/ask-willkie-farr-gallagher-anything.4439/post-90305</a>. There are some firms that do consider A Levels significantly, but plenty that don't - this alone should not be your reason for not applying, especially considering how well you are doing at uni.</p><p></p><p>In answer to your first point about a PhD - it can definitely make you stand out, but not in the way you might think. There is nothing about a PhD that law firms will specifically value as preparing you for the practice of law, unless perhaps it is a very specific area of law such as IP, but a PhD is not necessary even then. A PhD will, however, make a difference in that it will make you a unique candidate. In the same way that some candidates perhaps competed in a sport at a national level or spent time volunteering for an international charity, your PhD will define who you are as a person. As a result, it should really only be something you do if you are deeply passionate about the topic; the degree itself will not make a difference in your law applications, but your excellence within a field and your commitment to a course of study would demonstrate some of the unique qualities and competencies that law firms are looking for. A PhD is absolutely not a substitute for work experience or for anything else; it is something you should do (and not be afraid of doing) if it is something you really want to do, completely regardless of your future career as a solicitor. Therefore, in response to your second point, I <em>don't</em> think that a PhD will help demonstrate your commitment to commercial law.</p><p></p><p>I think your priority now should be to obtain work experience - legal or non-legal. Legal work experience can be very useful (I noticed that my success rate of getting past the application stage increased by almost 600% between not having done a vac scheme before to having done one), but non-legal experience can equally showcase the skills needed for commercial law. Do research into a wide range of firms and apply for vacation schemes at firms that you judge to value your unique experiences.</p><p></p><p>With good results at university, interesting work experience and well-polished application forms, you will be as good a candidate as any for the majority of firms, in my opinion. That is not to say you will find the process easy - we all find it tough! Nevertheless, you will then be able to have confidence that you are in the right position to be applying for training contracts and we will be able to help you with application technique and interview preparation. I hope that this all helps <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="James Carrabino, post: 90525, member: 16764"] Hi Aleksandar, First of all, congratulations on your 70% during first year - that is a very difficult feat by itself! Secondly, you will be pleased to know that many firms simply don't take A Level grades into account. [USER=17473]@WillkieGemma[/USER] attests to the fact that Willkie does not specify A Level grades here: [URL]https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/ask-willkie-farr-gallagher-anything.4439/post-90305[/URL]. There are some firms that do consider A Levels significantly, but plenty that don't - this alone should not be your reason for not applying, especially considering how well you are doing at uni. In answer to your first point about a PhD - it can definitely make you stand out, but not in the way you might think. There is nothing about a PhD that law firms will specifically value as preparing you for the practice of law, unless perhaps it is a very specific area of law such as IP, but a PhD is not necessary even then. A PhD will, however, make a difference in that it will make you a unique candidate. In the same way that some candidates perhaps competed in a sport at a national level or spent time volunteering for an international charity, your PhD will define who you are as a person. As a result, it should really only be something you do if you are deeply passionate about the topic; the degree itself will not make a difference in your law applications, but your excellence within a field and your commitment to a course of study would demonstrate some of the unique qualities and competencies that law firms are looking for. A PhD is absolutely not a substitute for work experience or for anything else; it is something you should do (and not be afraid of doing) if it is something you really want to do, completely regardless of your future career as a solicitor. Therefore, in response to your second point, I [I]don't[/I] think that a PhD will help demonstrate your commitment to commercial law. I think your priority now should be to obtain work experience - legal or non-legal. Legal work experience can be very useful (I noticed that my success rate of getting past the application stage increased by almost 600% between not having done a vac scheme before to having done one), but non-legal experience can equally showcase the skills needed for commercial law. Do research into a wide range of firms and apply for vacation schemes at firms that you judge to value your unique experiences. With good results at university, interesting work experience and well-polished application forms, you will be as good a candidate as any for the majority of firms, in my opinion. That is not to say you will find the process easy - we all find it tough! Nevertheless, you will then be able to have confidence that you are in the right position to be applying for training contracts and we will be able to help you with application technique and interview preparation. I hope that this all helps :) [/QUOTE]
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