Ashour's Journey to a TC

[Mohamed Ashour]

Hi there.
Key Takeaways from my call with Jessica Booker;

• Don't underestimate your level of commercial awareness, it depends more on your analytical skills, intrigue and interest rather than a set of known facts.
• Engage with trainees and solicitors, find common ground and similar interest!
• I shouldn't attach my C.V unless asked for.
• Regarding your interests in Pro bono or mentoring schemes etc, be forward thinking especially if you don't have any prior experience (like me).

Today I should have finished Taylor Wessing application, but I didn't I only finished "why commercial law" which is very disappointing...

Reasons:

1. procrastination, I didn't motivate myself enough.
2. underestimated time needed to answer "why commercial law"

I'll give Talyor Wessing app two more days maximum where I'll start with the rest of motivational questions.

 

[AvniD]

Hi there.
Key Takeaways from my call with Jessica Booker;

• Don't underestimate your level of commercial awareness, it depends more on your analytical skills, intrigue and interest rather than a set of known facts.
• Engage with trainees and solicitors, find common ground and similar interest!
• I shouldn't attach my C.V unless asked for.
• Regarding your interests in Pro bono or mentoring schemes etc, be forward thinking especially if you don't have any prior experience (like me).

Today I should have finished Taylor Wessing application, but I didn't I only finished "why commercial law" which is very disappointing...

Reasons:

1. procrastination, I didn't motivate myself enough.
2. underestimated time needed to answer "why commercial law"

I'll give Talyor Wessing app two more days maximum where I'll start with the rest of motivational questions.

It's inspiring to see your consistency in posting these updates @Mohamed Ashour!

It took me a few months to understand this, but I cannot stress the importance of seemingly passive effort enough, especially when answering motivational questions. The kind of questions that one gets asked on application answers and in interviews requires a certain level of introspection. In other words, a big part of the application process is allowing yourself time to think and mull over how you'd like to answer application questions, especially as you draft your first few applications and are beginning to figure out your motivations for working in commercial law.

This is also how your answers will stand out in comparison to others because you've taken the time to reflect, find and convey the factors driving your motivations. This is probably why it took you time to answer why commercial law, and this honestly is completely fine!

Looking forward to reading your next updates!

 

[Maria d'Orey]

Hi @Mohamed Ashour !

Your updates are really inspiring! I really like how you included deadlines for each one of your tasks - it's amazing to see how much application work you can get done in one day.

Best of luck in your Taylor Wessing submission! 🌟

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

Hi there!

@AvniD That took lots of digging! and I made it to the bottom, or I believe so! but I think it will only get better form here over the next few applications!
Can't thank you enough!
@Maria d'Orey Tanks for the support really appreciate it!

• I finished drafting Talyor Wessing application!
• Kept doing my commercial awareness share of Watson's daily and podcasts, TCLA emails and whatever i get my hands on!
• but didn't keep on my goal on Watson glacer.

Tomorrow I'll put the finishing touches and submit the application and begin research on the next firm!
the application isn't perfect it has some defects, but I did my best and there much room for improvement and I learned a lot, but I'll go ahead.
and I feel happy like I just received VC offer quite naive but I'm glad finished this one already!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and amazing support!

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

New week, new goals!

didn't hear anything form Taylor Wessing yet but I know I did these mistakes

• Didn't show my research on the firm although I spent some good time doing this.
• nearing and the deadline I rushed a couple answers and did some unnecessary changes which had a negative effect on the overall quality

for the new with two major goals in mind

• Enhance my commercial awareness to a new level
• Finish an application for Linklaters middle east and send it for review!

I'll;

1. spend 3 hours daily on Research for 3 days
2. identify and approach key individuals in (A&O, Linklaters, CMS and Ashurst)
3. finish Develop your commercial awareness course
4. submit an article for a local competition organized by thndr (an Egyptian investment app) on what is currency devaluation and the impacts on economy/market by this Thursday!

 

[AvniD]

New week, new goals!

didn't hear anything form Taylor Wessing yet but I know I did these mistakes

• Didn't show my research on the firm although I spent some good time doing this.
• nearing and the deadline I rushed a couple answers and did some unnecessary changes which had a negative effect on the overall quality

for the new with two major goals in mind

• Enhance my commercial awareness to a new level
• Finish an application for Linklaters middle east and send it for review!

I'll will;

1. spend 3 hours daily on Research for 3 days
2. identify and approach key individuals in (A&O, Linklaters, CMS and Ashurst)
3. finish Develop your commercial awareness course
4. submit an article for a local competition organized by thndr (an Egyptian investment app) on what is currency devaluation and the impacts on economy/market by this Thursday!

Kudos for being consistent for another week! I think your goals are reasonable but I would review to which level you would like to enhance your commercial awareness in a week. Is it the number of articles you read in a day or how how many solutions/issues you're able to identify as you read an article?

I'd also be careful about time management- three hours a day on research can be tiring so I'd be careful about scheduling this when you're most productive and setting goals of the kind of research you want to undertake. Do you want to find how many sectors a firm specialises in, what their ethos, recent business deals etc.

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

Well, I meant to a new level is to take the develop your commercial awareness course and write 2 articles weekly. as for research, I love doing research and digging up information, I never met with the firm, so I try to compensate with proper research to give any edge over other candidates. and I use a set of questions mentioned by Jasen earlier in this thread.

I found the course really enjoyable, but it will take two-three weeks to finish.

so today I should:

1. spend 3 hours on research.
2. 1 hour on the course.
3. 1 hour for my article.

Thanks @AvniD !

 

[Jaysen]

Well, I meant to a new level is to take the develop your commercial awareness course and write 2 articles weekly. as for research, I love doing research and digging up information, I never met with the firm, so I try to compensate with proper research to give any edge over other candidates. and I use a set of questions mentioned by Jasen earlier in this thread.

I found the course really enjoyable, but it will take two-three weeks to finish.

so today I should:

1. spend 3 hours on research.
2. 1 hour on the course.
3. 1 hour for my article.

Thanks @AvniD !

Keep it up Mohamed! How are you getting on with your Linklaters application?

 

[j.s.cox]

Well, I meant to a new level is to take the develop your commercial awareness course and write 2 articles weekly. as for research, I love doing research and digging up information, I never met with the firm, so I try to compensate with proper research to give any edge over other candidates. and I use a set of questions mentioned by Jasen earlier in this thread.

I found the course really enjoyable, but it will take two-three weeks to finish.

so today I should:

1. spend 3 hours on research.
2. 1 hour on the course.
3. 1 hour for my article.

Thanks @AvniD !

How did this go? I'd love to read your article if you're up for it. I'm so impressed at how much time you are able to set aside for your goals, so I really hope to be hearing about your successes soon! I've really felt a boost from how you've supported my journey and I'd love to be able to support yours too.

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

A Monthly Review!
it has been a moth now since I joined TCLA and here is what I achieved so far.

• TCLA Courses: I finished 75% of the (Write law firm applications) this course is a winner, changed how I looked to my experiences entirely. 29% of law firm profiles, and here I started to see the differences of each firm, a strong base to start any sort of firm research and always go back to it. 28% of the Watson Glacer course. 4% of the develop your commercial awareness understand the city, to be put simply it's taking me to whole new level.

• Law firm applications: I applied to Talyor Wessing only, though I wanted to finish Linklaters today, but I got a little sick last week, but I'll be better next weekend (nothing to worry about). that's why I stopped putting goals, but I tried to put as much work as I could, but the Linklater's draft is almost ready!

• Commercial awareness: I didn't write any article that I intended to do, some are half finished or half researched, which is frustrating because I enjoy them. I kept reading Watson's daily every single day, didn't miss these Thursday zoom calls (except for one) I scroll through the FT. not only that but I'm starting to figure how should I look at these stories and what is the theme here? how does it affect certain industries and the companies within these industries.

unto some lessons:

in the matter of a month, I created a goal and TCLA helped me shape the road to that goal. Self-Worth as learned more about my experiences and their true value and to stand proud to my achievements. Inspiration my first instinct when I see someone ahead of me was to be jealous and look down on myself, but I learned to push myself and alter that mindset in order to take lessons from them and appreciate their hard work. Dreams you can imagine them then they're real, put down a strategy turn it into a plan consisting of certain number of goals and that's success for you!

now to new goals

• back to writing articles, even though I missed on the competition, but I'll finish it before the weekend.
• spend 1 hour on develop your commercial awareness course
• have the draft for Linklaters ready by Saturday!
• Take the Linklaters VE for the middle east tomorrow.

@j.s.cox I'll upload that article here as soon as I finish, and I'll wait for your review and would love to get your support!
@Jaysen Well thanks for checking and I'm back to action!

 

[AvniD]

A Monthly Review!
it has been a moth now since I joined TCLA and here is what I achieved so far.

• TCLA Courses: I finished 75% of the (Write law firm applications) this course is a winner, changed how I looked to my experiences entirely. 29% of law firm profiles, and here I started to see the differences of each firm, a strong base to start any sort of firm research and always go back to it. 28% of the Watson Glacer course. 4% of the develop your commercial awareness understand the city, to be put simply it's taking me to whole new level.

• Law firm applications: I applied to Talyor Wessing only, though I wanted to finish Linklaters today, but I got a little sick last week, but I'll be better next weekend (nothing to worry about). that's why I stopped putting goals, but I tried to put as much work as I could, but the Linklater's draft is almost ready!

• Commercial awareness: I didn't write any article that I intended to do, some are half finished or half researched, which is frustrating because I enjoy them. I kept reading Watson's daily every single day, didn't miss these Thursday zoom calls (except for one) I scroll through the FT. not only that but I'm starting to figure how should I look at these stories and what is the theme here? how does it affect certain industries and the companies within these industries.

unto some lessons:

in the matter of a month, I created a goal and TCLA helped me shape the road to that goal. Self-Worth as learned more about my experiences and their true value and to stand proud to my achievements. Inspiration my first instinct when I see someone ahead of me was to be jealous and look down on myself, but I learned to push myself and alter that mindset in order to take lessons from them and appreciate their hard work. Dreams you can imagine them then they're real, put down a strategy turn it into a plan consisting of certain number of goals and that's success for you!

now to new goals

• back to writing articles, even though I missed on the competition, but I'll finish it before the weekend.
• spend 1 hour on develop your commercial awareness course
• have the draft for Linklaters ready by Saturday!
• Take the Linklaters VE for the middle east tomorrow.

@j.s.cox I'll upload that article here as soon as I finish, and I'll wait for your review and would love to get your support!
@Jaysen Well thanks for checking and I'm back to action!

What a month @Mohamed Ashour! You've accomplished some pretty great things 👏 👏 👏 I really resonate with you self-worth learning- valuing your experiences first is the only way you can get others to value them! You've identified this well.

I'm glad you've been on top of your commercial awareness- that is fantastic! Understanding the FT as a student/someone early in their career is no small feat and its a testament to your consistency.

Cannot wait for your next update!

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

Commercial awareness: I finally did it, my first article on Currency devaluation, this relevant in Egypt as we Floated the pound. the implications are wide on different industries and the attractiveness of the country for foreign investors. I'd love to hear everyone's opinion and any comments!

• also, I found that questions like what's the difference between asset purchase and share purchase appearing quiet frequently in interviews, that means you need to know these kinds of terms and understand them, but obviously you can't cover everything. so how should I tackle this? or is it a wrong assumption?

Applications: I've finished Linklater's application and sent it for review, should get it by Monday midnight,

• as for the next month I'm planning to apply to CMS, Allen & Overy, Clyde& co and Ashurst.
• by next weekend:

1. 4 hours on understand the financial markets.
2. finished research and drafting Allen & Overy application.

 

[AvniD]

Commercial awareness: I finally did it, my first article on Currency devaluation, this relevant in Egypt as we Floated the pound. the implications are wide on different industries and the attractiveness of the country for foreign investors. I'd love to hear everyone's opinion and any comments!

• also, I found that questions like what's the difference between asset purchase and share purchase appearing quiet frequently in interviews, that means you need to know these kinds of terms and understand them, but obviously you can't cover everything. so how should I tackle this? or is it a wrong assumption?

Applications: I've finished Linklater's application and sent it for review, should get it by Monday midnight,

• as for the next month I'm planning to apply to CMS, Allen & Overy, Clyde& co and Ashurst.
• by next weekend:

1. 4 hours on understand the financial markets.
2. finished research and drafting Allen & Overy application.

Well done on your first article! 👏 👏 👏

I would definitely encourage you to learn the difference between an asset and a share purchase as like you said, this comes up fairly frequently in legal speak and is central to many deals.

I think your analysis in the article is spot on- law firms will play a central role in figuring out the financing for deals post such a devaluation. But beyond this more transactional role, can you see an advisory role for law firms? How will a law firm want to ensure that their client knows the full impact a currency devaluation may have on their business? Say they would like to exercise call/put options or have a heavy export/import business, how will the law firm like to advise their client in each scenario?

Well done on getting your Linklaters app done! I hope you can send it off soon and that the outcome is in your favour 🤞

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

Getting back on track!
I did almost nothing last week and achieved none of the goals I set due to some personal issues. and I love comebacks, so I began this week with an application to Linklaters and did their Cap assessment and Watson glacer test. I received their report on the first assessment, it says my highest score was respect and working with others and the lowest score was commercial thinking. for my point of view, I'm still worthy... you can teach commercial thinking but not respect.

New Plan!

Resilience is a key component in any journey, so I have to overcome any obstacles, and it's not meant to be easy.
the plan which is basically the same as always has two main goals which is:

1. Commercial awareness: read one article from Watson's daily for last week and the new one to cover what I missed.
2. rather than writing articles I'll do a case study on a certain company in the energy sector based on the SWOT analysis by the end of this week.
3. apply to Allen & Overy by 10th of December

TCLA courses

• I finished Watson Glacer course for the third time today before i undertook the test with Linklater's today and I believe I did well.
• I'll commit 1 hour for the commercial awareness course again on daily basis for a total of 7 hours per this week.

 

[j.s.cox]

Getting back on track!
I did almost nothing last week and achieved none of the goals I set due to some personal issues. and I love comebacks, so I began this week with an application to Linklaters and did their Cap assessment and Watson glacer test. I received their report on the first assessment, it says my highest score was respect and working with others and the lowest score was commercial thinking. for my point of view, I'm still worthy... you can teach commercial thinking but not respect.

New Plan!

Resilience is a key component in any journey, so I have to overcome any obstacles, and it's not meant to be easy.
the plan which is basically the same as always has two main goals which is:

1. Commercial awareness: read one article from Watson's daily for last week and the new one to cover what I missed.
2. rather than writing articles I'll do a case study on a certain company in the energy sector based on the SWOT analysis by the end of this week.
3. apply to Allen & Overy by 10th of December

TCLA courses

• I finished Watson Glacer course for the third time today before i undertook the test with Linklater's today and I believe I did well.
• I'll commit 1 hour for the commercial awareness course again on daily basis for a total of 7 hours per this week.

Well done for getting back on track! I love that you are flexible with your goals and I think you are right about teaching commercial thinking over respect. Hopefully this bodes well for your Linklaters application.

I can't wait to read your case study on a company in the energy sector. This is actually something I was asked to produce at an interview before so it is definitely a valuable task.

 

[AvniD]

Getting back on track!
I did almost nothing last week and achieved none of the goals I set due to some personal issues. and I love comebacks, so I began this week with an application to Linklaters and did their Cap assessment and Watson glacer test. I received their report on the first assessment, it says my highest score was respect and working with others and the lowest score was commercial thinking. for my point of view, I'm still worthy... you can teach commercial thinking but not respect.

New Plan!

Resilience is a key component in any journey, so I have to overcome any obstacles, and it's not meant to be easy.
the plan which is basically the same as always has two main goals which is:

1. Commercial awareness: read one article from Watson's daily for last week and the new one to cover what I missed.
2. rather than writing articles I'll do a case study on a certain company in the energy sector based on the SWOT analysis by the end of this week.
3. apply to Allen & Overy by 10th of December

TCLA courses

• I finished Watson Glacer course for the third time today before i undertook the test with Linklater's today and I believe I did well.
• I'll commit 1 hour for the commercial awareness course again on daily basis for a total of 7 hours per this week.

I would take the Capp assessment test result with a pinch of salt- it is really not designed to be an accurate reflection of who you are as a person but rather a perception of how you react in a series of (generally unfamiliar) scenarios under timed conditions. I commend your positive outlook towards your result and agree with you that commercial thinking can still be easily learnt!

Your goals for this week are well thought- I'm looking forward to reading your SWOT Analysis! All the best!

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

It's has been a while since my last update and here is what happened.

1. I got rejection form TW and Linklaters; I scored a stunning 24% on Watson glacer and a clear sign what I should do for the next exam.
2. I didn't finish my case study.
3. I switched A&O for CMS and applied today, not too late I hope the Dubai role doesn't have the same competition)
4. I'm approaching my mid-year exams for my masters and it's getting tight.

• providing daily updates on this forum had a strong effect on my concentration and the sense of urgency followed me the entire day and I delivered better results with it. therefore, I'll resume my daily updates to push myself further and keep to my tight schedule.

the goals. 20th of Dec

1. finish studying 30% of my first module (International criminal law)
2. do the research on Kirkland and Ellis.

• this is part of my plan to study the module two times before the exam next Sunday. and to deliver an application to Kirkland and Ellis before Thursday.

It feels good to be back (again).

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

I didn't work!
studying for exams and applying to very tight deadlines has proven extremely difficult let alone commercial awareness.
that rules out Clyde&co for me and Kirkland and Ellis, and leaves with Ashurst and NRF on my list, I'm excited about Ashurst they have been amazing and very responsive even on LinkedIn, can I use that that in an application?

Daily goals:

1. I'll finish 50% of the first module
2. put a plan for Ashurst and set a new deadline.

 

[AvniD]

I didn't work!
studying for exams and applying to very tight deadlines has proven extremely difficult let alone commercial awareness.
that rules out Clyde&co for me and Kirkland and Ellis, and leaves with Ashurst and NRF on my list, I'm excited about Ashurst they have been amazing and very responsive even on LinkedIn, can I use that that in an application?

Daily goals:

1. I'll finish 50% of the first module
2. put a plan for Ashurst and set a new deadline.

@Mohamed Ashour happy new year! How was your holiday break? You mentioned having exams so I'm guessing it was pretty prep-heavy!

How are you feeling about your applications during exam season? Is there anything I can support you with?

 

[Mohamed Ashour]

it has been a while since I posted...

since then, I WON 6 months of bronze TCLA subscription! the best gift I could get to start the new year!
I'm extremely delighted to have won this as it came while I was a bit disappointed about my application campaign.

Law Firm applications:
week ago, I received a WG invite form CMS which is awesome, it means finally my written applications are getting noticed and it makes me feel that i have accomplished something and my hard work is paying off, I also have TCLA to thank for that. I haven't heard back yet but the test was quite challenging. my season wasn't the most successful i only applied to 3 law firms so far which is frustrating to think about, although I have learnt much through the journey and I'll end this section by what Jaysen wrote in one of his emails "it's not a race it's a marathon"

but this isn't the end just yet, I still have NRF summer VC and Sherman and sterling VC. resilience is key and I won't give up!