Ask 3 future trainees (Magic & Silver Circle, International Elite) ANYTHING! *New TCLA Team Members*

[pbyrne]

I think all of this sounds about right!

Thank you! and thank you @Jessica Booker @Dheepa

 

[Tarnjeet]

Hey @Jacob Miller @Dheepa @Naomi U ,

I have an interview this Friday for a paralegal role with a private debt manager/creditor provider company- this is an area that I know little about so was wondering if you could share resources on this please. I've got the christopher stoakes book but don't think I'll have time to go through it before Friday- are there any more comprehensive, more succinct resources?

Thanks,

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hey @Jacob Miller @Dheepa @Naomi U ,

I have an interview this Friday for a paralegal role with a private debt manager/creditor provider company- this is an area that I know little about so was wondering if you could share resources on this please. I've got the christopher stoakes book but don't think I'll have time to go through it before Friday- are there any more comprehensive, more succinct resources?

Thanks,

Hi Tarnjeet,

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Is it a debt collection agency or a lender or something else entirely? Might be able to help a little more with some more info!

 

[Tarnjeet]

Hi Tarnjeet,

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Is it a debt collection agency or a lender or something else entirely? Might be able to help a little more with some more info!

Sorry for the lack of clarity- i think this shows my lack of understanding re the area haha! The firm is Park Square Capital.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Sorry for the lack of clarity- i think this shows my lack of understanding re the area haha! The firm is Park Square Capital.

Thanks for clarifying.

I'll hold my hands up and say I only have an extremely elementary understanding of this world - obviously all my knowledge is more grounded in the legal side than anything else. This article and the ones it links to seemed to explain it all quite well, though.

It strikes me as there are three core elements you've got to consider here: firstly, understanding what a paralegal does, their role in the in-house legal 'food chain' and what the job entails; secondly, an understanding of the firm you're applying to, what they do and, therefore, how that will influence the job you're doing; thirdly, being in-house, consider how you're likely to be interacting with private practice and the nature of that relationship. I would personally just try and think of everything in relation to these three metrics and go from there

 

[Tarnjeet]

Thanks for clarifying.

I'll hold my hands up and say I only have an extremely elementary understanding of this world - obviously all my knowledge is more grounded in the legal side than anything else. This article and the ones it links to seemed to explain it all quite well, though.

It strikes me as there are three core elements you've got to consider here: firstly, understanding what a paralegal does, their role in the in-house legal 'food chain' and what the job entails; secondly, an understanding of the firm you're applying to, what they do and, therefore, how that will influence the job you're doing; thirdly, being in-house, consider how you're likely to be interacting with private practice and the nature of that relationship. I would personally just try and think of everything in relation to these three metrics and go from there

Thank you!

 

[Lawbour]

Hi Guys, apologies if you have already covered this but I would love to know how do you go about tackling imposter syndrome whilst on a VS and how did you guys prepare for your vac schemes?

 

[Daniel Boden]

Hi Guys, apologies if you have already covered this but I would love to know how do you go about tackling imposter syndrome whilst on a VS and how did you guys prepare for your vac schemes?

@Alice G and I touched on that very theme in the thread linked below last year so I hope it's helpful for you

Vacation Scheme Preparation

Hi guys, Per my post in the 'hearing back from law firms' thread, I thought I would create this so we can bounce ideas off each other and help each other out with any questions to ensure that we can all (hopefully) get those TC offers after this summer! I'll post my approach today but please...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi Guys, apologies if you have already covered this but I would love to know how do you go about tackling imposter syndrome whilst on a VS and how did you guys prepare for your vac schemes?

Hey,

First off, congrats on securing a VS in the first place!

In terms of prep for my VSs, I mainly focussed on pre-planning some questions/ question ideas for each presentation after we got the schedule, brushed up on my commercial awareness and check for any new deals etc that were relevant as it had been quite a while since I wrote my app and knew that there would be new discussion points.

Now the easy bit's out of the way... imposter syndrome. This is a really hard one, because every person is different. This is something which I don't really talk about (no particular reason) but affects me in most avenues of my life (certainly found it very challenging during the application process), especially as someone who is involved in a lot of leadership/ educational/ mentorship positions where others are relying on the things I say and do. This article goes over quite an extensive list of coping mechanisms.
As much as I would hate to be given this advice myself - and I do completely understand that it's easy to say and hard to do - is to bear in mind that, as a commercial law applicant who has made it as far as a VS, you've been judged completely objectively by people with no vested interest in you as being an exceptionally high calibre of candidate. Recruiters, interviewers etc in this industry are exceptionally good at what they do and can weed out ineptitude and inability without so much as breaking sweat; if you weren't capable of being there, you wouldn't be there.

The only other 'coping mechanism' (honestly idk if you could even call it that) which I try to bear in mind is pretty much 'fake it till you make it' with confidence/ capability. You don't think you know what you're talking about? Okay, what would someone who knows what they're talking about say here? How would they say it? Copy it. Then, when you're okay copying it, copy it with a little something different/ more original to you. Add more and more originality until, hey, you're not copying/ faking any more. Similarly with confidence: don't feel confident? What does confidence look like? Fake it. Fake the smile, fake the "I'm totally confident' handshake, fake the chill body language even though you're anxious as hell inside. It's a bit like driving a car -sooner or later you'll stop having to think about when and how to change gears and it'll just be natural.

 

[Dheepa]

Hi Guys, apologies if you have already covered this but I would love to know how do you go about tackling imposter syndrome whilst on a VS and how did you guys prepare for your vac schemes?

On the imposter syndrome:

Remember that you got past a very competitive pipeline of thousands of applicants and you're part of the final 30 they want and are considering making a huge amount of investment in. Remember that you're there not just because you did well at the case study, or got the commercial questions right, but because your interviewers liked you - there was something unique about you, your experiences, the way you conveyed them, that made them think you'd do well at the firm. You're not just another candidate. Come VS stage, you're one of the very few memorable ones whose name, face and experiences the firm remembers and potentially wants to keep around.

Remember that you're not alone in feeling like you don't belong or don't deserve to be there. Talk to people about it, your friends, your family. Get people to remind you of all the things you know make you an excellent candidate. It really just is your brain that is tricking you into thinking otherwise, and the best way to shut that down is to listen to people who can objectively give you that reassurance you need.

I also think imposter syndrome is a natural consequence of wanting to always be the best. So while I know it's an awful feeling, the other side of the coin is that it will keep you motivated to always do and be more , which isn't so bad after all. Remind yourself that you've worked so hard, its brought you this far, you must be doing something right, so you should just keep going regardless of whether or not you know what you're doing. After all I'm assuming you've pushed through the "Wow I don't think this is a strong app/interview, I'm not going to get it" feeling multiple times and look, you made it out the other side. Why would this time/the VS be any different?

Linking this TedTalk I love. It always reminds me that if even the most stereotypically successful people feel this way, then it's really not so bad that I feel the same way too.

How you can use impostor syndrome to your benefit

Have you ever doubted your abilities, feared you were going to be discovered as a "fraud"? That's called "impostor syndrome," and you're definitely not alone in feeling it, says entrepreneur and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes. In this funny, relatable talk, he shares how his own experiences of impostor...

www.ted.com

 

[Lumree]

Hey team!

I’m currently doing an application that has specific questions for:
1. why do I want to become a solicitor,
2. what qualities do I have that will enhance my ability to be a solicitor
3. Why this firm

On top of that, it asks for my CV and a cover letter.

I’m stumped over what to include the in the cover letter without simply repeating things from the application!

What would you include in the cover letter in this situation?

 

[Lawbour]

@Alice G and I touched on that very theme in the thread linked below last year so I hope it's helpful for you

Vacation Scheme Preparation

Hi guys, Per my post in the 'hearing back from law firms' thread, I thought I would create this so we can bounce ideas off each other and help each other out with any questions to ensure that we can all (hopefully) get those TC offers after this summer! I'll post my approach today but please...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

On the imposter syndrome:

Remember that you got past a very competitive pipeline of thousands of applicants and you're part of the final 30 they want and are considering making a huge amount of investment in. Remember that you're there not just because you did well at the case study, or got the commercial questions right, but because your interviewers liked you - there was something unique about you, your experiences, the way you conveyed them, that made them think you'd do well at the firm. You're not just another candidate. Come VS stage, you're one of the very few memorable ones whose name, face and experiences the firm remembers and potentially wants to keep around.

Remember that you're not alone in feeling like you don't belong or don't deserve to be there. Talk to people about it, your friends, your family. Get people to remind you of all the things you know make you an excellent candidate. It really just is your brain that is tricking you into thinking otherwise, and the best way to shut that down is to listen to people who can objectively give you that reassurance you need.

I also think imposter syndrome is a natural consequence of wanting to always be the best. So while I know it's an awful feeling, the other side of the coin is that it will keep you motivated to always do and be more , which isn't so bad after all. Remind yourself that you've worked so hard, its brought you this far, you must be doing something right, so you should just keep going regardless of whether or not you know what you're doing. After all I'm assuming you've pushed through the "Wow I don't think this is a strong app/interview, I'm not going to get it" feeling multiple times and look, you made it out the other side. Why would this time/the VS be any different?

Linking this TedTalk I love. It always reminds me that if even the most stereotypically successful people feel this way, then it's really not so bad that I feel the same way too.

How you can use impostor syndrome to your benefit

Have you ever doubted your abilities, feared you were going to be discovered as a "fraud"? That's called "impostor syndrome," and you're definitely not alone in feeling it, says entrepreneur and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes. In this funny, relatable talk, he shares how his own experiences of impostor...

www.ted.com

Hey,

First off, congrats on securing a VS in the first place!

In terms of prep for my VSs, I mainly focussed on pre-planning some questions/ question ideas for each presentation after we got the schedule, brushed up on my commercial awareness and check for any new deals etc that were relevant as it had been quite a while since I wrote my app and knew that there would be new discussion points.

Now the easy bit's out of the way... imposter syndrome. This is a really hard one, because every person is different. This is something which I don't really talk about (no particular reason) but affects me in most avenues of my life (certainly found it very challenging during the application process), especially as someone who is involved in a lot of leadership/ educational/ mentorship positions where others are relying on the things I say and do. This article goes over quite an extensive list of coping mechanisms.
As much as I would hate to be given this advice myself - and I do completely understand that it's easy to say and hard to do - is to bear in mind that, as a commercial law applicant who has made it as far as a VS, you've been judged completely objectively by people with no vested interest in you as being an exceptionally high calibre of candidate. Recruiters, interviewers etc in this industry are exceptionally good at what they do and can weed out ineptitude and inability without so much as breaking sweat; if you weren't capable of being there, you wouldn't be there.

The only other 'coping mechanism' (honestly idk if you could even call it that) which I try to bear in mind is pretty much 'fake it till you make it' with confidence/ capability. You don't think you know what you're talking about? Okay, what would someone who knows what they're talking about say here? How would they say it? Copy it. Then, when you're okay copying it, copy it with a little something different/ more original to you. Add more and more originality until, hey, you're not copying/ faking any more. Similarly with confidence: don't feel confident? What does confidence look like? Fake it. Fake the smile, fake the "I'm totally confident' handshake, fake the chill body language even though you're anxious as hell inside. It's a bit like driving a car -sooner or later you'll stop having to think about when and how to change gears and it'll just be natural.

Thank you so much, you are all so helpful!
I have started some of these techniques r.e. imposter syndrome and will definitely aim to use them in a more effective way too -I have until the summer so hopefully I will have more self belief by then haha

 

[Ole1999]

Hi guys, what tips/structure would you suggest for the question "Please identify your current career objectives and areas of interest."

I am finding it difficult about where to start with the question and what angle I should approach from (i.e. should I answer with arbitrary career objectives like wanting to be a partner, or more "soft" objectives like wanting to develop networking skills, build client relationships etc.

 

[Dheepa]

Hey team!

I’m currently doing an application that has specific questions for:
1. why do I want to become a solicitor,
2. what qualities do I have that will enhance my ability to be a solicitor
3. Why this firm

On top of that, it asks for my CV and a cover letter.

I’m stumped over what to include the in the cover letter without simply repeating things from the application!

What would you include in the cover letter in this situation?

I think you could probably keep the cover letter for this very brief. Assuming the questions have a word limit, I would only use the CL to draw attention to anything else I couldn't cover in those questions. Structure wise, I would still stick to the why commercial law, why this firm, why me standard but maybe less strictly.

@Jessica Booker do you have any advice on this?

 

[Dheepa]

Hi guys, what tips/structure would you suggest for the question "Please identify your current career objectives and areas of interest."

I am finding it difficult about where to start with the question and what angle I should approach from (i.e. should I answer with arbitrary career objectives like wanting to be a partner, or more "soft" objectives like wanting to develop networking skills, build client relationships etc.

I don't think you'd need to have a definitive career objective and I'd probably advise against taking a hard angle like wanting to be partner. Instead focus on discussing what areas you'd like to get more experience in and what additional opportunities the firm offers that you want to work towards. Personally, I would split my answer into two parts. The first part I'd use to focus on discussing any practice areas I have an interest in (in fact since the question says "areas of interest" I think it explicitly asks you to talk about this), and any client/international secondments the firm offers that I'd like to do while linking those things to why I think they'd be important for my professional development. I also think questions like this are an excellent opportunity to discuss any diversity networks or interesting social networks the firm has, why those are important to you, and how they would contribute to your skill set (so bringing in the softer objectives you mention) and making you a better lawyer. Hopefully the responses I've quoted below will give you some more ideas as well!

Hi Nina,

Great question! This can often be somewhat intimidating as you want to balance ambition etc with not seeming presumptuous etc. I would tend to say that the overarching thing here is that your answer has to be authentic, so it should be based genuinely on what your ambitions are. In terms of mentioning types of seats etc, again it's a bit of a personal thing. One thing to be absolutely sure of, whatever the firm, is that they have a practice area in that seat- I would also tend to advise making sure these are aligned with the firm's focus (i.e. if they're a massive private equity firm then you probably wouldn't want to talk too much about litigation if they only have a small litigation practice). Personally, I was always very truthful in this answer: My gut instinct is that I'm more interested in transactional work (maybe with a private equity focus) but I'm generally open-minded and wouldn't shut any doors.

Hi @nina_123

No problem glad to help!

I don't think there's really a right or wrong answer per se. I think if I was approaching this question I would respond as you suggested by focusing on an area I find particularly interesting and maybe explain the type of work I hope to take on and why e.g. anticipated changes in that practice area or industry/ global nature etc,

I don't think there is any harm at all in showing interest in a specific area especially if this is one of the firm's key areas but even if it's not! You could start by saying something like " I am quite open-minded right now, but I would hope to xyz"

Hope this helps!

Hi Nina,

Just to add to everything that Jacob and Naomi have already said, you can think of this question more broadly beyond just mentioning practice areas you're interested in. Are there any networks and initiatives the firm has that you're particularly passionate about and would like to take the lead on in 5 years time? Do you maybe speak an additional language which means you'd like to get involved in more work arising from regions that use that language? I tend to think that this is the kind of question that gets asked because firms want to know what drives and motivates you, so being as personal an authentic as possible (and not just limiting yourself to what you think firms want to hear) will come across really well!

Hope that helps

 

[Ole1999]

I don't think you'd need to have a definitive career objective and I'd probably advise against taking a hard angle like wanting to be partner. Instead focus on discussing what areas you'd like to get more experience in and what additional opportunities the firm offers that you want to work towards. Personally, I would split my answer into two parts. The first part I'd use to focus on discussing any practice areas I have an interest in (in fact since the question says "areas of interest" I think it explicitly asks you to talk about this), and any client/international secondments the firm offers that I'd like to do while linking those things to why I think they'd be important for my professional development. I also think questions like this are an excellent opportunity to discuss any diversity networks or interesting social networks the firm has, why those are important to you, and how they would contribute to your skill set (so bringing in the softer objectives you mention) and making you a better lawyer. Hopefully the responses I've quoted below will give you some more ideas as well!

Thank you, that is so helpful!

 

[Jessica Booker]

I think you could probably keep the cover letter for this very brief. Assuming the questions have a word limit, I would only use the CL to draw attention to anything else I couldn't cover in those questions. Structure wise, I would still stick to the why commercial law, why this firm, why me standard but maybe less strictly.

@Jessica Booker do you have any advice on this?

I agree - I'd avoid repetition. The cover letter could be used to explain things like "why this location" if the firm has offices in different locations, or you could use it to talk more about the "commercial" aspects of your motivation if the competency question had just focused on why you wanted to be a solicitor more generally. The cover letter could also be used to cover anything that needs explaining that you haven't been able to cover in other sections, or might explain the things that are not obvious from your CV or answers to the question. For instance, I'd probably explain I worked the equivalent of full time during my A-levels which is why my grades aren't great if I hadn't had the opportunity to explain that elsewhere. You could also talk more about the cutlural motivations for the firm if your "why us" answer had focused more on the work you do.

But I'd probably suggest keeping it brief and to the point. None of the above is necessary, just optional. Remember they will be reading proably 2000-3000 words about you already.

 

[Lumree]

I think you could probably keep the cover letter for this very brief. Assuming the questions have a word limit, I would only use the CL to draw attention to anything else I couldn't cover in those questions. Structure wise, I would still stick to the why commercial law, why this firm, why me standard but maybe less strictly.

@Jessica Booker do you have any advice on this?

The questions don’t actually have a word limit! I think I’m going to use the cover letter to very briefly introduce myself and my story which would then set the tone for the application form. What do you think?

 

[Mr R0cCk0]

Hi all,

Just a quick one:

I'm currently doing a TC application for DWF. Recently, I have attended a tech seminar with another similar firm. As part of my application answer describing DWF's competitive edge, I would like to discuss aspects of LegalTech information I gained from the seminar of the other firm in my DWF application. Is this a good idea? Should one really be mentioning other law firms in a TC app?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dheepa]

Hi all,

Just a quick one:

I'm currently doing a TC application for DWF. Recently, I have attended a tech seminar with another similar firm. As part of my application answer describing DWF's competitive edge, I would like to discuss aspects of LegalTech information I gained from the seminar of the other firm in my DWF application. Is this a good idea? Should one really be mentioning other law firms in a TC app?

Thanks in advance.

As long as the focus is what you learnt and how it ties back to DWF, completely fine to mention the firm that hosted the event. If you're really worried about it, you could always just say "while attending X event at a leading City firm", either would be okay imo.