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

[Jessica Booker]

Hi,

I was wondering what is the best way to tackle the interview question 'where else have you applied and why'.

For example, firms with a strong disputes practice, such as HSF and CC, and pro bono offering were very important to me, but I am not sure how to flesh this answer out.

You’d explain why the common themes are important to you.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi,

I was wondering what is the best way to tackle the interview question 'where else have you applied and why'.

For example, firms with a strong disputes practice, such as HSF and CC, and pro bono offering were very important to me, but I am not sure how to flesh this answer out.

Hi Lauren,

When I was asked this, I personally identified common themes between groups of firms I'd applied to and then worked back to why each of these appealed to me in some manner.

For example, I applied to both Travers Smith and Slaughter and May, both similar in business model (single office, best-friend/ alliance firm international approach). This is personally a model I am a fan of as I feel that firms with multiple worldwide offices often put a lot of pressure on candidates to take an international secondment as part of their TC which, for various reasons, wouldn't at all suit me.

Similarly, if you're interested in PE/ Banking/ Disputes/ Tax work then you might identify X, Y and Z firms which you have applied to that also share strong practice areas in that specialism.

In terms of mentioning pro bono, it's fine to touch on but I generally recommend against spending a huge amount of time on this. At the end of the day, law firms are businesses and it's imperative to show that you understand this. As much as pro bono is great, and increasingly very important, it could come over as having your interests in the wrong place if you were to base an answer on pro bono rather than fee-earning work.

 

[Naomi U]

Hi,

I was wondering what is the best way to tackle the interview question 'where else have you applied and why'.

For example, firms with a strong disputes practice, such as HSF and CC, and pro bono offering were very important to me, but I am not sure how to flesh this answer out.

Hi @Lauren

I think you're already on the right lines! It doesn't have to be a particularly lengthy answer as I think the goal here is for the interviewer to gain a better understanding of your motivations. If you have mentioned that the reason you are applying to X firm is that you want to have an international career and are thus drawn to the firm's global nature, then it wouldn't be advisable to mention firms that are on the other end of the spectrum with one office. I think this undermines your why this firm answer as it suggests that your motivations may not necessarily be true.

Using your example, I don't see anything wrong with saying, "I also applied to X and Y because of my strong interest in dispute resolution as both X and Y along with Z ( the firm you are interviewing with) have played significant roles in a number of leading and award winning cases.

 

[Lauren]

Hi @Lauren

I think you're already on the right lines! It doesn't have to be a particularly lengthy answer as I think the goal here is for the interviewer to gain a better understanding of your motivations. If you have mentioned that the reason you are applying to X firm is that you want to have an international career and are thus drawn to the firm's global nature, then it wouldn't be advisable to mention firms that are on the other end of the spectrum with one office. I think this undermines your why this firm answer as it suggests that your motivations may not necessarily be true.

Using your example, I don't see anything wrong with saying, "I also applied to X and Y because of my strong interest in dispute resolution as both X and Y along with Z ( the firm you are interviewing with) have played significant roles in a number of leading and award winning cases.

Thank you @Jessica Booker, @Jacob Miller and @Naomi U!

I have another question if that's ok.

At CC interviews, do the interviewers have a copy of your 600 word answer in front of them? I know they are CV blind.

I used one of my strongest examples of a time I pushed myself in the cover letter of teaching myself to play the church organ.

Could I use this example again in the interview or is it a bad idea if they can see it on my application answer?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Thank you @Jessica Booker, @Jacob Miller and @Naomi U!

I have another question if that's ok.

At CC interviews, do the interviewers have a copy of your 600 word answer in front of them? I know they are CV blind.

I used one of my strongest examples of a time I pushed myself in the cover letter of teaching myself to play the church organ.

Could I use this example again in the interview or is it a bad idea if they can see it on my application answer?

It's been a little while since I interviewed with CC, so I can't personally remember whether this is the case.

I would typically prepare a second example that you could use- even if the interviewer doesn't have that particular example in front of them, they'll likely take notes/ give feedback to others who have seen it, so it would generally make sense to try and give a second example. You may also be able to tell from how they frame the question (e.g., if they said something like "I saw in your cover letter..."), whether it would be advisable to build off of what you've written or to go in with a totally new answer

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you @Jessica Booker, @Jacob Miller and @Naomi U!

I have another question if that's ok.

At CC interviews, do the interviewers have a copy of your 600 word answer in front of them? I know they are CV blind.

I used one of my strongest examples of a time I pushed myself in the cover letter of teaching myself to play the church organ.

Could I use this example again in the interview or is it a bad idea if they can see it on my application answer?

I wouldn’t expect them to have your 600 word answer in front of you, as it would typically give away things like where you studied anyway (completely negating the need for CV blind process). I could be wrong though.

 

[Dheepa]

@Jacob Miller @Naomi U @Dheepa
Hey Guys! Firstly, Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you all are doing well. My question is around commercial awareness. Since there are so many resources out there, do you mind sharing your daily routine, as in, the resources that you used on a daily basis to keep up to date with the latest happenings.

Thanks.

Hiya,

Will keep my response pretty brief because I think Jacob and Naomi have covered most of it - especially agree with Naomi on building keeping up with CA into your routine + choosing certain industries you're interested in to keep up with in particular.

I just wanted to add some advice I've repeated quite a few times now on the forum which is that you should always look at your application first when it comes to thinking about what kind of commercial awareness questions might come up. I've done a lot of things in relation to the automobile industry in terms of work experience so I always get asked about what's happening in that industry. I also work part time in retail and one of the most recent questions I got asked was about the retail industry. If you've mentioned a deal or something, really look into that deal, what industry the deal involved what jurisdiction it involved and read into articles to do with those things. When I was at my first vac I did a lot of work on LIBOR and that always came up at every interview, not because it is something partners expect everyone to know about but because I actively mentioned it in my work experience section. Partners generally don't try to catch you out by asking something completely out of the blue and in my experience they tend to stick to things you've mentioned in your app and use that as a way to test your CA. So while the resources both Jacob and Naomi have mentioned are excellent ways to develop the commercial awareness mindset and keep up with wider issues generally, there is a high chance that if you have already directed the partners in a certain direction with your application itself, they will stick to those topics. I'm aware this can be slightly unconventional advice but it's advice I'm giving because without fail the questions I encountered in all four interviews this app cycle were all based on things I had mentioned in my app.

My own favourite resources: FT Daily News Briefing podcast, TCLA's Commercial Newsletter, Bright Network's Commercial Round-up.

Here's some previous threads in the forum with some additional recommendations:

Podcasts - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ial-awareness-podcast-thread.2182/#post-34835
Apps - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....-business-commercial-law-app.2604/#post-36552
Blogs - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....gs-resources-are-you-reading.2553/#post-34794

Hope that helps!

 

[Helpme12345]

Hiya,

Will keep my response pretty brief because I think Jacob and Naomi have covered most of it - especially agree with Naomi on building keeping up with CA into your routine + choosing certain industries you're interested in to keep up with in particular.

I just wanted to add some advice I've repeated quite a few times now on the forum which is that you should always look at your application first when it comes to thinking about what kind of commercial awareness questions might come up. I've done a lot of things in relation to the automobile industry in terms of work experience so I always get asked about what's happening in that industry. I also work part time in retail and one of the most recent questions I got asked was about the retail industry. If you've mentioned a deal or something, really look into that deal, what industry the deal involved what jurisdiction it involved and read into articles to do with those things. When I was at my first vac I did a lot of work on LIBOR and that always came up without fail at every interview, not because it is something partners expect everyone to know about but because I actively mentioned it in my work experience section. Partners generally don't try to catch you out by asking something completely out of the blue and in my experience they tend to stick to things you've mentioned in your app and use that as a way to test your CA. So while the resources both Jacob and Naomi have mentioned are excellent ways to develop the commercial awareness mindset and keep up with wider issues generally, there is a high chance that if you have already directed the partners in a certain direction with your application itself, they will stick to those topics. I'm aware this can be slightly unconventional advice but it's advice I'm giving because without fail the questions I encountered in all four interviews this app cycle were all based on things I had mentioned in my app.

My own favourite resources: FT Daily News Briefing podcast, TCLA's Commercial Newsletter, Bright Network's Commercial Round-up.

Here's some previous threads in the forum with some additional recommendations:

Podcasts - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ial-awareness-podcast-thread.2182/#post-34835
Apps - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....-business-commercial-law-app.2604/#post-36552
Blogs - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....gs-resources-are-you-reading.2553/#post-34794

Hope that helps!

Second this! I’ve only ever had two interviews for vac schemes back in 2019 but this really tripped me up. I work shadowed a construction company a while ago and I got asked about the Carillion scandal which I really should have been able to talk about (but couldn’t)!

Also I did an economics module and got asked about the economics of trade wars which led into a general conversation about The US-China trade war.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hiya,

Will keep my response pretty brief because I think Jacob and Naomi have covered most of it - especially agree with Naomi on building keeping up with CA into your routine + choosing certain industries you're interested in to keep up with in particular.

I just wanted to add some advice I've repeated quite a few times now on the forum which is that you should always look at your application first when it comes to thinking about what kind of commercial awareness questions might come up. I've done a lot of things in relation to the automobile industry in terms of work experience so I always get asked about what's happening in that industry. I also work part time in retail and one of the most recent questions I got asked was about the retail industry. If you've mentioned a deal or something, really look into that deal, what industry the deal involved what jurisdiction it involved and read into articles to do with those things. When I was at my first vac I did a lot of work on LIBOR and that always came up without fail at every interview, not because it is something partners expect everyone to know about but because I actively mentioned it in my work experience section. Partners generally don't try to catch you out by asking something completely out of the blue and in my experience they tend to stick to things you've mentioned in your app and use that as a way to test your CA. So while the resources both Jacob and Naomi have mentioned are excellent ways to develop the commercial awareness mindset and keep up with wider issues generally, there is a high chance that if you have already directed the partners in a certain direction with your application itself, they will stick to those topics. I'm aware this can be slightly unconventional advice but it's advice I'm giving because without fail the questions I encountered in all four interviews this app cycle were all based on things I had mentioned in my app.

My own favourite resources: FT Daily News Briefing podcast, TCLA's Commercial Newsletter, Bright Network's Commercial Round-up.

Here's some previous threads in the forum with some additional recommendations:

Podcasts - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ial-awareness-podcast-thread.2182/#post-34835
Apps - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....-business-commercial-law-app.2604/#post-36552
Blogs - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....gs-resources-are-you-reading.2553/#post-34794

Hope that helps!

Thank you so much for your answer Dheepa.

 

[Lauren]

Hi,

I was wondering how to tackle the strengths question, 'Do you prefer doings things which give you a sense of purpose?'?

I was thinking of mentioning learning the piano in terms of having a performance/exam to work towards, increasing my focus? Or my paralegal work in giving me a sense of purpose in producing work for ongoing litigation and receiving good feedback from associates?

Should I be reflecting more on why exactly these things give me a sense of purpose?

 

[Naomi U]

Hi,

I was wondering how to tackle the strengths question, 'Do you prefer doings things which give you a sense of purpose?'?

I was thinking of mentioning learning the piano in terms of having a performance/exam to work towards, increasing my focus? Or my paralegal work in giving me a sense of purpose in producing work for ongoing litigation and receiving good feedback from associates?

Should I be reflecting more on why exactly these things give me a sense of purpose?

Hi @Lauren

That's a really interesting question- one that I haven't personally come across.

I think my approach would be to try to strike a balance in your answer. I think I speak for most people in saying we all prefer to do things that give us purpose, but purpose is quite subjective.

Sometimes, especially in academic or work environments, you may find yourself having to engage in tasks that don't necessarily give you a direct benefit but perhaps directly benefit someone else or the wider group. Some could say that this in itself gives them a sense of purpose because they enjoy helping others whilst others may say it doesn't because they do not directly/ immediately gain from such action.

With this in mind, I think when answering this question, try to define to your interviewer what your idea of purpose is but also highlight that you recognise that some things will not always satisfy this directly however, this does not mean that you shy away from such tasks. This will show you as a team player who is able to see the "bigger picture".

You can then offer some examples to support this balance.

Hope this helps!

 

[Dheepa]

Hi,

I was wondering how to tackle the strengths question, 'Do you prefer doings things which give you a sense of purpose?'?

I was thinking of mentioning learning the piano in terms of having a performance/exam to work towards, increasing my focus? Or my paralegal work in giving me a sense of purpose in producing work for ongoing litigation and receiving good feedback from associates?

Should I be reflecting more on why exactly these things give me a sense of purpose?

Hi Lauren,

I've never really encountered a question like this as well.

I think that while some of the examples you mentioned are good to provide, you should probably first address what generally can be said to give you purpose. Just because "increasing focus" and "getting good feedback" are two completely different purposes! If it was me, I'd say something more general like I enjoy being able to meaningfully contribute in different situations/pick up new skills. I'd then provide tangible examples like you mentioned and relate it back to why the trainee role is a good one for me. I also completely agree with Naomi's point on making sure you realise that sometimes being a trainee involves doing tasks that aren't necessarily the most exciting and thrilling but you'd still need to find a way to be enthusiastic about them. This is something I'd try to account for my my answer as well.

 

[M1999]

Hi guys! I’m in a bit of a panic mode before my interview with NRF tomorrow. In my feedback for my interview with HR for another firm, they said one of my weaknesses was not talking about the day to day work as much and taking about the culture a bit too much.
With NRF; I was going to split up the ‘why NRF’ into three parts- the practice areas and the work they do, the training contract (international secondments) & then I’m not sure whether to do the culture or to focus on something else. I was wondering if you had any insight regarding NRF if they like when people mention the culture?

 

[Dheepa]

Hi guys! I’m in a bit of a panic mode before my interview with NRF tomorrow. In my feedback for my interview with HR for another firm, they said one of my weaknesses was not talking about the day to day work as much and taking about the culture a bit too much.
With NRF; I was going to split up the ‘why NRF’ into three parts- the practice areas and the work they do, the training contract (international secondments) & then I’m not sure whether to do the culture or to focus on something else. I was wondering if you had any insight regarding NRF if they like when people mention the culture?

Your approach on splitting it into three parts already sounds really good! I think you should always start by talking about your interest in the firm's work just because at the end of the day, they want to know that you're actually going to enjoy doing the job more than anything else. But as long as you're providing enough detail on the work aspect, I don't think there's anything wrong at all about going into detail about the culture at the firm. In fact I think once you're at a telephone interview/AC stage, it's actually a great opportunity to really go into detail about the various events you've met the firm at, the people you've spoken to and what exactly resonated with you about their culture. Remember that talking about a firm's culture could also include mentioning their emphasis on diversity, pro bono or anything else that doesn't touch on purely billable work and mentioning these things always go down well with firms. NRF in particular never seemed to have a problem with me talking about their culture both in my app and interviews, so if it is something you want to touch on go for it!

I know it's easier said than done but try to relax as much as possible before the interview and don't panic! It sounds like you've got your answers planned out pretty well and I'm sure it's gonna go a lot better than you think! Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[M1999]

Your approach on splitting it into three parts already sounds really good! I think you should always start by talking about your interest in the firm's work just because at the end of the day, they want to know that you're actually going to enjoy doing the job more than anything else. But as long as you're providing enough detail on the work aspect, I don't think there's anything wrong at all about going into detail about the culture at the firm. In fact I think once you're at a telephone interview/AC stage, it's actually a great opportunity to really go into detail about the various events you've met the firm at, the people you've spoken to and what exactly resonated with you about their culture. Remember that talking about a firm's culture could also include mentioning their emphasis on diversity, pro bono or anything else that doesn't touch on purely billable work and mentioning these things always go down well with firms. NRF in particular never seemed to have a problem with me talking about their culture both in my app and interviews, so if it is something you want to touch on go for it!

I know it's easier said than done but try to relax as much as possible before the interview and don't panic! It sounds like you've got your answers planned out pretty well and I'm sure it's gonna go a lot better than you think! Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thank you so much. Your advice is always so helpful
I’ll take that in mind and try not to panic too much!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi guys! I’m in a bit of a panic mode before my interview with NRF tomorrow. In my feedback for my interview with HR for another firm, they said one of my weaknesses was not talking about the day to day work as much and taking about the culture a bit too much.
With NRF; I was going to split up the ‘why NRF’ into three parts- the practice areas and the work they do, the training contract (international secondments) & then I’m not sure whether to do the culture or to focus on something else. I was wondering if you had any insight regarding NRF if they like when people mention the culture?

Hi buddy,

I would differ slightly from Dheepa insofar as I would only suggest talking about firm culture if you have a legitimate claim to understanding it. For example, if you've attended open days or insight events etc, you've got more of a backing to be able to discuss the firm's culture because you've engaged with them. If you haven't spent time with them before (this was the position I was in, a 'cold' application so to speak), I tend to feel that answering on the firm's culture can seem contrived and less believable because you haven't actually spent enough time with the firm to really get a feel for the culture. If this is the position you're in, I would typically recommend mentioning culture only briefly and prefacing it with something like "by my understanding of the culture of the firm, from research I've completed...".

In my opinion, the opportunity to spend more time talking about culture is the exit interview: by that time, you've spent 1-2 weeks with the firm, engaged with dozens of people and you can actually nuance your answers with what you've legitimately learned in the time you've spent there.

That aside, splitting the answer into parts is a great approach as it shows good structure and also means you don't end up rambling on indefinitely.

Very best of luck with your interview, I'm sure you'll smash it!

 

[M1999]

Hi buddy,

I would differ slightly from Dheepa insofar as I would only suggest talking about firm culture if you have a legitimate claim to understanding it. For example, if you've attended open days or insight events etc, you've got more of a backing to be able to discuss the firm's culture because you've engaged with them. If you haven't spent time with them before (this was the position I was in, a 'cold' application so to speak), I tend to feel that answering on the firm's culture can seem contrived and less believable because you haven't actually spent enough time with the firm to really get a feel for the culture. If this is the position you're in, I would typically recommend mentioning culture only briefly and prefacing it with something like "by my understanding of the culture of the firm, from research I've completed...".

In my opinion, the opportunity to spend more time talking about culture is the exit interview: by that time, you've spent 1-2 weeks with the firm, engaged with dozens of people and you can actually nuance your answers with what you've legitimately learned in the time you've spent there.

That aside, splitting the answer into parts is a great approach as it shows good structure and also means you don't end up rambling on indefinitely.

Very best of luck with your interview, I'm sure you'll smash it!

Thanks so much Jacob! I don’t think I’m going to talk about the culture much unless asked specifically as it’s a short telephone interview anyway.
Is it too artificial to say- I have three main reasons to applying. Firstly, secondly?

 

[Lauren]

Hi Lauren,

I've never really encountered a question like this as well.

I think that while some of the examples you mentioned are good to provide, you should probably first address what generally can be said to give you purpose. Just because "increasing focus" and "getting good feedback" are two completely different purposes! If it was me, I'd say something more general like I enjoy being able to meaningfully contribute in different situations/pick up new skills. I'd then provide tangible examples like you mentioned and relate it back to why the trainee role is a good one for me. I also completely agree with Naomi's point on making sure you realise that sometimes being a trainee involves doing tasks that aren't necessarily the most exciting and thrilling but you'd still need to find a way to be enthusiastic about them. This is something I'd try to account for my my answer as well.

Thank you both!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Thanks so much Jacob! I don’t think I’m going to talk about the culture much unless asked specifically as it’s a short telephone interview anyway.
Is it too artificial to say- I have three main reasons to applying. Firstly, secondly?

No that wouldn't be artificial at all buddy. The key is just to have a good, strong, reliable structure there.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi again guys!! I just did my telephone interview with NRF and it was probably my favourite interview so far. She was really chatty and we had a good conversation back and forth so that really calmed me down and I felt like I exuded a lot more confidence so I’m really proud of myself in that aspect.

I did stumble a bit on a question about new offices, I said they should continue in North Africa (and mentioned they had offices there already) because there’s lots of scope for development and investment etc. Is this ok that I didn’t mention an actual country? My mind went blank as I wasn’t expecting that question

The GR team at NRF are lovely, they made me feel very at ease during my TI too.

In terms of your specific answer, it's hard to say precisely how they'll take it. As long as you justified your answer well, I can't see any reason why it would be discounted for discussing a region rather than a specific country- I can't say for sure, though.

For what it's worth, I had actually completely forgotten I was due my TI the day I had it and it caught me totally off-guard having done hardly any prep work- my answers were far from perfect and definitely not a representation of my best work. I was still invited to the AC and then the VS though so I wouldn't worry about it too much if you feel that you were well-received overall.

Fingers crossed for you!