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

[Jacob Miller]

Hi everyone, I'd like to ask your opinion on this question I found in an application form: "Please provide details of any prizes and/or awards you have been awarded by a recognised body (e.g. DofE Gold, school and university)".

It is not in the main application section where you are assessed on your skills or motivation, it is a question included in the personal/ academic details section and I don't understand if it is mandatory to answer: I don't feel like I have any relevant prizes or awards. Considering that the advice I've always received is to complete all sections of an application, would you say that it is necessary to answer to this question? I am struggling with finding something to list eventually.

I am an international student and as part of my year abroad as an exchange student I attended college for one year in London: would an academic 'award' be considered an award or do they want to know if you have been awarded prizes / awards from competitions, etc.? Thank you very much in advance, I'd really appreciate your help!

I personally never obtained any awards such as this so left it blank, even on a couple of apps where I've been invited to interview so I don't think it makes a massive difference.
I think the sort of academic award you talk about would be applicable for this question, though.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hey guys! Happy Monday How would you answer the following question in an interview:

How would you advise a hotel client who is coming out of lockdown and easing restrictions?

I have some vague ideas (eg amending contracts, employees status, ensure hotel remains within gov guidelines to avoid fines).

Thank you!! 😊

Hi Holly,

I think you're generally on the right track here, but you need to bear in mind that there are certain rules around changing employment contracts etc which may be applicable. You've also got to think about other other contract counterparties and the relative bargaining position of your client.

 

[Oroma]

Hi all, I have an AC coming up with Kennedys and afterwards there’s a strengths based interview. I’m thinking about the biggest weakness question- I genuinely think my over-ambition sometimes leads me to setting unrealistic expectations and also makes me neglect my progress/journey and this breeds overwhelm/disappointments/dissatisfaction when in fact I’m doing really well. Do you think saying this is similar to saying I’m a perfectionist?

 

[Oroma]

Hi all, I have an AC coming up with Kennedys and afterwards there’s a strengths based interview. I’m thinking about the biggest weakness question- I genuinely think my over-ambition sometimes leads me to setting unrealistic expectations and also makes me neglect my progress/journey and this breeds overwhelm/disappointments/dissatisfaction when in fact I’m doing really well. Do you think saying this is similar to saying I’m a perfectionist?

Please any advise will be really be helpful. Thank you 😊

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi all, I have an AC coming up with Kennedys and afterwards there’s a strengths based interview. I’m thinking about the biggest weakness question- I genuinely think my over-ambition sometimes leads me to setting unrealistic expectations and also makes me neglect my progress/journey and this breeds overwhelm/disappointments/dissatisfaction when in fact I’m doing really well. Do you think saying this is similar to saying I’m a perfectionist?

Hi,

In terms of saying whether or not a particular example is 100% right or wrong, I don't really feel like that's my place. Here's my advice when it comes to this question, I would recommend having a think about the example you'd like to use based on the consideration points that I raise:

“What is your biggest weakness?”

Talking about your weaknesses can be very intimidating, and understandably so: when we are interviewing with a law firm, we want to show the best version of ourselves and present as attractive a candidate as possible. Being asked about your biggest weakness is designed to test your emotional intelligence and self-insight, as well as how you grow from personal flaws. There are a few key dos and don’ts when considering your response to this question, for example:

Do:

• Choose to discuss a weakness which can be developed and improved with time
• Be genuine: don’t try and ‘invent’ a weakness here, transparency in answering questions such as this is extremely important, and it is obvious when a candidate is not being transparent
• Discuss how you have taken steps to identify and remedy this weakness, and what progress you have seen in yourself since taking those steps
• Show your desire to learn and develop as a person in your response

Don’t:

• Say that you don’t have weaknesses, or that you’ve ‘grown out’ of them: this comes over as conceited and displaying a lack of emotional intelligence and self-insight
• Try and frame a weakness as a positive: it is much more authentic to discuss a genuine weakness which you’ve recognised and worked on. It also displays a lack of insight
• Use the “I’m a perfectionist” response… unfortunately, this is massively over-used and is viewed as a ‘cop out’ response. Try and be more innovative in your response to provide a more nuanced and unique answer

Due to the fact that the structure to your response will vary considerably based on the example you choose to give, as such, it is extremely challenging to provide a useful mock answer. Just follow the above dos and don’ts and you’ll be in good stead!

 

[Dheepa]

Hey guys! Happy Monday How would you answer the following question in an interview:

How would you advise a hotel client who is coming out of lockdown and easing restrictions?

I have some vague ideas (eg amending contracts, employees status, ensure hotel remains within gov guidelines to avoid fines).

Thank you!! 😊

Hi Holly,

Just to add to Jacob’s points on this, it could be helpful to think in terms of a law firm’s departments. So what might the corporate team, banking team, real estate team etc be required to advise on. I’m in no way suggesting that every team would be involved, just that it might be a helpful way to analyse the question and come up with additional legal issues.

Some additional thoughts I have:

1. Environment team - maybe advising on the best way to dispose of masks, gloves etc. Sourcing environmentally friendly options for this. (Know for a fact that the environment team at Bakers advises McDonalds on similar issues when they were reopening across the U.K.)
2. IP team - If employees will need to be vaccinated before returning to work/people need to provide proof of vaccination, that’s a whole load of data that would require good data protection compliance in place.
3. Insurance - Could be wrong here but I think all companies would want to ensure they’re insured against further risk of losses if they have to shut down again due to specific covid cases on their premises.

 

[Holly]

Hi Holly,

Just to add to Jacob’s points on this, it could be helpful to think in terms of a law firm’s departments. So what might the corporate team, banking team, real estate team etc be required to advise on. I’m in no way suggesting that every team would be involved, just that it might be a helpful way to analyse the question and come up with additional legal issues.

Some additional thoughts I have:

1. Environment team - maybe advising on the best way to dispose of masks, gloves etc. Sourcing environmentally friendly options for this. (Know for a fact that the environment team at Bakers advises McDonalds on similar issues when they were reopening across the U.K.)
2. IP team - If employees will need to be vaccinated before returning to work/people need to provide proof of vaccination, that’s a whole load of data that would require good data protection compliance in place.
3. Insurance - Could be wrong here but I think all companies would want to ensure they’re insured against further risk of losses if they have to shut down again due to specific covid cases on their premises.

Thank you both !! Very helpful

 

[Dheepa]

Hi all, I have an AC coming up with Kennedys and afterwards there’s a strengths based interview. I’m thinking about the biggest weakness question- I genuinely think my over-ambition sometimes leads me to setting unrealistic expectations and also makes me neglect my progress/journey and this breeds overwhelm/disappointments/dissatisfaction when in fact I’m doing really well. Do you think saying this is similar to saying I’m a perfectionist?

Hi Oroma, I actually relate to this weakness a lot. Overachiever syndrome is what I call it and I agree that the personal feelings of dissatisfaction that arise as a result of it can be very hard to deal with. However, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I don’t think you should use this example because unless you are very careful about how you phrase your answer and supporting example I do think it can come across as disingenuous (like the overused perfectionist example). The other issue I foresee here is a follow up question on how you then balance celebrating your small successes while still remaining motivated to achieve the more “unrealistic” goals as you say. I think this can be a tricky one to work around so personally I would recommend against using this example.

 

[Oroma]

Hi Oroma, I actually relate to this weakness a lot. Overachiever syndrome is what I call it and I agree that the personal feelings of dissatisfaction that arise as a result of it can be very hard to deal with. However, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I don’t think you should use this example because unless you are very careful about how you phrase your answer and supporting example I do think it can come across as disingenuous (like the overused perfectionist example). The other issue I foresee here is a follow up question on how you then balance celebrating your small successes while still remaining motivated to achieve the more “unrealistic” goals as you say. I think this can be a tricky one to work around so personally I would recommend against using this example.

Hi Dheepa,

Thank you for this advise. Really helpful.

 

[Oroma]

Hi,

In terms of saying whether or not a particular example is 100% right or wrong, I don't really feel like that's my place. Here's my advice when it comes to this question, I would recommend having a think about the example you'd like to use based on the consideration points that I raise:

“What is your biggest weakness?”

Talking about your weaknesses can be very intimidating, and understandably so: when we are interviewing with a law firm, we want to show the best version of ourselves and present as attractive a candidate as possible. Being asked about your biggest weakness is designed to test your emotional intelligence and self-insight, as well as how you grow from personal flaws. There are a few key dos and don’ts when considering your response to this question, for example:

Do:

• Choose to discuss a weakness which can be developed and improved with time
• Be genuine: don’t try and ‘invent’ a weakness here, transparency in answering questions such as this is extremely important, and it is obvious when a candidate is not being transparent
• Discuss how you have taken steps to identify and remedy this weakness, and what progress you have seen in yourself since taking those steps
• Show your desire to learn and develop as a person in your response

Don’t:

• Say that you don’t have weaknesses, or that you’ve ‘grown out’ of them: this comes over as conceited and displaying a lack of emotional intelligence and self-insight
• Try and frame a weakness as a positive: it is much more authentic to discuss a genuine weakness which you’ve recognised and worked on. It also displays a lack of insight
• Use the “I’m a perfectionist” response… unfortunately, this is massively over-used and is viewed as a ‘cop out’ response. Try and be more innovative in your response to provide a more nuanced and unique answer

Due to the fact that the structure to your response will vary considerably based on the example you choose to give, as such, it is extremely challenging to provide a useful mock answer. Just follow the above dos and don’ts and you’ll be in good stead!

Thanks Jacob. I already read this that’s why I was asking if saying “I’m over ambitious” is also viewed similarly to “I’m a perfectionist”. But Dheepa has answered my question. Thanks again.

 

[Lawyered]

I personally never obtained any awards such as this so left it blank, even on a couple of apps where I've been invited to interview so I don't think it makes a massive difference.
I think the sort of academic award you talk about would be applicable for this question, though.

Thank you Jacob!

 

[pbyrne]

Hi guys - hope you're all well. Hoping for some advice on how to explain why I'm interested in litigation/disputes as that's the focus of the firm I'm applying to. I've spent the last 3 years as a litigation paralegal so I have a pretty good understanding of why I'm just not sure I'm articulating it well. My main reasons are you get more interaction with clients and I've found that you develop strong personal relationships quickly (I guess because they're usually coming to you in crisis), within my field there's a huge amount of variation so even though similar legal issues crop up the facts are always diverse and interesting. I enjoy the 'detective' side of litigation - even though most people probably find disclosure quite boring, I enjoy the the jigsaw-esque nature of how it helps to build a client's case, and I enjoy the people side of it outside of clients - working with counsel and experts. would that be sufficient do you think? Any advice gratefully received!

 

[tractor12]

Hi All,

I have an interview coming up and I have noticed a couple of spelling mistakes on my application and I am worried they will be picked up on and asked about from my assessors. Do you have any suggestions as to how I could respond/justify myself?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi All,

I have an interview coming up and I have noticed a couple of spelling mistakes on my application and I am worried they will be picked up on and asked about from my assessors. Do you have any suggestions as to how I could respond/justify myself?

Hey,

For what it's worth, they might not bring these up at all. If they do, my advice would always be just to hold your hands up and say you just made a mistake and didn't notice until after you'd submitted the app. If you've since changed your approach to proof reading as a result, you may wish to mention that too. There's almost never going to be an issue if you're honest about making an error, it's only if you try to make excuses that it's likely to go against you.

The other thing to bear in mind is that, if it was going to be a major issue, you wouldn't have got past the app stage.

Best of luck with your interview!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi guys - hope you're all well. Hoping for some advice on how to explain why I'm interested in litigation/disputes as that's the focus of the firm I'm applying to. I've spent the last 3 years as a litigation paralegal so I have a pretty good understanding of why I'm just not sure I'm articulating it well. My main reasons are you get more interaction with clients and I've found that you develop strong personal relationships quickly (I guess because they're usually coming to you in crisis), within my field there's a huge amount of variation so even though similar legal issues crop up the facts are always diverse and interesting. I enjoy the 'detective' side of litigation - even though most people probably find disclosure quite boring, I enjoy the the jigsaw-esque nature of how it helps to build a client's case, and I enjoy the people side of it outside of clients - working with counsel and experts. would that be sufficient do you think? Any advice gratefully received!

I think all of these issues are 100% valid and also all very reasonable and worthwhile for explaining and justifying your interest. As a matter of fact, I'm starting as a litigation paralegal in the summer and these are all elements I'm really excited about (especially, it has to be said, playing detective!)

Best of luck with your applications

 

[Lumree]

Hi team,

I'm currently completing this question for an application: "Please complete below your “letter of application” setting out why you would like to attend [ ] Vacation Scheme and what you believe you could bring to the firm in the long term (max 250 words)"

I've split this question into three: why I want a career at the firm, how I can learn more about the firm through the vacation scheme, and what I could bring to the firm in the longterm.

Would you approach it in a similar way?

My concern is that the first part, which explores why I'm particularly interested in the firm's sector focus and therefore more widely a career at the firm, isn't directly answering the question as it's not tied back to why a vacation scheme at the firm. However, my rationale is that my first sentence explains that I am applying for the vacation scheme to learn more about a career at the firm. In my head, it makes sense then use the first paragraph to explain why I'm actually interested in the firm before going onto the second paragraph which explores how I can learn more about a career at the firm through the vacation scheme (i.e. its practice areas).

I think I've been staring at it too long! I would really appreciate a different perspective just to check if I'm on/off the mark here.

Thank you!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi team,

I'm currently completing this question for an application: "Please complete below your “letter of application” setting out why you would like to attend [ ] Vacation Scheme and what you believe you could bring to the firm in the long term (max 250 words)"

I've split this question into three: why I want a career at the firm, how I can learn more about the firm through the vacation scheme, and what I could bring to the firm in the longterm.

Would you approach it in a similar way?

My concern is that the first part, which explores why I'm particularly interested in the firm's sector focus and therefore more widely a career at the firm, isn't directly answering the question as it's not tied back to why a vacation scheme at the firm. However, my rationale is that my first sentence explains that I am applying for the vacation scheme to learn more about a career at the firm. In my head, it makes sense then use the first paragraph to explain why I'm actually interested in the firm before going onto the second paragraph which explores how I can learn more about a career at the firm through the vacation scheme (i.e. its practice areas).

I think I've been staring at it too long! I would really appreciate a different perspective just to check if I'm on/off the mark here.

Thank you!

I think this sounds pretty much like how I approached questions like this - I would be going about it in pretty much the exact same way. Just make sure you really really justify your interests by making it sufficiently personal and related to you as well!

 

[Lumree]

I think this sounds pretty much like how I approached questions like this - I would be going about it in pretty much the exact same way. Just make sure you really really justify your interests by making it sufficiently personal and related to you as well!

Thank you Jacob that’s reassuring!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I just had 2 questions for you and it would be really helpful if you could answer them.

1: In an interview, how likely is it that the applicant is going to be asked to explain certain terms. For example can something like "Can you describe what a Dawn Raid is?" come up out of the blue? Particularly at CC, Links and Freshfields.

2: This is regarding CC and Links again, are we expected to know Public M&A and Takeover concepts for their case study interviews? Or do these firms only test us on our knowledge of Private M&A concepts?

P.S- Does anybody have a primer for Takeover and related jargon like Poison Pill, Reverse Takeover etc. I haven't seen anything like that on the forum. I've tried looking for it on the web but that largely gave me guides from IB perspectives and are really comprehensive.

Thank you.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I just had 2 questions for you and it would be really helpful if you could answer them.

1: In an interview, how likely is it that the applicant is going to be asked to explain certain terms. For example can something like "Can you describe what a Dawn Raid is?" come up out of the blue? Particularly at CC, Links and Freshfields.

2: This is regarding CC and Links again, are we expected to know Public M&A and Takeover concepts for their case study interviews? Or do these firms only test us on our knowledge of Private M&A concepts?

P.S- Does anybody have a primer for Takeover and related jargon like Poison Pill, Reverse Takeover etc. I haven't seen anything like that on the forum. I've tried looking for it on the web but that largely gave me guides from IB perspectives and are really comprehensive.

Thank you.

To jump in on this, it could vary massively between firms, but at FBD no one was asked these type of technical questions (in my time anyway) and they tended to get a bit cynical when people just cited jargon at them. The nature of their assessments didn’t require this type of knowledge though. It could be different for other firms, but I just doubt it would be important to have this exact technical knowledge.