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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NatashaS98" data-source="post: 121291" data-attributes="member: 25015">Hi everyone!Really looking forward to getting to know all of you. By way of introduction, my name is Natasha and I was fortunate enough to convert my Baker McKenzie vacation scheme into a training contract this summer. I have just finished uni (I studied French and Spanish at Cambridge University) and will be starting the SQE in September 2024.Like Maria, I’m also from a non-law background. Initially, I was a bit daunted that this would put me at a disadvantage when applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, but this has definitely not been the case at all. What law firms are looking for is not necessarily that you know reams and reams about commercial law but rather that you are passionate about a career in commercial law – so long as you can demonstrate your ability to analyse effectively, an interest in business-related topics and that you can communicate your ideas in a clear and cogent way, the rest can be learnt 😊I started to properly look into law firms, TCs and vacation schemes in my penultimate year of studies…which is also roughly when the pandemic kicked in! Being in lockdown, I invested that time by getting more to grips with the training contract application process. I reached out to associates and trainees at different firms via LinkedIn who pointed me in the direction of TCLA …and so it began!I’m massively indebted to TCLA. That's why I really wanted to be part of the team as an application reviewer as a way of ‘paying it forward’. I spent a lot of my time brushing up on my commercial awareness by taking the TCLA courses and found the TCLA community extremely supportive whenever I faced any doubts as to how to tackle the application process. Getting a VS or TC is definitely an exercise in resilience, so just having that platform to chat to other people going through the same process felt a lot less isolating.I completed a summer vacation scheme with a MC firm in my first cycle but did not manage to convert this into a training contract offer. Although getting up to that point and not getting the TC was a knock, I knew when I didn’t get the offer that it was probably for the best. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure I would be happy there in the long run. And that’s a really important reminder – that sometimes, even if it’s a rejection, things really do work out for the best. Whilst getting a TC can feel like an uphill struggle at times, it’s important to remember that the TC is a commitment at a firm for 2 years minimum. It's therefore really crucial to think you will be happy there.Starting my second cycle, I reflected much more on what I wanted out of a career in law and which firms would cater to that. Coming from an international background, studying Modern Languages at uni and having worked in Spain and China, I was really after an international law firm. And Baker McKenzie really did fit that bill!Although I felt under pressure to juggle law applications and my uni work in my final year at uni, I found that splitting my week into dedicated time allocations for application work and uni work helped ensure I was time-efficient and focused. It also helped me feel like my uni work wasn't impacting my law applications or vice versa. Having done one cycle before that had been really helpful too – which just goes to show that you don’t lose anything by not getting a TC upon your first cycle. You just get more efficient and more effective with the process.My takeaway from the process is that getting a TC is all about practice, practice, practice (as well as keeping that self-belief). As part of the journey to getting a TC, you will need to step outside your comfort zone. Going to open days where you have to ask questions in front of a crowd of strangers, reaching out to people whose careers trajectories you aspire to, may all feel scary at first. However, you become more comfortable and confident in doing those things as time goes on. The application process shouldn’t be one where you hide who you are, but an opportunity where you let your personality shine. Your unique traits are what make you special (in my interview at the Baker McKenzie Assessment Centre, we actually ended up speaking about art!).If anyone has any questions, please feel free to fire away 😊</blockquote>

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