Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[Jessica Booker]

Do law firms mind if you do GDL Part-Time/Full-Time. I would like to work while I'm on the GDL to build up my work experience generally and think it would be best to do the GDL part-Time. Would this disadvantage me?

normally it’s not an issue, but....

just a reminder the GDL is being phased out and the last intakes will be starting 2021. If you do it part time, you might still be eligible to do a traditional TC, but the firms you are applying to may have converted over to the SQE by the time you’d be looking to start a TC.

 

[NA27]

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for your help on this forum. I am currently answering HSF's 'Introduce us to a topic' question, and I wanted to know if it might be okay to talk about political polarisation? It's a bit of a controversial topic in some ways, so I am wondering if the firm will be okay with that...


Thanks in advance!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for your help on this forum. I am currently answering HSF's 'Introduce us to a topic' question, and I wanted to know if it might be okay to talk about political polarisation? It's a bit of a controversial topic in some ways, so I am wondering if the firm will be okay with that...


Thanks in advance!

Yes - that is fine if it’s a subject you are truly interested in

 

[M1999]

Hi Jessica! I passed the Winter scheme NRF initial review of application but failed at the WG test. I want to reapply for the spring scheme because I have since done better on the WG tests. Because I wrote my application a month ago, not much has particularly changed. Shall I just refine/reword some of it rather than changing the actual content?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica! I passed the Winter scheme NRF initial review of application but failed at the WG test. I want to reapply for the spring scheme because I have since done better on the WG tests. Because I wrote my application a month ago, not much has particularly changed. Shall I just refine/reword some of it rather than changing the actual content?

Yes - that is fine. Just make sure you are allowed to reapply in the same cycle or within such a short time frame of your first application.

 

[Bakers Junior Lawyer]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I hope you're well.

I have just received a video interview invitation for a VS at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. This will be my first video interview at a law firm.

Can you give me any advice on how best to prepare for this?

The video interview, covers motivation, commercial awareness and understanding of law firms; the video interview will consist of four questions.

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

 

[Manifesting]

Hi Jessica!

What is the correct possessive form of Freshfields? Freshfields’s or Freshfields'?

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Freshfields'

As I understand it, its because when you prenounce it you say Fresh-fields, rather than Fresh-fields-es, so it s'.

In contrast, if you said the same for business, then you prenounce it business-es so it would be business's or s's

It's posts like this where I need Ben Staveley's faultless grammar book in front of me though, as I am never 100% sure without it!

This is why I look it up on Chambers Student Guide though - they list it as Freshfields' (e.g. Freshfields' trainees).

I think the general advice though is if you are ever unsure, just re-write the sentence...

Freshfields' trainees get to pick up to eight seats

Could be changed to any of the following:

Trainees at Freshfields get to pick up to eight seats
Trainees get to pick up to eight seats
The firm's trainees get to pick up to eight seats

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I hope you're well.

I have just received a video interview invitation for a VS at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. This will be my first video interview at a law firm.

Can you give me any advice on how best to prepare for this?

The video interview, covers motivation, commercial awareness and understanding of law firms; the video interview will consist of four questions.

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Here are some general hints and tips we have provided in the past about video interviews.

Video interview tips and tricks

Video interview 3

Video interview 2

Video interview 1

 

[Dillon]

Hey,

In your experience are video interviews usually watched? Or are they given a score by AI/robots

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey,

In your experience are video interviews usually watched? Or are they given a score by AI/robots

No - they are still watched by a person.

At best, AI could rank them/prioritise them, but even then the data behind this is still a bit sketchy and most firms aren't willing to rely on it. A lot of firms haven't invested in AI technology either as it isn't cheap.

Firm's aren't really inviting enough people to video interview stage to warrant being reliant on AI either. Organisations that are using AI are typically getting 10,000s of applications not a few thousand.

 

[Daniel Boden]

Hi Jessica!

What is the correct possessive form of Freshfields? Freshfields’s or Freshfields'?

Thank you!

Freshfields'

As I understand it, its because when you prenounce it you say Fresh-fields, rather than Fresh-fields-es, so it s'.

In contrast, if you said the same for business, then you prenounce it business-es so it would be business's or s's

It's posts like this where I need Ben Staveley's faultless grammar book in front of me though, as I am never 100% sure without it!

This is why I look it up on Chambers Student Guide though - they list it as Freshfields' (e.g. Freshfields' trainees).

I think the general advice though is if you are ever unsure, just re-write the sentence...

Freshfields' trainees get to pick up to eight seats

Could be changed to any of the following:

Trainees at Freshfields get to pick up to eight seats
Trainees get to pick up to eight seats
The firm's trainees get to pick up to eight seats

The below may help you guys here

Apostrophes need not be learning catastrophes
by Rolf Palmberg

What is the difference between

The boy’s books are on the table, and
The boys’ books are on the table?

The position of the apostrophe in a noun (to indicate possession of something) often causes problems for ESL/EFL learners. Yet the rules are simple. In fact, learners only need to decide whether the possessive noun (the possessor, which, by the way, can also be a name) is singular or plural and whether or not it ends in -s in its written form.

The following rules apply:

1. If the possessive noun is singular even if it ends in s, always add an apostrophe + s.
2. If the possessive noun does not end in -s (in its written form), always add an apostrophe + s.
3. If the possessive noun is plural and ends in -s (and this is a characteristic feature of the large majority of plural nouns), just add an apostrophe.

This is why you say James’s books, the children’s books, and even the boss’s books.
This is also why you don’t know whether something belongs to one or several boys until you see the sentence in writing.

 

[Lawgirl123]

Hi @Jessica Booker I hope you are well. Have a basic question which may have been answered before. If i am applying to an independent UK firm is it advised to leave out an open day I attended at a US firm from my work experience?

Thank you!!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker I hope you are well. Have a basic question which may have been answered before. If i am applying to an independent UK firm is it advised to leave out an open day I attended at a US firm from my work experience?

Thank you!!!

no - I wouldn’t leave this out

 

[Lawgirl123]

no - I wouldn’t leave this out

Thank you. Also if i currently work somewhere (started October 2019) but attended an open day October 2020 - does the open day go first in chronological order ? Seems obvious but I am not 100% sure !

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you. Also if i currently work somewhere (started October 2019) but attended an open day October 2020 - does the open day go first in chronological order ? Seems obvious but I am not 100% sure !

no you current work experience goes first as you are still doing it. It’s when the experience ends that’s the relevant date.

 

[RB]

Hi @Jessica Booker , apologies for a slightly panicked question but in one of my applications I've accidentally inputted the wrong location for my work experience. I know they might not pick up on it but I'm just slightly wary because it relates to a local law firm in Asia and I've selected London as the location, so I'm not sure if they may pick up on the fact that the name is formatted differently to the names in the UK. Do you think this might be a reason to reject my application?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker , apologies for a slightly panicked question but in one of my applications I've accidentally inputted the wrong location for my work experience. I know they might not pick up on it but I'm just slightly wary because it relates to a local law firm in Asia and I've selected London as the location, so I'm not sure if they may pick up on the fact that the name is formatted differently to the names in the UK. Do you think this might be a reason to reject my application?

They won’t pick this up until references were asked for.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jess, I hope you are well! Is the question 'why are you interested in a career at a city law firm' essentially the same as 'why are you interested in a career in commercial law', given that city law firm mainly practices commercial law? Thank you !

Pretty much - although city law firms are a narrower set of firms than commercial firms

 

[syw]

Hi @Jessica Booker for Baker McKenzies VC, they have this question: ''Law firms are all different - tell us about three things, which are personal to you, that you feel differentiate Baker McKenzie from other leading firms and encouraged you to apply? (300 words max)''. Is this essentially a wordier version of asking the same as why you are applying to BM? I have included three reasons which are personal to me, but I am worried I have not specified how they differ from their competitors explicitly.

Thanks in advance!