Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello All, hope you are doing well. I have a question- Can anybody name the best firms in terms of Work Life balance- other requirements being that the firm should pay for the GDL LPC, visa airfare etc for International applicants (CC pays for airfares upto 300 pounds just for ACs in case someone in flying from overseas) - more or less the same salary etc. Basically every other perk being the same as most firms in terms of generosity but the best Work life balance
Thank you @Jessica Booker

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello All, hope you are doing well. I have a question- Can anybody name the best firms in terms of Work Life balance- other requirements being that the firm should pay for the GDL LPC, visa airfare etc for International applicants (CC pays for airfares upto 300 pounds just for ACs in case someone in flying from overseas) - more or less the same salary etc. Basically every other perk being the same as most firms in terms of generosity but the best Work life balance
Thank you @Jessica Booker

Too many variables here for me to comment without having to do the research myself (which I’m not going to do).

You might want to look at the following websites that give an indication of salaries and work life balance:

RollonFriday - https://www.rollonfriday.com/inside-info/trainees

Legal Cheek - https://www.legalcheek.com/the-firms-most-list/

Lex 100 - https://www.lex100.com/survey/the-l...-you-rate-the-work-life-balance-at-your-firm/

I wouldn’t choose who to apply to just based on who gives more money to reimburse travel expenses. You could always request the interview is done remotely.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Too many variables here for me to comment without having to do the research myself (which I’m not going to do).

You might want to look at the following websites that give an indication of salaries and work life balance:

RollonFriday - https://www.rollonfriday.com/inside-info/trainees

Legal Cheek - https://www.legalcheek.com/the-firms-most-list/

Lex 100 - https://www.lex100.com/survey/the-l...-you-rate-the-work-life-balance-at-your-firm/

I wouldn’t choose who to apply to just based on who gives more money to reimburse travel expenses. You could always request the interview is done remotely.

I did ask about the AC being done remotely but firms refused so I'm going with the assumption that if they are willing enough to pay for a random person to fly down for an AC, they might be giving and generous in other areas as well

 

[Changes]

A big assumption but I’d imagine the sorts of firms that can afford to pay an airfare for ACs/do so will be the sorts of firms where the hours are on the upper end of the scale. I think it’s pretty generous for any firm to pay the airfare.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

A big assumption but I’d imagine the sorts of firms that can afford to pay an airfare for ACs/do so will be the sorts of firms where the hours are on the upper end of the scale. I think it’s pretty generous for any firm to pay the airfare.

Agreed! I think it is high time I realise that there is no thing such as a free lunch! Are the weekends off at most firms? Any idea? @Jessica Booker
Thanks.

 

[gg999]

I did ask about the AC being done remotely but firms refused so I'm going with the assumption that if they are willing enough to pay for a random person to fly down for an AC, they might be giving and generous in other areas as well

That's not how it works at all. I think you need to do some basic research which will answer the majority of the questions you ask on here.

 

[gg999]

Agreed! I think it is high time I realise that there is no thing such as a free lunch! Are the weekends off at most firms? Any idea? @Jessica Booker
Thanks.

You need to do your research, Jessica has been more than kind enough to provide you with some websites where you can get all this information from.

If you are looking for a 9-5 chill job then law certainly isn't for you.

Sorry to be blunt, I am just being honest and realistic with you. A simple google search and you will literally find the answers to all of these questions.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

That's not how it works at all. I think you need to do some basic research which will answer the majority of the questions you ask on here.

Sorry I'm just overwhelmed by all that there is on the web regarding the process, also I'm from India and don't know much about how things quite work in this arena!

 

[gg999]

Sorry I'm just overwhelmed by all that there is on the web regarding the process, also I'm from India and don't know much about how things quite work in this arena!

I understand you may be overwhelmed but if you want to increase your knowledge about the legal industry it is something you need to overcome, there will be hundreds of candidates that have done extensive research and are ready to compete for a vacation scheme/training contract place. If you are feeling overwhelmed now, it isn't going to get any easier the further into the process you reach, so I think you should really perhaps take a break and think things through about whether this is the career/path for you.

I don't think being from India makes any difference. There are many people born and raised in the UK who have no idea about law or the legal profession in general. However, a lot of these people are able to overcome that by conducting research and building up their knowledge base.

Again I don't mean to be blunt, I am just being honest and realistic. There is a wealth of knowledge on the internet that starts from the very basics to the more complex issues. It is up to you to utilise that knowledge to better your understanding.

 

[Alice G]

Sorry I'm just overwhelmed by all that there is on the web regarding the process, also I'm from India and don't know much about how things quite work in this arena!

If you are feeling overwhelmed, perhaps just spend 15 mins a day doing a quick research from one of the resources @Jessica Booker kindly listed. Things can seem overwhelming in the beginning, I can appreciate this and sadly we don’t have the luxury of events at the moment and I appreciate you’re overseas anyway. Maybe just try to do some preliminary research in short bursts and hopefully you’ll begin to build more of a picture and understanding of the legal world and the options which are out there which best suit your desires.
Though, sadly, there isn’t a 9-5 work life balance at firms which are paying very well and those which can afford to support air fares as has been rightly pointed out above. Dependent on what’s most important to you (salary vs work/life balance), perhaps it might be worth considering more specialist mid market firms or in-house positions (though the latter can be very demanding too, sadly that’s just law in general I think) though options do exist if this is important to you.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I did ask about the AC being done remotely but firms refused so I'm going with the assumption that if they are willing enough to pay for a random person to fly down for an AC, they might be giving and generous in other areas as well

that’s a bad assumption to make. Remote ACs are becoming very common given the current crisis.

If it was me, I’d apply anyway and then worry about the travel expenses but as and when I got invited to that stage of the recruitment process

 

[Jessica Booker]

Agreed! I think it is high time I realise that there is no thing such as a free lunch! Are the weekends off at most firms? Any idea? @Jessica Booker
Thanks.

generally weekends are off, but it won’t be uncommon for trainees for any international firm to be picking up some work on occasional weekends.

They usually give you time off in lieu when the deal/matter closes though.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Sorry I'm just overwhelmed by all that there is on the web regarding the process, also I'm from India and don't know much about how things quite work in this arena!

I get it can be a little overwhelming at first, especially for an international student with no connections to the U.K.

You need to start being able to pull these things together though. I am happy to direct people to information and to advise where I can, but I can’t tell people factual information that’s readily available for them to read themselves.

Research like this will be a key part of your role as a junior lawyer. You will often be researching things you don’t understand or that are complex. My advice would be to get used to this process and to start getting more resilient when doing it so that you feel less overwhelmed by it - you’ll need to if you want to be a successful lawyer.

There’s a whole load of webinars and online events being held at the moment by firms. I highly recommend signing up to a few with firms you might be interested in.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Thanks everyone. I will keep all your advice in mind.

 

[Sam55]

Hi Jessica,

A while ago I was unable to accept a vac scheme offer for this summer due to accepting other vac schemes offers that clash. The firm allowed me to be considered for a training contract instead.

Now the vac schemes I have accepted have been rearranged/ gone virtual I have more free time this summer and I may be able to fit the vac scheme I was previously not able to accept in. Would it be worth emailing this firm and explaining this to them to see if I could do the vacation scheme despite previously not accepting it? Just for background, the firm in question is now a virtual vac scheme too but I just think the more experience I can get the better.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

A while ago I was unable to accept a vac scheme offer for this summer due to accepting other vac schemes offers that clash. The firm allowed me to be considered for a training contract instead.

Now the vac schemes I have accepted have been rearranged/ gone virtual I have more free time this summer and I may be able to fit the vac scheme I was previously not able to accept in. Would it be worth emailing this firm and explaining this to them to see if I could do the vacation scheme despite previously not accepting it? Just for background, the firm in question is now a virtual vac scheme too but I just think the more experience I can get the better.

There is no harm in asking, just don't be too surprised if the firm says no.

But the worst thing that can happen is they say no, so you have nothing to lose by asking!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well ma'am. What are your views on light humour in the application if it is related to the point we're making. Will that upset the person reading it?

 

[Helena]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well ma'am. What are your views on light humour in the application if it is related to the point we're making. Will that upset the person reading it?

I know this is a question for Jess, but I personally would reserve humour for a face to face interview and even then you have to judge the circumstances. You have a strict word count in applications and thus every word you submit must be pertinent to the application. It is possibly a waste to try to crack a joke when you could be using that precious word count for more important personal attributes and your knowledge in answering the question asked.

 

[Ehab]

I am a Golden member and would like to suspend my account for some time as I am currently outside the UK and still have 8 recurring applications left in my account. Will I still be able to use those 8 applications left in my account even though my account is not renewed?

it worth mentioning that I have sent an email three days ago asking about the same thing but I haven't got any response yet and this is not the first time. Would it be possible for the Corporate Law Academy to offer a quicker mean of communication at least for its members to answer their queries?

Could you please recommend a forum where premium members can ask their question or queries about their subscription so they can get it answered quickly?

Best regards
Ehab

 

[Daniel Boden]

I am a Golden member and would like to suspend my account for some time as I am currently outside the UK and still have 8 recurring applications left in my account. Will I still be able to use those 8 applications left in my account even though my account is not renewed?

it worth mentioning that I have sent an email three days ago asking about the same thing but I haven't got any response yet and this is not the first time. Would it be possible for the Corporate Law Academy to offer a quicker mean of communication at least for its members to answer their queries?

Could you please recommend a forum where premium members can ask their question or queries about their subscription so they can get it answered quickly?

Best regards
Ehab

@Jaysen this is one for you I believe