Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!

I hope you’re well.

If possible, I would really appreciate if I could ask for your thoughts on my first year grades and my plans for the year ahead.

I had 2 mitigating circumstances in first year (one was relating to my health and another was due to the health of a family member).

My grades have been a mixed bunch - a high 2:1 for contract (68), a low 2:1 for property, and a 55 for constitutional law. I’m yet to receive my fourth module result which I expect to not be great.. perhaps another 55.

Overall, I’m on a low 2:1, not including the pending module which I’m feeling pretty hopeless about. Worst case scenario is that I end up with a 2:2.

What are your thoughts on plans to do some vac scheme applications in second year in either scenario? I would not focus on MC (just one maybe) and instead I’m leaning towards big UK firms, and perhaps international/US ones. Not sure if this is relevant but I’m from a RG, non oxbridge university.

I’m committed to working hard for the next few years (even though I did in first year to no avail!) so I am definitely striving to pick myself up academically.

Thank you! Really appreciate it.

To stress a couple of points first.

The MC firms are not necessarily more selective than many U.K./US firms. In some cases, they are probably more open minded to applicants given how many they have to recruit - especially when compared to say a US firm that is likely to be recruiting less than 10% of the TC places a MC firm is.

Secondly, given the circumstances and the complexity of having two sets, you should aim to get a reference from your personal tutor at university to verify they knew about the circumstances and to vouch for your potential to perform to a higher level. This can be a very powerful way to mitigate your lower grades on an application and verify your extenuating circumstances.

I also stress that ill health in relatives needs to be fairly direct (eg parent/sibling/someone you live with) or one where you are responsible for their care.

You can apply now, but you may find that you have more success if you apply at the end of next year once you have grades that show your potential. You may want to put effort into really connecting with a select number of firms and building more of a connection with them to 1) see whether they would take onboard the mitigating circumstances and 2) to impress them enough for them to look past your grades/lack of clear grade potential. Being more selective will also allow you to focus on your academics too - which will be important. Getting your grades to a consistent 2.1 level has to be the priority.

 

[Throwaway1]

I recently reneged an offer and I messaged my contacts at the firm I had the initial offer at to let them know my decision for full disclosure, to keep it friendly, and thank them for their help. They would find out one way or another soon what my new firm is called. I want to be fully transparent, but I am wondering if there are any implications for me if my old firm know the name of the one I chose over them?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I recently reneged an offer and I messaged my contacts at the firm I had the initial offer at to let them know my decision for full disclosure, to keep it friendly, and thank them for their help. They would find out one way or another soon what my new firm is called. I want to be fully transparent, but I am wondering if there are any implications for me if my old firm know the name of the one I chose over them?

I can't see there being one - the firms shouldn't be speaking to one another about you due to data protection, and their own regulator has no concerns over the recruitment process.

 

[Molana]

Hi Jessica! I have a question about when to make applications while I'm planning to take a gap year to do a year long internship abroad.

My current plan is to apply during the 2023/24 application season and ask to defer my TC once I receive an offer(!), but now I'm not sure whether I should apply next year while I'm on my gap year and be ready to start the SQE as soon as I've received my offer. The latter option seems less efficient due to the need to return to London for interviews, vac schemes etc. Do you think I'm taking too much of a risk by relying on the option to defer a TC offer once I have one?

 

[jplaw1010]

Hi,

Earlier this year, I did a vac scheme with an International City Firm. I really enjoyed my time at the firm, but didn't receive a return offer due to a variety of reasons.

I feel like, since then, I have taken this feedback on and have built on these weaknesses and would like to reapply. I have asked the grad rec team whether I could do so and they confirmed that I can.

Would this be a good idea/has anybody had a similar experience and could share an insight?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[BarryBarryson]

Hi Jessica,

I hope you are well.

How would you advise discussing the Bar in TC/VS applications. I took the BPTC after a major scholarship from my inn (receiving average grades, worse than my other academics) and applied for two years to the Bar (unsuccessfully).

Should I mention this? Or would it be received as I failed at the Bar, and now I am trying to become a solicitor as a second-choice profession?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

I hope you are well.

How would you advise discussing the Bar in TC/VS applications. I took the BPTC after a major scholarship from my inn (receiving average grades, worse than my other academics) and applied for two years to the Bar (unsuccessfully).

Should I mention this? Or would it be received as I failed at the Bar, and now I am trying to become a solicitor as a second-choice profession?

I think you have to spin it more as to why being a solicitor is now the right route for you instead of the Bar, rather than just not succeeding at getting into the Bar. The careers couldn’t be much different from one another and so explaining why a solicitor is the right route for you is really important.

 

[O]

Hi Jessica,

Hope all is well and thank you for your help and guidance on the forum over the years.

I am a paralegal at an MC's international office doing similar and comparable work to a trainee solicitor. I am considering using my experience as QWE and qualifying via the SQE route. However, I am worried that the SQE has created a two-tier NQ status (i.e. those that completed the traditional TC and everyone else) and that my current employer / other City firms wouldn't want to take the risk and offer an associate role on qualification. Do you think this method of qualifying would work to my detriment in getting an NQ role at an MC / similar-level firm?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Hope all is well and thank you for your help and guidance on the forum over the years.

I am a paralegal at an MC's international office doing similar and comparable work to a trainee solicitor. I am considering using my experience as QWE and qualifying via the SQE route. However, I am worried that the SQE has created a two-tier NQ status (i.e. those that completed the traditional TC and everyone else) and that my current employer / other City firms wouldn't want to take the risk and offer an associate role on qualification. Do you think this method of qualifying would work to my detriment in getting an NQ role at an MC / similar-level firm?

In many instances, yes it will be.

Qualifying does not make you employable. It just allows you to not have your work checked from a regulatory perspective.

Many paralegals will not have comparable experience to trainees and that is ultimately what will make you employable - the work you do during your QWE will set you up to be an NQ. This is why you typically only see NQs moving across to similar firms upon qualification - it’s exceptionally rare for someone to have jumped from a firm that does very different work/works with very different clients to one that is more complex.

There will be exceptions - for instance some paralegals will have trainee level responsibilities. But even then, they won’t have necessarily rotated through departments or received the same level of training as a trainee.

I personally would only suggest qualifying if you have found an NQ level role with a firm you are happy to work with. You don’t need to apply for qualification until you have this lined up if you have passed SQE1 and 2 (or are exempt from these assessments).

 

[ABCD1234]

Hi Jessica!

I hope you're well.

I recently accepted a London TC offer at a wonderful law firm, but I am considering moving to the UAE. I want to apply for another firm's UAE Vacation Scheme but I am wondering about how I should go about this.

1. Would it be in bad faith for me to apply to other firms despite having a TC and can my TC offer be rescinded due to this?

2. Should I even mention the fact that I have completed a vacation scheme and gotten an offer for a TC on my application for the UAE Vacation scheme?

Thank you so much!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!

I hope you're well.

I recently accepted a London TC offer at a wonderful law firm, but I am considering moving to the UAE. I want to apply for another firm's UAE Vacation Scheme but I am wondering about how I should go about this.

1. Would it be in bad faith for me to apply to other firms despite having a TC and can my TC offer be rescinded due to this?

2. Should I even mention the fact that I have completed a vacation scheme and gotten an offer for a TC on my application for the UAE Vacation scheme?

Thank you so much!

There is an element of “best practice”, effectively a voluntarily moral code that would say you shouldn’t be apply to other opportunities on accepting a TC with a firm. However, there are plenty of people who don’t stick to this and apply elsewhere.

I don’t see how your TC firm would find out you are applying elsewhere unless you tell them. No one else could tell them you have due to data protection.

You can say you have got a TC offer but 1) firms are going to wonder if you have accepted it (especially if it was off the back of a summer scheme). However it is better to claim the VS than not claim it at all - you are just going to have to get your story straight if asked about if you were offered a TC. A firm could be worried about you accepting and then reneging another offer as they could think what’s stopping you doing that to them too.

 

[ABCD1234]

There is an element of “best practice”, effectively a voluntarily moral code that would say you shouldn’t be apply to other opportunities on accepting a TC with a firm. However, there are plenty of people who don’t stick to this and apply elsewhere.

I don’t see how your TC firm would find out you are applying elsewhere unless you tell them. No one else could tell them you have due to data protection.

You can say you have got a TC offer but 1) firms are going to wonder if you have accepted it (especially if it was off the back of a summer scheme). However it is better to claim the VS than not claim it at all - you are just going to have to get your story straight if asked about if you were offered a TC. A firm could be worried about you accepting and then reneging another offer as they could think what’s stopping you doing that to them too.

Thank you so much! This is incredibly helpful!

 

[lawtc2024]

Hey everyone, I have a TC interview coming up which involves a presentation.
The brief says it can be something of interest to me. It does not specify that it needs to be law related.
Any ideas? Would you lean away from talking about law or would you focus on the legal sector still, even if it does not specify?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey everyone, I have a TC interview coming up which involves a presentation.
The brief says it can be something of interest to me. It does not specify that it needs to be law related.
Any ideas? Would you lean away from talking about law or would you focus on the legal sector still, even if it does not specify?

I would personally avoid law unless there is a specific subject that is quite niche but that you have a genuine interest in.

Pick a topic that personally interests you that not many others would also have an interest in, and then try to think what you want to achieve with the presentation - do you want to “pitch” it (try to get other people interested in the topic) or do you want to “inform” your audience.

 

[lawtc2024]

I would personally avoid law unless there is a specific subject that is quite niche but that you have a genuine interest in.

Pick a topic that personally interests you that not many others would also have an interest in, and then try to think what you want to achieve with the presentation - do you want to “pitch” it (try to get other people interested in the topic) or do you want to “inform” your audience.

Thanks so much for this- great advice!

 

[erin1009]

Hi I am looking for advice as to where to begin writing a successful training contract application can anyone help me out please?

 

[ADKM]

Hi Jessica,

Wanted your opinion on something. I completed a 3 year llb degree from India and from what I’ve seen on LinkedIn, those from India who are getting tc offers are all students from the five year integrated llb course unlike mine which I did after I graduated with a honours degree in commerce (also a 3 year course). I’m now starting to think I’m being rejected probably because I haven’t done the five year integrated llb degree, do you think firms factor this into consideration?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Wanted your opinion on something. I completed a 3 year llb degree from India and from what I’ve seen on LinkedIn, those from India who are getting tc offers are all students from the five year integrated llb course unlike mine which I did after I graduated with a honours degree in commerce (also a 3 year course). I’m now starting to think I’m being rejected probably because I haven’t done the five year integrated llb degree, do you think firms factor this into consideration?

No - I don’t think that will be the issue as it will be obvious you have your commerce degree too.

 

[ADKM]

Thank you

 

[mariistm]

Hi Jessica,

Today I received an AC invite from CMS for the 11th of January. However, I start a new job on the 8th of January, which is law-related but not something I want to do for the long term, as I am hoping to secure a training contract. From an HR and recruiter perspective, what is the best way to communicate that I have an AC to my employer, so soon after starting the job? Do you think it will be seen as unprofessional?

Many thanks