Ask TCLA's New Community Managers Anything!

[AvniD]

Hi team!

I'm having a tricky time thinking of a good answer to the question "tell us about a time you made a mistake". To help jog my memory for similar situations from my experience, are you able to share how you would answer this question?

Thank you!

The way I see it, the point is to explain when/why you made a mistake and how you recovered from it/what you learnt from it and what the impact of your efforts were. Does this give you a springboard for some ideas?

 

[MarianaMartins]

Hi ! This is my first time using TCLA... I hope I am on the right thread.

When answering "biggest challenges for the legal sector over the next 12 months" question. I am thinking of writing about Climate and sustainability and The SQE? Am I on the right lines on this question?

Also, about how Brexit and Covid-19 affected a number of sectors. I wrote about how litigation has been affected as a result. Or should I write about the financial sector,particularly, employment law?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi ! This is my first time using TCLA... I hope I am on the right thread.

When answering "biggest challenges for the legal sector over the next 12 months" question. I am thinking of writing about Climate and sustainability and The SQE? Am I on the right lines on this question?

Also, about how Brexit and Covid-19 affected a number of sectors. I wrote about how litigation has been affected as a result. Or should I write about the financial sector,particularly, employment law?

I would be concerned that Brexit and Covid19 might be too backwards looking. This needs to be forward looking - the challenges that will happen not that already have.

Or doesn’t matter if it is a broad view or if it’s picks up on a certain sector, you just need to justify why it will be the biggest challenge for them.

 

[AvniD]

Hi ! This is my first time using TCLA... I hope I am on the right thread.

When answering "biggest challenges for the legal sector over the next 12 months" question. I am thinking of writing about Climate and sustainability and The SQE? Am I on the right lines on this question?

Also, about how Brexit and Covid-19 affected a number of sectors. I wrote about how litigation has been affected as a result. Or should I write about the financial sector,particularly, employment law?

@MarianaMartins welcome to TCLA! Well done for making a post and engaging with the community 👏 👏 👏

For this question, if you haven't already, I'd suggest Google searching the biggest challenges for the legal sector and going through the recurring themes and topics. You can talk about any challenges, really, as long as you're able to show

• Why is it a challenge for the legal sector- what aspects of the sector is it impacting, how will it impact the business of a law firm etc.
• What makes it a challenge that law firms will have to prioritise in the short term i.e. the next year
• How should law firms react to the challenge so that they can overcome it and come out stronger

After looking at these factors, you'll see that writing about climate, sustainability or the SQE doesn't make the most sense as they present longer term challenges. You'll need to explore a bit deeper about what examples fit best here, but once you do this, writing your answer should flow naturally with the above structure!

 

[MarianaMartins]

@MarianaMartins welcome to TCLA! Well done for making a post and engaging with the community 👏 👏 👏

For this question, if you haven't already, I'd suggest Google searching the biggest challenges for the legal sector and going through the recurring themes and topics. You can talk about any challenges, really, as long as you're able to show

• Why is it a challenge for the legal sector- what aspects of the sector is it impacting, how will it impact the business of a law firm etc.
• What makes it a challenge that law firms will have to prioritise in the short term i.e. the next year
• How should law firms react to the challenge so that they can overcome it and come out stronger

After looking at these factors, you'll see that writing about climate, sustainability or the SQE doesn't make the most sense as they present longer term challenges. You'll need to explore a bit deeper about what examples fit best here, but once you do this, writing your answer should flow naturally with the above structure!

Thank you so much!

 

[MarianaMartins]

I would be concerned that Brexit and Covid19 might be too backwards looking. This needs to be forward looking - the challenges that will happen not that already have.

Or doesn’t matter if it is a broad view or if it’s picks up on a certain sector, you just need to justify why it will be the biggest challenge for them.

That is a good point! Thank you!!

 

[Shreya26]

Hi @AvniD !

I hope you’re doing well! I am an international student who just graduated. I’ll be returning home for the next few months and am looking to continue applying for TCs and VS’. However, since I don’t have a visa, I realise I am severely limited to direct TCs as most firms won’t sponsor a visa to do vacation schemes. I might not be getting the graduate visa as I may do the Bar next year in order to give myself the opportunity to practice in my home countries if so ever I needed to in the future. As an international applicant yourself, I was wondering if you could shed some light or provide any advice on how I could ensure I am successful this application season? I’m afraid that my chances with direct TCs will be very low and my status as an international candidate who will require visa sponsorship will be a heavy disadvantage. Thank you very much in advance!

 

[AvniD]

Hi @Shreya26! Linking this thread that I created on direct TCs here! Let me know if you find it useful

 

[Shreya26]

Hi @Shreya26! Linking this thread that I created on direct TCs here! Let me know if you find it useful

Thank you very much, that was really helpful!

I have a general question regarding applications - what is the best way for one to approach the "why this firm" question? What are the main factors that should be looked at?

I fear just saying they rank Tier 1 in practice areas I want to dive into is too basic. I've also mentioned my own conversations with the firms employees and how the information they provided was particularly influential, but I wasn't successful with these apps. I usually discuss D&I initiatives, legal tech progress and the work exposure for trainees.

If there is a thread that details specific factors to research / find out about, I would be very grateful if you could direct me there (I'm relatively new to the platform and am still grasping how to navigate it ). Thank you in advance!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you very much, that was really helpful!

I have a general question regarding applications - what is the best way for one to approach the "why this firm" question? What are the main factors that should be looked at?

I fear just saying they rank Tier 1 in practice areas I want to dive into is too basic. I've also mentioned my own conversations with the firms employees and how the information they provided was particularly influential, but I wasn't successful with these apps. I usually discuss D&I initiatives, legal tech progress and the work exposure for trainees.

If there is a thread that details specific factors to research / find out about, I would be very grateful if you could direct me there (I'm relatively new to the platform and am still grasping how to navigate it ). Thank you in advance!

It’s not really about what the factors are. It’s really about why they are important to you and explaining that. Try not to get caught up on what you are particularly picking out, but do try to get a balance between the work the firm offers, the opportunities they provide for you as a lawyer, and the firm’s culture (eg why will you like the day job, why will you want a long term career there, why will the environment suit you).

But what those factors are need to be aligned to you. The key about an application form is that it is actually more about you than about the firm, even when it js a “why the firm?” question, because it is really “why are YOU interested in the firm?”.

 

[AvniD]

Thank you very much, that was really helpful!

I have a general question regarding applications - what is the best way for one to approach the "why this firm" question? What are the main factors that should be looked at?

I fear just saying they rank Tier 1 in practice areas I want to dive into is too basic. I've also mentioned my own conversations with the firms employees and how the information they provided was particularly influential, but I wasn't successful with these apps. I usually discuss D&I initiatives, legal tech progress and the work exposure for trainees.

If there is a thread that details specific factors to research / find out about, I would be very grateful if you could direct me there (I'm relatively new to the platform and am still grasping how to navigate it ). Thank you in advance!

@Shreya26 my best tip for answering why this firm is by tying it back to what you're looking from your TC and career. Say you want to train, and possibly practice, in private equity one day. Then one way to demonstrate that you're interested in applying to an XYZ firm for this reason is by stating that you have an interest in private equity ➡️ demonstrating how you developed this interest (something you studied, read, worked on etc.)➡️ linking your interest to the firm's work (mentioning any particular deals/rankings that stood out to you)➡️ explaining why these things about the firm stood out to you (something they achieved in a particular deal that was impressive, a way of working that resonated with you etc).

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello, @AvniD . Hope you are well. I have an interview with an Indian law firm in a few days and so I was researching a bit about the partner who was going to interview me. I got to know that he currently serves as a director at two companies in the automobile sector and this was the only detail that stood out to me since everything else was pretty standard. I was wondering, what question can I ask him at the "Do you have any questions for me?" stage regarding the directorship role.

Thanks.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello, @AvniD . Hope you are well. I have an interview with an Indian law firm in a few days and so I was researching a bit about the partner who was going to interview me. I got to know that he currently serves as a director at two companies in the automobile sector and this was the only detail that stood out to me since everything else was pretty standard. I was wondering, what question can I ask him at the "Do you have any questions for me?" stage regarding the directorship role.

Thanks.

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor - I'd be mindful to ask questions more about their role in the law firm rather than their directorships in other organisations. You should focus on the opportunity with the firm itself.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor - I'd be mindful to ask questions more about their role in the law firm rather than their directorships in other organisations. You should focus on the opportunity with the firm itself.

Understood, Jessica. Thank you so much for your response.

 

[AvniD]

Hello, @AvniD . Hope you are well. I have an interview with an Indian law firm in a few days and so I was researching a bit about the partner who was going to interview me. I got to know that he currently serves as a director at two companies in the automobile sector and this was the only detail that stood out to me since everything else was pretty standard. I was wondering, what question can I ask him at the "Do you have any questions for me?" stage regarding the directorship role.

Thanks.

Completely agree with Jess' response!

 

[Shreya26]

Hi @Dheepa! I saw that you were offered a TC at A&O (congratulations!) and wanted to pick your brain on some of the things I am struggling with when it comes to the application. I am applying for the direct training contract this year and the first question tackles the "why this firm" component, but is combined with two other components that need to be answered. Since the word count is even tinier now (I am looking to allocate around 85 words to each subquestion), I am struggling to be specific but also concise with why A&O is the firm for me. I have good examples for the legal tech and innovation point I want to mention. I was thinking of discussing a deal they did or the culture, but am worried I do not grasp the complexity of the former and the latter is only based off of virtual meetings with future trainees at the firm, and could be perceived as generic/ superficial. Further, since many other firms also maintain an expansive global network, I am struggling to be really precise with why the international reach A&O has is unique, besides how it would help me explore my current areas of interest.

Do you have any tips on what/ how to be specific when it comes to A&O, especially given the word count? Thank you so much!

(Any advice on the above from anyone is welcome - thank you!)

 

[hzb1107]

Hi guys! I saw a thread where someone mentioned about A&O values/rubrics and suggested tailoring one's application/interview to those values. Could someone please point me to those values/rubrics? I found some info as to what they are looking for on A&O's website but not sure if the info are the ones mentioned. If anyone could help me with this, that would be very nice!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @AvniD hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me if it's okay for me to hyperlink my YouTube channel if I'm referring to it in one of my work experiences or is it not required and just the name of my channel would do?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @AvniD hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me if it's okay for me to hyperlink my YouTube channel if I'm referring to it in one of my work experiences or is it not required and just the name of my channel would do?

Thanks in advance.

I would put a link in (as long as it’s a short link).

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

I would put a link in (as long as it’s a short link).

Thank you so much for your response, Jessica.