Baker McKenzie open day

[sxw517]

If you were a Trainee Solicitor at Baker McKenzie, where would you want to go on secondment and why? (this may be client specific, country specific, or both) (300 words max) *

 

[Jessica Booker]

I am currently applying for a Baker Mckenzie open day, and one of the questions is as below, could anyone give me some pointers on how to improve this answer? It would be greatly appreciated. @Jaysen

If you were a Trainee Solicitor at Baker McKenzie, where would you want to go on secondment and why? (this may be client specific, country specific, or both) (300 words max) *



As one of the first truly global law firms, the chance to undertake a secondment with a client of Baker McKenzie would be an invaluable experience. A secondment with a client in its in-house legal team would allow one to develop an understanding of the client’s business and the ability to advise on judgement calls which have broader - and real - implications on the business.

With sustainable investing and ESG concerns having grown considerably and expected to continue in the future, the relevance of ESG concerns to the mining sector is indisputable, particularly with the sector having considerable impacts upon the environment. With actual and perceived non-compliance with ESG regulations leading to a whole host of problems for mining companies. It is for these aforesaid reasons that I feel that a secondment to Anglo American PLC would be fascinating.

With the diversified miner setting a target of zero emissions by 2040 and embedding the Anglo American Social Way initiative into its practices. To me the way through which mining corporations interact with the communities in which they operate is of great interest. Having written my dissertation on Indigenous land rights in Australia and the proliferation of mining interests within this. I find convergence of the law and ESG themes in this area very interesting, such as Community Development Agreements, an important cornerstone of protecting those most vulnerable to resource exploration activities. The Social Way initiative is a commitment by the firm to improve the livelihoods, health and wellbeing and education of the communities in which they operate. In light of Anglo Americans commitments to ESG concerns, a secondment in its in-house legal team and the greater agency in this role, would allow me to apply my interest in a professional setting.

A few comments from my perspective:

- you don't need the dashes either side of "and real" in your first paragraph.
- "A secondment with a client in its in-house legal team" could just be shortened to "A client secondment"
- one can become me - "allow me to develop an understanding of the client’s business"
- I'd remove the repetition of "concerns" in your first sentence of the second paragraph.
- The second sentence in the second paragraph lacks a bit of flow from what you have said previously - it almost comes across like a fragment sentence
- "It is for these aforesaid reasons that I feel that a secondment" can be condensed down to "For these reasons, a secondment"
- The first and third sentences of the third paragraph again lack flow - they read again like fragment sentences.
- Unclear whether the "The Social Way initiative" is something the client or the firm is doing. In the first sentence it reads like the client is doing this, but in the fifth sentence the use of "firm" makes it sound like the firm is.
- you can remove "in-house" from the final sentence

 

[sxw517]

Hi Jessica, thank you for your comments they are very much appreciate. I have redrafted this and made some amendments, does this read better now?

 

[sxw517]

Would it be worth mentioning the class action law suit taken out against AA by a community due to lead poisoning in Zambia?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, thank you for your comments they are very much appreciate. I have redrafted this and made some amendments, does this read better now? Also, would you recommend that I need to touch on more on Anglo American and challenges they may face in the future. Im trying to think of a way through which I can evidence commercial awareness...

As one of the first truly global law firms, the chance to undertake a secondment with a client of Baker McKenzie would be an invaluable experience. A client secondment would allow me to develop an understanding of the client’s business and the ability to advise on judgement calls which have broader and real implications on the business and its operations.

With sustainable investing and ESG concerns having grown considerably and expected to continue in the future, the relevance of ESG to the mining sector is indisputable. With actual and perceived non-compliance with ESG regulations leading to a whole host of problems for mining companies. For these reasons, a secondment to Anglo American PLC would be fascinating.

To me the way through which mining corporations interact with the communities in which they operate is of great interest. Having written my dissertation on Indigenous land rights in Australia and the proliferation of mining interests within this. I find convergence of the law and ESG themes in this area very interesting. The Social Way is a commitment by Anglo American to improve the livelihoods, health and wellbeing and education of the communities in which they operate, it provides a framework, through which the compliance of the company is assessed. A secondment at Anglo American would allow me to apply my interest of ESG in a professional setting.

@Jessica Booker

You don’t need to talk about the company’s potential challenges. Just focus on answering the question.

There are still some fragment sentences in there. If you use Word, use the read aloud function to read it back to you and you will hear where the fragment sentences are.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Would it be worth mentioning the class action law suit taken out against anglo American by a community due to lead poisoning in Zambia?

No - it’s not answering the question.