Hello everyone! I have been following The Corporate Law Academy for a few years whilst applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, and would be ever so grateful for some advice on my (potentially) final year of applications.
I have recently graduated from my law degree and LPC at a non russell group University, with first class honours. I live in the North East and I currently have a great non-legal job at a global company based in London (I work from home in the North but I travel regularly). Whilst this is perfect for the time being, I am still determined to pursue a training contract.
However, I have discovered in this cycle of applications that firms are increasingly recruiting solely from their vacation schemes, which will exclude me from applying to many firms as I will not be able to take the time off work. Which makes me wonder if this will be my last cycle of TC applications, if this is a trend that will continue in the future.
I have a bulky CV: I have completed 5 vacation schemes in the last 3 years, worked part-time for 6 years from the age of 16 a premium supermarket chain and completed a number of volunteering and fundraising projects. I also averaged a mark of 76 in my 4 years at university, my only let down on my application being my A Level grades, being ABC (300 UCAS points).
My applications to northern firms have always fallen at the final hurdle: the final interview. Every piece of feedback I have received has been largely positive, which has been frustrating- I am usually told "everyone who met you [during the VS] thought you were great and spoke highly about you and we would encourage you to apply again next year" and the only clear negative feedback I was given was regarding a lack of confidence and about my commercial awareness: e.g. "the work you did was great but just lacked the ability to communicate information to clients in the way a lawyer would. You completed the work as a law student would and you therefore need some more legal experience".
This year I am re-applying to the northern firms that I was rejected from last year. However, I was also looking to broaden my applications into London firms (having enjoyed working in the London office of my current employer),and other, larger northern firms, but I am conscious that I would be wasting my time applying to firms that would automatically filter out my application due to my ABC A-Level results, and my inability to undertake a VS. (I have never passed the online application stage to firms such as Eversheds and Irwin Mitchell for example).
Does anyone have any positive experience/knowledge of firms that I would not be wasting my time on applying to given my circumstances? (My first choice of location would be Leeds/Newcastle and I would definitely move to London if it paid enough for me to relocate).
I have recently graduated from my law degree and LPC at a non russell group University, with first class honours. I live in the North East and I currently have a great non-legal job at a global company based in London (I work from home in the North but I travel regularly). Whilst this is perfect for the time being, I am still determined to pursue a training contract.
However, I have discovered in this cycle of applications that firms are increasingly recruiting solely from their vacation schemes, which will exclude me from applying to many firms as I will not be able to take the time off work. Which makes me wonder if this will be my last cycle of TC applications, if this is a trend that will continue in the future.
I have a bulky CV: I have completed 5 vacation schemes in the last 3 years, worked part-time for 6 years from the age of 16 a premium supermarket chain and completed a number of volunteering and fundraising projects. I also averaged a mark of 76 in my 4 years at university, my only let down on my application being my A Level grades, being ABC (300 UCAS points).
My applications to northern firms have always fallen at the final hurdle: the final interview. Every piece of feedback I have received has been largely positive, which has been frustrating- I am usually told "everyone who met you [during the VS] thought you were great and spoke highly about you and we would encourage you to apply again next year" and the only clear negative feedback I was given was regarding a lack of confidence and about my commercial awareness: e.g. "the work you did was great but just lacked the ability to communicate information to clients in the way a lawyer would. You completed the work as a law student would and you therefore need some more legal experience".
This year I am re-applying to the northern firms that I was rejected from last year. However, I was also looking to broaden my applications into London firms (having enjoyed working in the London office of my current employer),and other, larger northern firms, but I am conscious that I would be wasting my time applying to firms that would automatically filter out my application due to my ABC A-Level results, and my inability to undertake a VS. (I have never passed the online application stage to firms such as Eversheds and Irwin Mitchell for example).
Does anyone have any positive experience/knowledge of firms that I would not be wasting my time on applying to given my circumstances? (My first choice of location would be Leeds/Newcastle and I would definitely move to London if it paid enough for me to relocate).
