General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[acceleratedlaw]

What are everyone’s tips for dealing with nerves before interviews? I tend to overthink whilst I’m speaking and end up speaking super quickly, and I feel like structure usually goes out the window!

this might sound cliche but honestly, when they ask you a question, just stop, listen, even if u know the answer, pretend to think, and and then breathe out and start answering. even saying things like 'wow thats an interesting question' or 'thats a tough one...' or 'let me think on that one'. it's best to look engaged in the interview than rehearsed and it will also allow u to enjoy the interview too. as u know, all lawyers love talking about themselves ahaha so enjoy it!

 

[D]

Hi everyone, I am applying for a paralegal role at a top city law firm in London and really unsure what to write for salary expectations. I don't want to sell myself short but also don't want to write something too high. Does anyone have any ideas?

This may be something you could DM @Jessica Booker about.

 

[FutureCity]

A classic one is what you would do if you were given two pieces of work by two partners with the same deadline.

The answer to that I have found is prioritization, managing expectations, and managing your own time.

 

[Pallatablelawyer]

Hi
I got invited for BCLP AC. They told me to confirm a slot but I am not seeing any slots? Is anyone else having the same issue?

Thanks,

When did you apply

 

[Pallatablelawyer]

Hi guys! I have an AC coming up and in preparation for the interview I am trying to think about situations I may find myself in in a law firm as a trainee. I am trying to prepare for situational questions. So far I have thought about receiving too much work than I have capacity for and how I would handle this, if other trainees aren't completing their work and it was making me look bad, and people being rude to me and how my response would differ based on their level of seniority. Can anyone think of other situations a trainee would find themselves in that I should prep for? Thank you so much! I really appreciate this forum!!

Is this also bclp by any chance

 

[S87]

This may be something you could DM @Jessica Booker about.

When I started paralegalling..I checked on glassdoor the average salary for entry level paralegal roles.
If you have more experience, I would increase your current salary. However, in this instance you need to sell yourself. Best of luck!!

 

[futuretraineecity]

this might sound cliche but honestly, when they ask you a question, just stop, listen, even if u know the answer, pretend to think, and and then breathe out and start answering. even saying things like 'wow thats an interesting question' or 'thats a tough one...' or 'let me think on that one'. it's best to look engaged in the interview than rehearsed and it will also allow u to enjoy the interview too. as u know, all lawyers love talking about themselves ahaha so enjoy it!

Thank you!! Will try to do this - hopefully won’t feel like it’s been quiet for a lifetime

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone, I am applying for a paralegal role at a top city law firm in London and really unsure what to write for salary expectations. I don't want to sell myself short but also don't want to write something too high. Does anyone have any ideas?

was a salary band listed on the job description?

 

[tractor12]

was a salary band listed on the job description?

Unfortunately not

 

[Jessica Booker]

What are everyone’s tips for dealing with nerves before interviews? I tend to overthink whilst I’m speaking and end up speaking super quickly, and I feel like structure usually goes out the window!

I make sure I am there super early and ready to go and then treat myself to a nice breakfast/lunch and make sure I read something completely unrelated to the job.

Id advise having water with you (or asking for some if it is a face to face interview). To stop rushing into answers, use the water from time to time to drink from, particularly before answering a question.

If you talk quickly, pause before answering. The milliseconds you take to pause and think will focus your answer and make it more structured than if you just jump in.

If you think you are on a ramble - pause - for the same reasons above.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Unfortunately not

A 35 hour week on the London Living Wage is just under £20k. A £400 a week vac scheme would be £21k per annum.

For an entry level paralegal role I’d expect it to be somewhere around 20% above that for most larger commercial firms. Many paralegal roles will be much higher than this but they are for career paralegals - the people who have worked as such for sometime/permanently.

Id do some google searches and look at Glassdoor to see if there are any specific details for your firm and see if you can work it from there.

Trust me - they won’t under pay you. There Will be salary bands they will have to keep to and you won’t be paid below that. If you have little/no experience you will be at that bottom of that salary band anyway.

Remember you may also get overtime as a paralegal that may boost your base salary anyway.

 

[tractor12]

A 35 hour week on the London Living Wage is just under £20k. A £400 a week vac scheme would be £21k per annum.

For an entry level paralegal role I’d expect it to be somewhere around 20% above that for most larger commercial firms. Many paralegal roles will be much higher than this but they are for career paralegals - the people who have worked as such for sometime/permanently.

Id do some google searches and look at Glassdoor to see if there are any specific details for your firm and see if you can work it from there.

Trust me - they won’t under pay you. There Will be salary bands they will have to keep to and you won’t be paid below that. If you have little/no experience you will be at that bottom of that salary band anyway.

Remember you may also get overtime as a paralegal that may boost your base salary anyway.

Very very useful thank you!

 

[futuretraineecity]

I make sure I am there super early and ready to go and then treat myself to a nice breakfast/lunch and make sure I read something completely unrelated to the job.

Id advise having water with you (or asking for some if it is a face to face interview). To stop rushing into answers, use the water from time to time to drink from, particularly before answering a question.

If you talk quickly, pause before answering. The milliseconds you take to pause and think will focus your answer and make it more structured than if you just jump in.

If you think you are on a ramble - pause - for the same reasons above.

Thank you so so much!

 

[TTD20]

A classic one is what you would do if you were given two pieces of work by two partners with the same deadline.

Definitely a good idea to prepare some of the most common questions like what you would do if you were overwhelmed with too much work etc. But I have found with these types of questions that they want to see your thinking and the way you present it more than anything else. So regardless of the question try to show that you are coming to your conclusion in a logical way that addresses the questions concerns, in a personable way. If its a particularly interesting situation I would sometimes ask the interviewer what they would do in that situation.

Great, thank you!

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

Hi everyone, I am applying for a paralegal role at a top city law firm in London and really unsure what to write for salary expectations. I don't want to sell myself short but also don't want to write something too high. Does anyone have any ideas?

Glassdoor generally is quite good for paralegal salaries for the bluechip firms, have you looked there?

 

[Andrewp]

Anyone heard from Faegre or Goodwin?

 

[SouffléSouffléSoufflé]

I was wondering if anyone had heard anything from Edwin Coe?

 

[TTD20]

Is this also bclp by any chance

Yes! I applied back in Feb

 

[cgs97]

Anyone heard from Faegre or Goodwin?

I'm waiting to hear back from Faegre after doing a vac scheme with them. They had their last vac scheme either last week or the week before (time has merged into one atm!)

 

[Camilla]

What are everyone’s tips for dealing with nerves before interviews? I tend to overthink whilst I’m speaking and end up speaking super quickly, and I feel like structure usually goes out the window!

I have found that the more I practise speaking in front of others, the less nervous I get in interviews. Perhaps try joining things like debate clubs (if your uni has one - or start your own). You could try recording yourself answering random questions on Zoom and watching them back. I have found that the more I practise implementing structure and controlling speed when speaking, the easier it is to do during an interview - even if I am a bit nervous.

Thinking about your answer whilst you speak is also not a good idea as you will be less in control of your answers and where you end up. I have found speeding up is a natural reaction when I don't feel confident in what I am are saying - I just want to get to the end of the answer as soon as possible so the awkwardness is over. A barrister once told me that his trick is an acronym called TUPA - Think, Understand, Pause, Answer. It's quite catchy and easy to remember