General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[thirdtimelucky]

Just to be clear, when discussing a ‘commercial deal’ its an M&A/transaction not a case/dispute? I’ve been applying to a few litigation firms that ask for a case and so was thrown by the working ‘commercial’ deal

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just to be clear, when discussing a ‘commercial deal’ its an M&A/transaction not a case/dispute? I’ve been applying to a few litigation firms that ask for a case and so was thrown by the working ‘commercial’ deal

Technically it would suggest deal only, but I suspect it is just bad wording by the firm and that if they are a litigation specialist they mean “matter” rather than “deal”

Probably worthwhile contacting someone at the firm to get their thoughts though.

 

[LS12]

If a firm asks you to ‘discuss a recent deal that has interested you’ can you link your answer back to why this deal makes you want to work at the firm? Or are they looking for more commercial fluency here?

 

[Legal_rawn]

If a firm asks you to ‘discuss a recent deal that has interested you’ can you link your answer back to why this deal makes you want to work at the firm? Or are they looking for more commercial fluency here?

If you can do both then I would imagine that would be a good route! If you can link your deal back to something law related I should imagine that would suffice. I usually do a paragraph on the deal then why it interested me, then why it would be important to a law firm! Although this is my perineal approach so it may not be for everyone!

 

[Jessica Booker]

If a firm asks you to ‘discuss a recent deal that has interested you’ can you link your answer back to why this deal makes you want to work at the firm? Or are they looking for more commercial fluency here?

more commercial fluency. Don’t force answers in that firms aren’t looking for.

 

[Numerius Negidius]

Do trainee retention rates refer to the percentage of people who want to be retained who are offered a job, or is it the percentage of all trainees who end up qualifying at the firm even if some of them voluntarily decided to move to another job?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Do trainee retention rates refer to the percentage of people who want to be retained who are offered a job, or is it the percentage of all trainees who end up qualifying at the firm even if some of them voluntarily decided to move to another job?

Depends how the firm spins it. Technically it should be anyone who works as a qualified lawyer at the firm, so should exclude anyone who leaves of their own accord.

But it’s not unknown for firms to spin the wording carefully to exclude someone who leaves of their own accord.

 

[jan28]

hi guys,
how do we convert our study abroad letter grades to % grades? I've found different converters online but they vary so I'm not sure which one would be the correct one. However I do have the official 'grade range' from the uni I went to e.g. I received a B in one module which they say is 87-89. Can I just write my grade as that?

 

[Jessica Booker]

hi guys,
how do we convert our study abroad letter grades to % grades? I've found different converters online but they vary so I'm not sure which one would be the correct one. However I do have the official 'grade range' from the uni I went to e.g. I received a B in one module which they say is 87-89. Can I just write my grade as that?

You don’t - just provide the grades as you have them and explain there is not a clear percentage conversion process.

 

[jan28]

You don’t - just provide the grades as you have them and explain there is not a clear percentage conversion process.

Ok thanks, I also realised that the grades were curved so the scales might not really mean much.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Ok thanks, I also realised that the grades were curved so the scales might not really mean much.

Sometimes firms will request percentages just for consistency and because most UK universities award on this basis. It doesn't work well for other universities though, especially those that work on a GPA type model. Firms will typically see enough other grading systems to be able to make a judgement on how strong those grades that are not percentages actually are.

 

[jan28]

Sometimes firms will request percentages just for consistency and because most UK universities award on this basis. It doesn't work well for other universities though, especially those that work on a GPA type model. Firms will typically see enough other grading systems to be able to make a judgement on how strong those grades that are not percentages actually are.

Also I wanted to ask, how heavily do the firms weigh study abroad grades where the student was on a pass/fail year? I have to admit I didn't get the best grades during mine (Bs and Cs) as I did spend a fair amount travelling etc. because I only had to pass and now I'm wondering if that was a good choice...

 

[lozza_2]

When answering 'why X firm' in an interview, should I expand upon the points made on my application form (as it was a question) or offer new reasons?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Also I wanted to ask, how heavily do the firms weigh study abroad grades where the student was on a pass/fail year? I have to admit I didn't get the best grades during mine (Bs and Cs) as I did spend a fair amount travelling etc. because I only had to pass and now I'm wondering if that was a good choice...

They will look at them in a very similar way to a domestic year. So there could be concerns if you grades are distinctly lower.

 

[Jessica Booker]

When answering 'why X firm' in an interview, should I expand upon the points made on my application form (as it was a question) or offer new reasons?

generally you will need to expand and develop your answers. You’d probably say your answer in about 30 seconds if you just repeated your application answer. You may have also done subsequent research/found out new things since your application or while preparing for your interview, so a good time to mention those too.

 

[Jacob Miller]

When answering 'why X firm' in an interview, should I expand upon the points made on my application form (as it was a question) or offer new reasons?

I tended to do a mixture of both.

Typically, I would open with re-covering and adding further detail to some of the headline reasons I had mentioned in the written application before then expanding on those and bringing in new reasons for the interview too. Try and structure your answer so there is a natural flow to the reasons too- if they're all very sporadic soundbites and buzzwords, the answer will seem disjointed and as if it's just little tidbits you've seen elsewhere. If you structure the answer so that the reasons all make sense, have a common theme etc, you can show that it is a cogent and reasonable answer.

On that note, try and make the reasons you give things that a would-be trainee would have interest in. The classic example is one I was given by a mentor that a lot of folks mention Slaughters' partnership structure (ie a traditional partnership). My mentor advised me that raising something like that as a key attraction would seem a bit contrived as a graduate/ trainee doesn't really have any legitimacy in looking towards partnership at this stage of their career.

 

[M1999]

generally you will need to expand and develop your answers. You’d probably say your answer in about 30 seconds if you just repeated your application answer. You may have also done subsequent research/found out new things since your application or while preparing for your interview, so a good time to mention those too.

My adviser from my UG Told me not to put each individual marks from my semester abroad because they do not show up on my transcript. For each firm I have done I have literally just copied exactly what’s in my final transcript, which says ‘study abroad (60 credits) n/a. I also don’t have an actual copy of what I got in my semester abroad because it was sent right to my UG- I was just told I passed. It hasn’t been a problem in some apps so far but now I am worried about it?

 

[jan28]

My adviser from my UG Told me not to put each individual marks from my semester abroad because they do not show up on my transcript. For each firm I have done I have literally just copied exactly what’s in my final transcript, which says ‘study abroad (60 credits) n/a. I also don’t have an actual copy of what I got in my semester abroad because it was sent right to my UG- I was just told I passed. It hasn’t been a problem in some apps so far but now I am worried about it?

Same with mine - mine's not on my transcript and got to a vac scheme last year without providing them. But in being more optimistic this year just in case I do land a TC and they they later somehow find my grades for the year they'll probably question why I didn't provide them (because I remember sometime this year someone had their offer rescinded because they failed to provide ONE grade) so being more cautious...

 

[M1999]

Same with mine - mine's not on my transcript and got to a vac scheme last year without providing them. But in being more optimistic this year just in case I do land a TC and they they later somehow find my grades for the year they'll probably question why I didn't provide them (because I remember sometime this year someone had their offer rescinded because they failed to provide ONE grade) so being more cautious...

I mean I think the fact they’re not on your transcript and you were advised to put things down on your transcript is a good enough reason to not provide them tbh. I logged onto my student records & there’s no indication of them either. I’m not sure if my case is different because I did only a semester and my first semester in second year I did An additional module

 

[Jessica Booker]

My adviser from my UG Told me not to put each individual marks from my semester abroad because they do not show up on my transcript. For each firm I have done I have literally just copied exactly what’s in my final transcript, which says ‘study abroad (60 credits) n/a. I also don’t have an actual copy of what I got in my semester abroad because it was sent right to my UG- I was just told I passed. It hasn’t been a problem in some apps so far but now I am worried about it?

That is fine if that’s what your transcript says - the firm can only go on that.