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My Training Contract Journey
- Thread starter j.s.cox
- Start date
Norton Rose Fulbright Vacation Scheme Day 8
Banking Assessment
This assessment was largely okay! There was a multiple choice section as well which I think made it seem a lot less scary. I feel like I had a definite advantage in this assessment as the task we had to do is something I have been exposed to constantly by the nature of being in a project finance seat. Other people came out feeling very time pressured and confused, but I actually finished with time to spare. Whilst the individual assessments have been of similar difficulty, I think the disputes assessment was more intuitive if you have studied law, and the banking assessment was more intuitive if you had been sat in a projects seat. Overall, I'm glad the individual assessments are over!
Work Shadowing
Today I was set a benchmarking task. This is where you compare a term sheet against a contract and note where each term can be found and if there are any issues to flag. I've found it to be a very useful task for finding where everything is located in a facilities agreement and breaking down the proofreading that I have to do. It's quite a time intensive task, but the associate that set this task for me has given me a strict time limit to see how much I can get down in a limited amount of time. She is then going to go through what I have done and see what I thought about the task. It is so lovely that people have gone out of their way to ensure I am able to learn as much as possible in such a short amount of time.
I also continued a business development task that I was set by a trainee. This has been interesting to understand important business considerations and the work that goes into ensuring practice areas continue to get work. I plan to send this work in tomorrow.
Coffee Catch-Ups
This morning I came in early to talk to an associate who is currently on a client secondment. It was such an interesting conversation as I learned that lawyers who have different specialisms genuinely come at the work they do from different perspectives. For instance, this associate has a disputes background but is working on transactional matters during her secondment. This means that she has been scrutinising terms of certain documents in a very legal way rather than a commercial way. In contrast, another lawyer I spoke to said that they tend to approach the work they do from a very commercial lens, essentially making commercial agreements legally binding. I really enjoyed this analogy. The associate also highlighted this difference by explaining that terms such as "reasonable endeavours" and "all reasonable endeavours" have been found by the court to mean different things. This is something that a disputes lawyer is far more likely to pick up when proofreading than a transactional lawyer.
My second catch up was with an associate who worked on the Dogger Bank wind farm financing. This was absolutely fascinating as it helped me understand the huge scale of the project in more detail. This associate explained to me that a large part of this project relied on organisation and managing the project rather than complex legal documents (although this was also part of the deal). They also explained that there are likely to be supply chain issues in the future regarding renewable energy and that we will have problems recycling and reusing materials from battery storage solutions. He said that interconnectors are going to be important in the future as surplus energy can then be shared around the globe, for example, Ireland is likely to become a net exporter of energy as the wind farms they have will generate more energy than the people in the country use. This is why the Greenlink interconnector is so important. We also discussed how a main function of project finance is about risk allocation and spreading the risk as lenders do not get paid until the project is up and running.
I've had the best day today and am so sad that it is coming to an end! I started off the two weeks being so nervous at how long the scheme was, but now I wish it was longer. Hopefully I get the TC so I can come back here very soon! I'm also still looking for my watch (for the minority of you who are concerned about that).
Thanks for following my journey!
Banking Assessment
This assessment was largely okay! There was a multiple choice section as well which I think made it seem a lot less scary. I feel like I had a definite advantage in this assessment as the task we had to do is something I have been exposed to constantly by the nature of being in a project finance seat. Other people came out feeling very time pressured and confused, but I actually finished with time to spare. Whilst the individual assessments have been of similar difficulty, I think the disputes assessment was more intuitive if you have studied law, and the banking assessment was more intuitive if you had been sat in a projects seat. Overall, I'm glad the individual assessments are over!
Work Shadowing
Today I was set a benchmarking task. This is where you compare a term sheet against a contract and note where each term can be found and if there are any issues to flag. I've found it to be a very useful task for finding where everything is located in a facilities agreement and breaking down the proofreading that I have to do. It's quite a time intensive task, but the associate that set this task for me has given me a strict time limit to see how much I can get down in a limited amount of time. She is then going to go through what I have done and see what I thought about the task. It is so lovely that people have gone out of their way to ensure I am able to learn as much as possible in such a short amount of time.
I also continued a business development task that I was set by a trainee. This has been interesting to understand important business considerations and the work that goes into ensuring practice areas continue to get work. I plan to send this work in tomorrow.
Coffee Catch-Ups
This morning I came in early to talk to an associate who is currently on a client secondment. It was such an interesting conversation as I learned that lawyers who have different specialisms genuinely come at the work they do from different perspectives. For instance, this associate has a disputes background but is working on transactional matters during her secondment. This means that she has been scrutinising terms of certain documents in a very legal way rather than a commercial way. In contrast, another lawyer I spoke to said that they tend to approach the work they do from a very commercial lens, essentially making commercial agreements legally binding. I really enjoyed this analogy. The associate also highlighted this difference by explaining that terms such as "reasonable endeavours" and "all reasonable endeavours" have been found by the court to mean different things. This is something that a disputes lawyer is far more likely to pick up when proofreading than a transactional lawyer.
My second catch up was with an associate who worked on the Dogger Bank wind farm financing. This was absolutely fascinating as it helped me understand the huge scale of the project in more detail. This associate explained to me that a large part of this project relied on organisation and managing the project rather than complex legal documents (although this was also part of the deal). They also explained that there are likely to be supply chain issues in the future regarding renewable energy and that we will have problems recycling and reusing materials from battery storage solutions. He said that interconnectors are going to be important in the future as surplus energy can then be shared around the globe, for example, Ireland is likely to become a net exporter of energy as the wind farms they have will generate more energy than the people in the country use. This is why the Greenlink interconnector is so important. We also discussed how a main function of project finance is about risk allocation and spreading the risk as lenders do not get paid until the project is up and running.
I've had the best day today and am so sad that it is coming to an end! I started off the two weeks being so nervous at how long the scheme was, but now I wish it was longer. Hopefully I get the TC so I can come back here very soon! I'm also still looking for my watch (for the minority of you who are concerned about that).
Thanks for following my journey!
Norton Rose Fulbright Vacation Scheme Day 9
Work Shadowing
I finished the time I was given for the benchmarking task I was given today. I didn't manage to finish it all, but when I talked to the associate about this, she said that she hadn't expected me to finish the task and she woud expect me to take about a day the first time I did something like this. That definitely made me feel a lot better about my ability.
I also got to sit in a really exciting call today. I wish I could give more detail about what actually happened because I thought it was brilliant, but unfortunately that's not possible. One thing I can say is that it is fantastic to see the dynamic of a team in a negotiation. I particularly enjoyed watching the partner who was sitting in and seeing their style of negotiation. She was so knowledgeable!
Final TC Inteview
This was hard. I was asked questions that were simple enough (generally situational judgement questions as the Early Careers team suggested may happen) and I would answer this as best as I could. After this, they would add a layer of complexity and ask the question again. They kept doing this until I could no longer answer the question.
They also asked the classic "Why NRF?". For this I tried to tie in my experiences at the firm to show that this really is the place I want to work. I told them why I was initially interested in the firm and how that interest had developed and changed during my time on the scheme.
Finally, they asked questions about teamworking competencies (Are you a leader/follower? How would you deal with a difficult/obstructive team member?). I tried to keep this as general as possible by explaining that it depends on the exact situation. Also, I actually felt very grateful that I had had such an awful CAC Semi-Finals experience as I brought this into my answer. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and this event (which was awful when it happened) has actually benefitted me.
Farewell Drinks and Dinner
Just like that, the scheme is almost over. My supervisor and the associate I worked for came to the drinks to say goodbye. The dinner itself was fantastic and it really feels like we have all become good friends. It was sad that it is now almost over, hopefully we will all be seeing each other at the firm in 2025. The Early Careers team said they will try to get back to us as soon as possible, and hopefully before Christmas if they get all their feedback by then.
Thanks for following my journey!
Work Shadowing
I finished the time I was given for the benchmarking task I was given today. I didn't manage to finish it all, but when I talked to the associate about this, she said that she hadn't expected me to finish the task and she woud expect me to take about a day the first time I did something like this. That definitely made me feel a lot better about my ability.
I also got to sit in a really exciting call today. I wish I could give more detail about what actually happened because I thought it was brilliant, but unfortunately that's not possible. One thing I can say is that it is fantastic to see the dynamic of a team in a negotiation. I particularly enjoyed watching the partner who was sitting in and seeing their style of negotiation. She was so knowledgeable!
Final TC Inteview
This was hard. I was asked questions that were simple enough (generally situational judgement questions as the Early Careers team suggested may happen) and I would answer this as best as I could. After this, they would add a layer of complexity and ask the question again. They kept doing this until I could no longer answer the question.
They also asked the classic "Why NRF?". For this I tried to tie in my experiences at the firm to show that this really is the place I want to work. I told them why I was initially interested in the firm and how that interest had developed and changed during my time on the scheme.
Finally, they asked questions about teamworking competencies (Are you a leader/follower? How would you deal with a difficult/obstructive team member?). I tried to keep this as general as possible by explaining that it depends on the exact situation. Also, I actually felt very grateful that I had had such an awful CAC Semi-Finals experience as I brought this into my answer. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and this event (which was awful when it happened) has actually benefitted me.
Farewell Drinks and Dinner
Just like that, the scheme is almost over. My supervisor and the associate I worked for came to the drinks to say goodbye. The dinner itself was fantastic and it really feels like we have all become good friends. It was sad that it is now almost over, hopefully we will all be seeing each other at the firm in 2025. The Early Careers team said they will try to get back to us as soon as possible, and hopefully before Christmas if they get all their feedback by then.
Thanks for following my journey!
Last edited:
Unfortunately not. I remember taking it from the car up to the 9th floor. It dropped somewhere on the way and I now can't find it. I've let the firm know about it and hopefully it turns up. Whilst it is an important possession of mine and it also has sentimental value, I have to remember that it is just a watch and can be replaced if I save up for a new one. I'm hoping it turns up soon!
So happy to hear that you successfully completed your vac scheme! I hope the work that you've been consistently putting in was useful in your TC interview. They're designed to test the extent to which you're able to stand your ground and make and recover from mistakes, so don't be too worried about how hard it was. I'm sure you gave it your best and I hope the odds are in your favour- rooting for you!🤞
What an amazing journey so far!
this is an incredibly valuable insight; I don't think I can find such detail anywhere else. even if I were you, I wouldn't have done the same.
but these details gave me the chance to imagine myself in your place and think what I would have said and done, Thank you!
it looks like you're getting your TC, be confident and I'll pray for you!
I hope they find your watch!
this is an incredibly valuable insight; I don't think I can find such detail anywhere else. even if I were you, I wouldn't have done the same.
but these details gave me the chance to imagine myself in your place and think what I would have said and done, Thank you!
it looks like you're getting your TC, be confident and I'll pray for you!
I hope they find your watch!
Update:
This week started out pretty rough. My cat broke his femur from a very small jump and has had to go to a specialist animal hospital due to a complicated medical history. It was hard to see and hear him in so much pain and I was feeling a bit down. Luckily he made it through a successful surgery and now needs some TLC for the next few weeks as he recovers. I also had some fantastic news this evening:
I GOT A TRAINING CONTRACT OFFER FROM NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT!
This is an absolute dream and I'm not supposed to make it public until everyone has received their offers/rejections (to be fair on people who won't get a decision until after Christmas), but as this is fairly anonymous and on my own little thread I thought I could shout about it. I am so absolutely over the moon!!!!
I'd love to pay the kindness I have received back. If anyone who is reading this wants advice about the process for NRF, I'd be so happy to help.
Thank you for following my journey!
This week started out pretty rough. My cat broke his femur from a very small jump and has had to go to a specialist animal hospital due to a complicated medical history. It was hard to see and hear him in so much pain and I was feeling a bit down. Luckily he made it through a successful surgery and now needs some TLC for the next few weeks as he recovers. I also had some fantastic news this evening:
I GOT A TRAINING CONTRACT OFFER FROM NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT!
This is an absolute dream and I'm not supposed to make it public until everyone has received their offers/rejections (to be fair on people who won't get a decision until after Christmas), but as this is fairly anonymous and on my own little thread I thought I could shout about it. I am so absolutely over the moon!!!!
I'd love to pay the kindness I have received back. If anyone who is reading this wants advice about the process for NRF, I'd be so happy to help.
Thank you for following my journey!
Oh my gosh that’s amazing!!!! So proud of you! I hope you are doing something nice or treating yourself to celebrate.
I've been following your thread and wanted to say a huge congrats on securing a TC from NRF - you've been working so hard and you really deserve it!
Update:
First of all, thank you for all the support and congratulations, it really means a lot. Also Happy Holidays!
The Early Careers Team at NRF phoned me yesterday to confirm a few details ahead of sending me the official paperwork for the TC. I'm really glad they did because I think I managed to gaslight myself into thinking that I imagined the TC offer. I think when you have been aiming for something for so long and your finally achieve it, it doesn't quite feel real. Also, it isn't just any TC offer, it is from my dream firm. I think I am in shock and in utter disbelief at the fact I actually did it. I'm not sure it will feel real until I sign the paperwork. Even then, I may just have to start the TC before it fully sinks in.
I've also been thinking about what to do with this thread. I've found it very useful to helping me progress and I have enjoyed keeping myself accountable. As I have called this thread "My Training Contract Journey", I have decided that the journey won't have ended until I finish my Training Contract. Until then I want to keep updating this thread with my developments through improving my commercial awareness, completing my SQE and completing the TC. Hopefully any insights I gain can be useful to other aspiring solicitors. I hope to still post regularly, although my posts may be a little further spaced apart.
I have gained so much from joining TCLA and I hope I can help others the way I have been helped.
Thanks for following my journey! (No, really, THANK YOU!)
First of all, thank you for all the support and congratulations, it really means a lot. Also Happy Holidays!
The Early Careers Team at NRF phoned me yesterday to confirm a few details ahead of sending me the official paperwork for the TC. I'm really glad they did because I think I managed to gaslight myself into thinking that I imagined the TC offer. I think when you have been aiming for something for so long and your finally achieve it, it doesn't quite feel real. Also, it isn't just any TC offer, it is from my dream firm. I think I am in shock and in utter disbelief at the fact I actually did it. I'm not sure it will feel real until I sign the paperwork. Even then, I may just have to start the TC before it fully sinks in.
I've also been thinking about what to do with this thread. I've found it very useful to helping me progress and I have enjoyed keeping myself accountable. As I have called this thread "My Training Contract Journey", I have decided that the journey won't have ended until I finish my Training Contract. Until then I want to keep updating this thread with my developments through improving my commercial awareness, completing my SQE and completing the TC. Hopefully any insights I gain can be useful to other aspiring solicitors. I hope to still post regularly, although my posts may be a little further spaced apart.
I have gained so much from joining TCLA and I hope I can help others the way I have been helped.
Thanks for following my journey! (No, really, THANK YOU!)
Reflections on 2022
My mother has always told me that you are where you are supposed to be. Starting the year off with some serious personal issues and a list of law firm rejections longer than me, that advice really irritated me. It's easy to say things like that when everything is going right, but so difficult when everything is going wrong. Upon reflection, my mother (as always) was right.
A Mentor
Throughout 2021, I thought that I could do everything by myself when it came to law firm applications. This had left me with rejection after rejection and I was beginning to see that this method was not working for me and needed to change, so I logged on to LinkedIn mulling over how I could seek out help. As I scrolled down, I found a post saying that the poster would mentor the first fifteen people to send them a DM. I checked the timestamp - "just posted". I couldn't believe my luck and immediately send a message. The next day, I found out that I was in those first fifteen and I now had a mentor. This was gamechanging and an amazing bit of serendipity. I only sent in two more applications for spring/summer vacation schemes after this and managed to get through the application stage for both. Now I felt like things were moving and I could get going.
Vinson and Elkins
My mentor gave me advice for each stage of the process and thoroughly reviewed my written applications. I ended up making it to the interview stage at Vinson and Elkins. I was so nervous as this was the first time I had done an in-person interview for a job. The lift on the way up had gone so fast that I felt a little unwell and I could feel the nerves piling up as I looked out to the fantastic view from the Walkie Talkie building. The receptionist was a lovely man who talked to me as I sat waiting for my interview time and helped me to relax a great deal. I was then called in for the interview. I started off with a presentation that I'd had to prepare beforehand and I thought it went pretty well. We moved on to the questions. These were a broad range from competencies to motivations, technical questions to situational judgement questions. Halfway through, a partner rushed in and began asking me questions. These started with questions I had already covered in my presentation and I wasn't sure how to adequately answer them without wasting the time of the other panel members. The partner then asked me a question that had me totally stumped, then left before I could answer. I'll admit, I felt completely flustered and out of my depth. Suffice to say, the interview was my last stop at Vinson and Elkins. At the time, I felt so disappointed as the firm specialised in the type of work I was desperate to get involved in.
DAC Beachcroft
After this disappointment, I made it onto the vacation scheme for DAC Beachcroft. To be perfectly honest, I had only applied to this firm because I happened to meet someone who worked there at my rowing club a month before the deadline. The work was the polar opposite from what I wanted to do, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get some work experience and at the end of the day, a TC is a TC. I ended up loving the people I met on the vacation scheme, but I had been sent to the Newcastle office by myself as a trial for the office to see if they could offer TC's in the future. It meant that I didn't do the same things that the other vacation schemers did and, in the end, I didn't get offered a training contract because they didn't have any evidence of my writing ability. I was beyond irritated as I felt like I didn't have an opportunity to show my talent, despite my best efforts.
GROW Mentor
Around this time, I was paired up with a mentor from GROW mentoring. They work at Clifford Chance and had very similar career aspirations to me. At first, I felt almost as if I was betraying my other mentor by having more than one person to help me, but I soon found the benefits of having multiple perspectives. I received advice for the same things, but the advice given was different. Each mentor had had different experiences in their journeys and I was able to benefit from both. I also really appreciated the fact that GROW made such an effort to pair me with someone who both reflected my previous experiences and was in a place that I aspired to be.
Personal Development
When September came, I wanted to hit the ground running and be better than I was the cycle before. I properly utilised TCLA Premium and the programmes on offer by Aspiring Solicitors (Aspire, the AS Commercial Awareness Competition, and metoring with BP and NRF). I started "My Training Contract Journey" thread. These helped me to develop as well as giving me a motivation to continue to meet my goals. This was fundamental to my success this year, especially the progress I made with my commercial awareness.
Norton Rose Fulbright
I realised just how much everything above had helped me when I was applying to NRF. Firstly, the advice I had been given by my mentors helped me to get through the initial stages of my application. Then, when I got to the assessment centre, I wasn't thrown off by difficult questions. In fact, one piece of feedback I received was that I was very calm in the face of difficult questions. I would not have been able to do this without the trainwreck that was my Vinson and Elkins interview. When asked in my exit interview "Why NRF?", I didn't even have to think about it. For me, everything had clicked: the work and the people. Without my previous experiences, I'm not sure I would have recognised this so easily. Aside from anything else, I was glad I had been rejected from other firms because after completing the vacation scheme at NRF, I knew this was the place for me and the placeI wanted to be.
2023 Goals
2022 was a year in which I was given a phenomenal amount of help to achieve my goals. This is reflected in the goals I have set myself for 2023:
My mother has always told me that you are where you are supposed to be. Starting the year off with some serious personal issues and a list of law firm rejections longer than me, that advice really irritated me. It's easy to say things like that when everything is going right, but so difficult when everything is going wrong. Upon reflection, my mother (as always) was right.
A Mentor
Throughout 2021, I thought that I could do everything by myself when it came to law firm applications. This had left me with rejection after rejection and I was beginning to see that this method was not working for me and needed to change, so I logged on to LinkedIn mulling over how I could seek out help. As I scrolled down, I found a post saying that the poster would mentor the first fifteen people to send them a DM. I checked the timestamp - "just posted". I couldn't believe my luck and immediately send a message. The next day, I found out that I was in those first fifteen and I now had a mentor. This was gamechanging and an amazing bit of serendipity. I only sent in two more applications for spring/summer vacation schemes after this and managed to get through the application stage for both. Now I felt like things were moving and I could get going.
Vinson and Elkins
My mentor gave me advice for each stage of the process and thoroughly reviewed my written applications. I ended up making it to the interview stage at Vinson and Elkins. I was so nervous as this was the first time I had done an in-person interview for a job. The lift on the way up had gone so fast that I felt a little unwell and I could feel the nerves piling up as I looked out to the fantastic view from the Walkie Talkie building. The receptionist was a lovely man who talked to me as I sat waiting for my interview time and helped me to relax a great deal. I was then called in for the interview. I started off with a presentation that I'd had to prepare beforehand and I thought it went pretty well. We moved on to the questions. These were a broad range from competencies to motivations, technical questions to situational judgement questions. Halfway through, a partner rushed in and began asking me questions. These started with questions I had already covered in my presentation and I wasn't sure how to adequately answer them without wasting the time of the other panel members. The partner then asked me a question that had me totally stumped, then left before I could answer. I'll admit, I felt completely flustered and out of my depth. Suffice to say, the interview was my last stop at Vinson and Elkins. At the time, I felt so disappointed as the firm specialised in the type of work I was desperate to get involved in.
DAC Beachcroft
After this disappointment, I made it onto the vacation scheme for DAC Beachcroft. To be perfectly honest, I had only applied to this firm because I happened to meet someone who worked there at my rowing club a month before the deadline. The work was the polar opposite from what I wanted to do, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get some work experience and at the end of the day, a TC is a TC. I ended up loving the people I met on the vacation scheme, but I had been sent to the Newcastle office by myself as a trial for the office to see if they could offer TC's in the future. It meant that I didn't do the same things that the other vacation schemers did and, in the end, I didn't get offered a training contract because they didn't have any evidence of my writing ability. I was beyond irritated as I felt like I didn't have an opportunity to show my talent, despite my best efforts.
GROW Mentor
Around this time, I was paired up with a mentor from GROW mentoring. They work at Clifford Chance and had very similar career aspirations to me. At first, I felt almost as if I was betraying my other mentor by having more than one person to help me, but I soon found the benefits of having multiple perspectives. I received advice for the same things, but the advice given was different. Each mentor had had different experiences in their journeys and I was able to benefit from both. I also really appreciated the fact that GROW made such an effort to pair me with someone who both reflected my previous experiences and was in a place that I aspired to be.
Personal Development
When September came, I wanted to hit the ground running and be better than I was the cycle before. I properly utilised TCLA Premium and the programmes on offer by Aspiring Solicitors (Aspire, the AS Commercial Awareness Competition, and metoring with BP and NRF). I started "My Training Contract Journey" thread. These helped me to develop as well as giving me a motivation to continue to meet my goals. This was fundamental to my success this year, especially the progress I made with my commercial awareness.
Norton Rose Fulbright
I realised just how much everything above had helped me when I was applying to NRF. Firstly, the advice I had been given by my mentors helped me to get through the initial stages of my application. Then, when I got to the assessment centre, I wasn't thrown off by difficult questions. In fact, one piece of feedback I received was that I was very calm in the face of difficult questions. I would not have been able to do this without the trainwreck that was my Vinson and Elkins interview. When asked in my exit interview "Why NRF?", I didn't even have to think about it. For me, everything had clicked: the work and the people. Without my previous experiences, I'm not sure I would have recognised this so easily. Aside from anything else, I was glad I had been rejected from other firms because after completing the vacation scheme at NRF, I knew this was the place for me and the placeI wanted to be.
2023 Goals
2022 was a year in which I was given a phenomenal amount of help to achieve my goals. This is reflected in the goals I have set myself for 2023:
- Pay forward the help I was given by sharing my experiences and offering advice to other aspiring solicitors.
- Continue to develop my commercial awareness.
- Stay on top of SQE work.
- Earn enough from my part-time jobs to go abroad after the SQE.
- Begin learning British Sign Language.
@j.s.cox when I logged back in today, I was really hoping to see that you received your NRF TC offer while I was away for the holidays and I am so happy to see that this happened for you! 🥺
You have stood out as a consistent, self-aware and empathetic member of our community and are a shining example of the values that we work hard to promote and embody at TCLA.
Your newest post in this thread is an incredible reflection of the experiences that helped you get here today. To be able to jot down the interactions, down to the one you had with the receptionist at Vinson & Elkins that helped you relax pre-interview, and see what you extracted from each one is a rare ability, one that will hold you in good stead throughout your career.
I commend your desire to pay forward the help you received in your journey and look forward to seeing more of your posts here on the forum - so very well done! 👏👏👏
You have stood out as a consistent, self-aware and empathetic member of our community and are a shining example of the values that we work hard to promote and embody at TCLA.
Your newest post in this thread is an incredible reflection of the experiences that helped you get here today. To be able to jot down the interactions, down to the one you had with the receptionist at Vinson & Elkins that helped you relax pre-interview, and see what you extracted from each one is a rare ability, one that will hold you in good stead throughout your career.
I commend your desire to pay forward the help you received in your journey and look forward to seeing more of your posts here on the forum - so very well done! 👏👏👏
Update:
I've been thinking about how to achieve some of the goals I set myself (added again below for reference).
Paying forward help
So far, I have offered to help another member on the forum with their applications. I'm going to see how successful this is and what I can learn from the process. If it goes well, I'll try to help a few more individuals in this way. I am also keeping up to date with the forums on TCLA and answering questions I know the answer to or could shed some light on.
I noticed that a lot of people are put off by certain parts of the application process that some firms use. Some people are put off by the length of the written application, some hate video interviews, and some can't stand game-based assessments. It can be hard to choose which firms to apply to when some of them use assessment methods that do not play to your strengths. I decided I would make a table outlining the process for each firm to help people quickly decide which firms they did not want to apply to, or which firm application processes played to their strengths. I am not finished with it yet, but I thought I would keep posting it here on this thread until it is. I am also double checking with each firm to ensure that I am correct about their application process, asking any questions I may have, and asking if they would like me to change/clear anything up. Hopefully this can be a useful tool for people on this forum in the future.
Commercial awareness
I have not been quite as disciplined with this as before in terms of writing articles, but I am still keeping up habits of checking the news and thinking about the questions I usually outline in my articles (i.e. How can this be summarised? How does this affect businesses? How does this affect law firms?).
There are a few articles that have caught my eye, one of which explained the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) proposal to ban non-compete clauses in the US. This is a clause that prevents an employee from working for a competitor for a designated time period. By removing these clauses, workers would have more freedom and choice in where they work, thereby tightening an already tight hiring economy also known as a tight labour market. This is where vacant jobs are plentiful and available workers are scarce. The FTC predict that this could increase wages by $300 billion/year and impact 30 million Americans. There are arguments for whether or not this gives workers too much power.
As far as I can tell, non-compete clauses in the UK are far less restrictive than those in the US because only "reasonable non-compete clauses" are enforceable. Furthermore, the UK had a consultation in 2020 regarding "Measures to reform post-termination non-compete clauses in contracts of employment". I'm still looking into the steps resulting from this consultation.
Businesses will likely need legal advice about how this affects them as it could have a significant financial effect considering the predicted wage increases. It may also make their sector more competitive, which again requires legal advice. I think law firms will be looking closely at whether this proposal becomes a reality in the US and creating plans for if it does.
This is not as thorough as my usual articles, but this is my line of thinking and I have added links for where I found some of the information I was looking for.
Part-time work
At the moment, I am content with my job as a nanny, but I am looking for something else to do to fill up my days. I plan to walk to the businesses in my area this week to see if any require staff in the mornings. I'll print off a few CV's to hand around as well. I'll see what interesting things I can get up to. I'm not too keen to do any paralegal work as I have done this before and I want to focus on developing my skills beyond law.
British Sign Language
I have a few options for where I could study this. I'm looking for the best options at the moment in terms of price and flexibility with timings. This is more a goal for me to help develop myself, but I'm hoping it could come in handy in the future. I also believe that each language you learn opens up a whole new world!
SQE Work
I won't start this until September this year, but I am going to try and follow people who have already undertaken these exams and see if I can find any strategies I think might work for myself when I do start.
Thanks for following my journey!
I've been thinking about how to achieve some of the goals I set myself (added again below for reference).
Paying forward help
So far, I have offered to help another member on the forum with their applications. I'm going to see how successful this is and what I can learn from the process. If it goes well, I'll try to help a few more individuals in this way. I am also keeping up to date with the forums on TCLA and answering questions I know the answer to or could shed some light on.
I noticed that a lot of people are put off by certain parts of the application process that some firms use. Some people are put off by the length of the written application, some hate video interviews, and some can't stand game-based assessments. It can be hard to choose which firms to apply to when some of them use assessment methods that do not play to your strengths. I decided I would make a table outlining the process for each firm to help people quickly decide which firms they did not want to apply to, or which firm application processes played to their strengths. I am not finished with it yet, but I thought I would keep posting it here on this thread until it is. I am also double checking with each firm to ensure that I am correct about their application process, asking any questions I may have, and asking if they would like me to change/clear anything up. Hopefully this can be a useful tool for people on this forum in the future.
Commercial awareness
I have not been quite as disciplined with this as before in terms of writing articles, but I am still keeping up habits of checking the news and thinking about the questions I usually outline in my articles (i.e. How can this be summarised? How does this affect businesses? How does this affect law firms?).
There are a few articles that have caught my eye, one of which explained the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) proposal to ban non-compete clauses in the US. This is a clause that prevents an employee from working for a competitor for a designated time period. By removing these clauses, workers would have more freedom and choice in where they work, thereby tightening an already tight hiring economy also known as a tight labour market. This is where vacant jobs are plentiful and available workers are scarce. The FTC predict that this could increase wages by $300 billion/year and impact 30 million Americans. There are arguments for whether or not this gives workers too much power.
As far as I can tell, non-compete clauses in the UK are far less restrictive than those in the US because only "reasonable non-compete clauses" are enforceable. Furthermore, the UK had a consultation in 2020 regarding "Measures to reform post-termination non-compete clauses in contracts of employment". I'm still looking into the steps resulting from this consultation.
Businesses will likely need legal advice about how this affects them as it could have a significant financial effect considering the predicted wage increases. It may also make their sector more competitive, which again requires legal advice. I think law firms will be looking closely at whether this proposal becomes a reality in the US and creating plans for if it does.
This is not as thorough as my usual articles, but this is my line of thinking and I have added links for where I found some of the information I was looking for.
Part-time work
At the moment, I am content with my job as a nanny, but I am looking for something else to do to fill up my days. I plan to walk to the businesses in my area this week to see if any require staff in the mornings. I'll print off a few CV's to hand around as well. I'll see what interesting things I can get up to. I'm not too keen to do any paralegal work as I have done this before and I want to focus on developing my skills beyond law.
British Sign Language
I have a few options for where I could study this. I'm looking for the best options at the moment in terms of price and flexibility with timings. This is more a goal for me to help develop myself, but I'm hoping it could come in handy in the future. I also believe that each language you learn opens up a whole new world!
SQE Work
I won't start this until September this year, but I am going to try and follow people who have already undertaken these exams and see if I can find any strategies I think might work for myself when I do start.
Thanks for following my journey!
Update:
Part-time Work
Sent out a few CVs for this and haven't heard back yet. I'm looking at a mixture between local jobs and have also signed up for Flex Legal to see where opportunities come up first.
British Sign Language
I found a really good online course for this which is affordable and has 1:1 tutorials. So far I've learned some basic greetings and questions, and how to fingerspell. Really looking forward to how I can develop this skill.
Recruitment Process Table
I made a fair bit of progress on this in my free time this week. As well as going through it systematically, I've also been updating it as people make comments in the larger forums. It will take a while to finish but I am proud of the work I am putting into it, and I hope it will be useful for aspiring solicitors for many years to come! I've attached it to this post.
Part-time Work
Sent out a few CVs for this and haven't heard back yet. I'm looking at a mixture between local jobs and have also signed up for Flex Legal to see where opportunities come up first.
British Sign Language
I found a really good online course for this which is affordable and has 1:1 tutorials. So far I've learned some basic greetings and questions, and how to fingerspell. Really looking forward to how I can develop this skill.
Recruitment Process Table
I made a fair bit of progress on this in my free time this week. As well as going through it systematically, I've also been updating it as people make comments in the larger forums. It will take a while to finish but I am proud of the work I am putting into it, and I hope it will be useful for aspiring solicitors for many years to come! I've attached it to this post.
Amazing @j.s.cox! I love how active you've been on the forum even after securing your TC 👏👏👏Your willingness to help others and enthusiasm to share your insight is honestly so refreshing! We're lucky to have you on the forum 😊
Update:
As you may have seen in other parts of the forum, I was offered a Direct TC interview with Slaughter and May, which they moved up by 5 months to allow me to make a decision between them and NRF. I was initally uncertain about taking them up on this offer, but with help from the forum, I decided to go for it. Without further ado, here is my experience:
Initial impressions
Slaughter and May is a little further away from a station than NRF, but after looking at a map I had my route planned out and got there fairly easily and in plenty of time. I had read about highlighting and writing on tasks given throughout the day, so I had brought a bag with me containing a few pens, highlighters, and a notebook. When I got there, however, they asked to take everything from me and store it away. It turns out, they provide a highlighter, pen, and notepad. At least I was prepared! The receptionist was lovely and showed me to a comfortable seating area on the first floor.
Writing Task
The interview started with a writing task. I was brought to the room by one of the Trainee Recruitment team and they showed me the task. I don't know if this is because I already have a TC lined up, but I really enjoyed this task. It wasn't very complicated, but it was time pressured. Luckily I had read about this, so I planned my time as well as I could. It was quite similar to the case study exercise I had during my AC for NRF's WVS. Essentially, there were a few documents outlining potential business plans for a company, and using the information provided, you had to decide which option was the best. I'm sure I could have written a more polished answer, but there really wasn't any time to proof read.
Article
After my time was up for the written exercise, I was taking back to the seating area and given an article to read. It was an opinion piece from The Independent on whether politics belonged on social media. It was actually a really interesting article and didn't have a lot to do with business or law firms. This could be because I was doing a non-law interview, or it could have been for no particular reason at all. It said on the instructions that I should have about 15 minutes to read through, but in reality it was more like 25 minutes.
Interview
My interview was with two partners, one from Financing and one from Corporate and M&A, who had both trained at the firm. I thought it was pretty impressive that they had stayed there for so long! To me that is a really good sign that there is a positive culture within the firm. I really enjoyed this part of the process. Although I was asked a lot of questions about my CV and Cover Letter, it felt quite conversational. I also had an ethics question which we discussed in a lot of detail before we realised we were getting a bit carried away and running out of time! Before anyone has a panic, the ethics question only came up because of my answer to another question where I stated that this ethical and legal dilemma that I had come across during university, had sparked my interest in a legal career. NRF had also picked up on this point and quizzed me on it during that interview, so I felt pretty prepared for that line of questioning.
In the latter stages of the interview, we moved onto discussing the article. It was useful that I had made some notes for this stage as a lot of time had passed from when I initially read the article. Once I had summarised the article and highlighted a few key points, I was asked my opinion on it. From this point, the interview reflected my experience at NRF with the partners helping to guide me to a different points of view. I didn't change my opinion, but I did have to adapt it based on the information given to me by the partners. Again, I really enjoyed this process. I enjoyed being pushed and challenged and I loved talking to the partners. The interview overran by about 10 minutes, which I'm hoping is a good sign.
Trainee Chat
This part wasn't assessed, but it was one of the most important parts of the day for me. I wish it could have been a bit longer so I could have seen a bit more of the firm, but I was still able to get the information I wanted. The trainee was so lovely and really open to answering my questions as openly as possible. An ex-partner at Slaughter and May had told me that I should choose the firm where I could work with the people into the early hours of the morning. As my exposure to the people of the firm has not been as extensive as my exposure to those at NRF, I wanted to really utilise this experience to gather information about the type of person who works at the firm.
HR Chat
This was by far my least favourite part of the day. I had read in other experiences that this was the most relaxed part of the day and the questions asked were fairly simple. I agree with the latter part of this. Perhaps it was because I already have a TC offer, but I did not find it relaxing at all! After the mental stimulation of the rest of the day, I found it really boring. Usually I don't have to work too hard at looking excited because usually I'm pretty thrilled to be at that stage of a recruitment process. This time I had to try exceptionally hard to seem at all interested and I found it really draining. I'm not sure this counts in my favour, but hopefully I feigned excitement well enough. It was a one sided conversation, kind of like the telephone interview with NRF, but with an actual person sitting in front of me. They would ask a question, then I would have to wait as they finished typing up my answer. I can understand how it may be relaxing if the rest of your day was stressful, but I loved the rest of the day!
Overall, I'm glad I went to the interview. Regardless of the outcome, I will never have to wonder "what if?" again. I feel like I will be able to make an informed decision about where to sign if I am lucky enough to secure the TC at Slaughter and May as well. If not, I have an offer at an absolute dream of a firm already! I cannot believe how fortunate I am to be in this position.
Thanks for following my journey!
As you may have seen in other parts of the forum, I was offered a Direct TC interview with Slaughter and May, which they moved up by 5 months to allow me to make a decision between them and NRF. I was initally uncertain about taking them up on this offer, but with help from the forum, I decided to go for it. Without further ado, here is my experience:
Initial impressions
Slaughter and May is a little further away from a station than NRF, but after looking at a map I had my route planned out and got there fairly easily and in plenty of time. I had read about highlighting and writing on tasks given throughout the day, so I had brought a bag with me containing a few pens, highlighters, and a notebook. When I got there, however, they asked to take everything from me and store it away. It turns out, they provide a highlighter, pen, and notepad. At least I was prepared! The receptionist was lovely and showed me to a comfortable seating area on the first floor.
Writing Task
The interview started with a writing task. I was brought to the room by one of the Trainee Recruitment team and they showed me the task. I don't know if this is because I already have a TC lined up, but I really enjoyed this task. It wasn't very complicated, but it was time pressured. Luckily I had read about this, so I planned my time as well as I could. It was quite similar to the case study exercise I had during my AC for NRF's WVS. Essentially, there were a few documents outlining potential business plans for a company, and using the information provided, you had to decide which option was the best. I'm sure I could have written a more polished answer, but there really wasn't any time to proof read.
Article
After my time was up for the written exercise, I was taking back to the seating area and given an article to read. It was an opinion piece from The Independent on whether politics belonged on social media. It was actually a really interesting article and didn't have a lot to do with business or law firms. This could be because I was doing a non-law interview, or it could have been for no particular reason at all. It said on the instructions that I should have about 15 minutes to read through, but in reality it was more like 25 minutes.
Interview
My interview was with two partners, one from Financing and one from Corporate and M&A, who had both trained at the firm. I thought it was pretty impressive that they had stayed there for so long! To me that is a really good sign that there is a positive culture within the firm. I really enjoyed this part of the process. Although I was asked a lot of questions about my CV and Cover Letter, it felt quite conversational. I also had an ethics question which we discussed in a lot of detail before we realised we were getting a bit carried away and running out of time! Before anyone has a panic, the ethics question only came up because of my answer to another question where I stated that this ethical and legal dilemma that I had come across during university, had sparked my interest in a legal career. NRF had also picked up on this point and quizzed me on it during that interview, so I felt pretty prepared for that line of questioning.
In the latter stages of the interview, we moved onto discussing the article. It was useful that I had made some notes for this stage as a lot of time had passed from when I initially read the article. Once I had summarised the article and highlighted a few key points, I was asked my opinion on it. From this point, the interview reflected my experience at NRF with the partners helping to guide me to a different points of view. I didn't change my opinion, but I did have to adapt it based on the information given to me by the partners. Again, I really enjoyed this process. I enjoyed being pushed and challenged and I loved talking to the partners. The interview overran by about 10 minutes, which I'm hoping is a good sign.
Trainee Chat
This part wasn't assessed, but it was one of the most important parts of the day for me. I wish it could have been a bit longer so I could have seen a bit more of the firm, but I was still able to get the information I wanted. The trainee was so lovely and really open to answering my questions as openly as possible. An ex-partner at Slaughter and May had told me that I should choose the firm where I could work with the people into the early hours of the morning. As my exposure to the people of the firm has not been as extensive as my exposure to those at NRF, I wanted to really utilise this experience to gather information about the type of person who works at the firm.
HR Chat
This was by far my least favourite part of the day. I had read in other experiences that this was the most relaxed part of the day and the questions asked were fairly simple. I agree with the latter part of this. Perhaps it was because I already have a TC offer, but I did not find it relaxing at all! After the mental stimulation of the rest of the day, I found it really boring. Usually I don't have to work too hard at looking excited because usually I'm pretty thrilled to be at that stage of a recruitment process. This time I had to try exceptionally hard to seem at all interested and I found it really draining. I'm not sure this counts in my favour, but hopefully I feigned excitement well enough. It was a one sided conversation, kind of like the telephone interview with NRF, but with an actual person sitting in front of me. They would ask a question, then I would have to wait as they finished typing up my answer. I can understand how it may be relaxing if the rest of your day was stressful, but I loved the rest of the day!
Overall, I'm glad I went to the interview. Regardless of the outcome, I will never have to wonder "what if?" again. I feel like I will be able to make an informed decision about where to sign if I am lucky enough to secure the TC at Slaughter and May as well. If not, I have an offer at an absolute dream of a firm already! I cannot believe how fortunate I am to be in this position.
Thanks for following my journey!
Update:
After a very quick turnaround, I was offered a TC at Slaughter and May. I've been thinking hard about NRF vs Slaughter and May over the weekend so that I can make an informed decision quickly when they give me an outcome. Here's my thought process:
Office and Location
The trainee I met at Slaughter and May told me that this did not matter. An office is an office. I disagree. An office is going to be where I spend a significant part of my week and its layout often gives an insight into the way in which people work.
Work
I can't really complain about the work at Slaughter and May or Norton Rose Fulbright. They are both doing top of the range work. I suppose the main difference is in the type of work that is being done. At Norton Rose Fulbright, there is a strong sector focus and a lot of this is to do with the energy industry. In comparison, the corporate work at Slaughter and May is stronger than NRF, and they have a multi-specialist approach. This is more practice area based (e.g. financing which includes all elements of this: asset finance, project finance, bonds etc). I find it difficult to choose which I prefer. Both options give me the opportunity to have a wide range of experiences on a training contract.
People
I was told by an ex-Slaughter and May partner that I should choose the firm where I got along with the people better. I actually really liked the people at both firms, but I think there is a difference between liking people and being on the same wavelength as other people. I think I was on the same wavelength as the people at NRF, as I didn't have to try particularly hard with them socially. Whilst I liked the people at Slaughter and May, I felt like I had to try a little bit more.
Due to the above, I have decided that I will definitely be signing with Norton Rose Fulbright! Both firms are excellent, but I think NRF is the better firm for me, and I am ecstatic to be joining them!
Thanks for following my journey!
After a very quick turnaround, I was offered a TC at Slaughter and May. I've been thinking hard about NRF vs Slaughter and May over the weekend so that I can make an informed decision quickly when they give me an outcome. Here's my thought process:
Office and Location
The trainee I met at Slaughter and May told me that this did not matter. An office is an office. I disagree. An office is going to be where I spend a significant part of my week and its layout often gives an insight into the way in which people work.
- A fully open-plan office is something I don't really like. Whilst I appreciate why this style of working is used, and I appreciate what is trying to be achieved, I don't like the lack of privacy.
- Individual offices are also something I don't like very much. Whilst it allows for privacy, I don't think it facilitates an environment in which it is easy to foster a sense of teamwork. I prefer this to open-plan offices and hot-desking, however.
Work
I can't really complain about the work at Slaughter and May or Norton Rose Fulbright. They are both doing top of the range work. I suppose the main difference is in the type of work that is being done. At Norton Rose Fulbright, there is a strong sector focus and a lot of this is to do with the energy industry. In comparison, the corporate work at Slaughter and May is stronger than NRF, and they have a multi-specialist approach. This is more practice area based (e.g. financing which includes all elements of this: asset finance, project finance, bonds etc). I find it difficult to choose which I prefer. Both options give me the opportunity to have a wide range of experiences on a training contract.
People
I was told by an ex-Slaughter and May partner that I should choose the firm where I got along with the people better. I actually really liked the people at both firms, but I think there is a difference between liking people and being on the same wavelength as other people. I think I was on the same wavelength as the people at NRF, as I didn't have to try particularly hard with them socially. Whilst I liked the people at Slaughter and May, I felt like I had to try a little bit more.
Due to the above, I have decided that I will definitely be signing with Norton Rose Fulbright! Both firms are excellent, but I think NRF is the better firm for me, and I am ecstatic to be joining them!
Thanks for following my journey!
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