I'm applying to a first year scheme, and am yet to start my LLB (I start in a few weeks). One of the questions i was asked is what skills does a lawyer need to succeed. Apart from extremely broad points like to be a critical thinker, be able to deal with and develop client relationships, which I imagine wouldn't be viewed as sufficient answers, i have absolutely no idea what to put. I have essentially no actual understanding of the profession or law, am i supposed to at this point?
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Should i be able to answer this?
- Thread starter Theyoungone
- Start date
Hi there,
Completely understandable not to know very much about the ins and outs of commercial law at the early stages of applying. I think for an insight scheme you’re correct in that the level of detail required is not similar to VS/TC applications — however, I think you do have to have some understanding of the profession. To get you on the right track though I would approach this question through by looking at three topics.
First, research what a commercial lawyer actually does. There are differences between what makes a good trainee/associate/partner, particularly in different departments. Personally, I answered these questions as as a trainee/associate in a transactional field (although feel free to alter as you like). To give you an idea, such solicitors are involved in the following tasks:
- Due diligence
- Drafting contracts and ancillary documents
- Taking minutes of board meetings
- Legal research
- Assisting with negotiations
- Liasing with opposing counsel
Looking a bit more holistically, solicitors may also involved in other tasks such as:
- business development (ie helping marketing the firm/client pitches)
- innovation (ie thinking about how to improve efficiency in legal work through technology)
- diversity initiatives
- pro bono
- creating internal presentations on legal developments
Having established what a commercial lawyer does - you then need to link the skills you think would make someone good at these tasks. You pointed out some useful ones like being a critical thinker. Here are some more I think would help, along with some examples of where they may be useful:
- Commercial awareness (business development, being aware of a clients commercial position of in a legal decision, legal research).
- Attention to detail (proofreading, drafting, writing emails to clients)
- Interpersonal skills (internal presentations, client relations, communicating with counsel, negotiations).
- Creativity (applying the law in a creative way, finding opportunities to utilise technology)
- Highly analytical (most legal work involves at least some level of analysis).
You will have answered the question by understanding what tasks a commercial lawyer does and what skills may be useful for these tasks. To get some bonus points you can also consider what would make a good lawyer at the firm you are applying to.
For instance a US firm may want its solicitors be more commercially aware as they typically have more transactional departments. They may also want solicitors to be able to take more responsibility/be proactive as they are more leanly staffed.
To give an example of how you may write out part of the answer to the question:
‘Commercial solicitors must be highly analytical to carry out tasks such as legal research, drafting contracts, and legal due diligence effectively. Such analytical skills must also be accompanied by strong attention to detail, particularly in proofreading legal work and drafting emails to clients. These qualities are particularly important for [X Firm], which instruct FTSE 100 clients such as [a and b], whom expect a market-leading service with minimal margin for error’
Hope that helps!
Completely understandable not to know very much about the ins and outs of commercial law at the early stages of applying. I think for an insight scheme you’re correct in that the level of detail required is not similar to VS/TC applications — however, I think you do have to have some understanding of the profession. To get you on the right track though I would approach this question through by looking at three topics.
First, research what a commercial lawyer actually does. There are differences between what makes a good trainee/associate/partner, particularly in different departments. Personally, I answered these questions as as a trainee/associate in a transactional field (although feel free to alter as you like). To give you an idea, such solicitors are involved in the following tasks:
- Due diligence
- Drafting contracts and ancillary documents
- Taking minutes of board meetings
- Legal research
- Assisting with negotiations
- Liasing with opposing counsel
Looking a bit more holistically, solicitors may also involved in other tasks such as:
- business development (ie helping marketing the firm/client pitches)
- innovation (ie thinking about how to improve efficiency in legal work through technology)
- diversity initiatives
- pro bono
- creating internal presentations on legal developments
Having established what a commercial lawyer does - you then need to link the skills you think would make someone good at these tasks. You pointed out some useful ones like being a critical thinker. Here are some more I think would help, along with some examples of where they may be useful:
- Commercial awareness (business development, being aware of a clients commercial position of in a legal decision, legal research).
- Attention to detail (proofreading, drafting, writing emails to clients)
- Interpersonal skills (internal presentations, client relations, communicating with counsel, negotiations).
- Creativity (applying the law in a creative way, finding opportunities to utilise technology)
- Highly analytical (most legal work involves at least some level of analysis).
You will have answered the question by understanding what tasks a commercial lawyer does and what skills may be useful for these tasks. To get some bonus points you can also consider what would make a good lawyer at the firm you are applying to.
For instance a US firm may want its solicitors be more commercially aware as they typically have more transactional departments. They may also want solicitors to be able to take more responsibility/be proactive as they are more leanly staffed.
To give an example of how you may write out part of the answer to the question:
‘Commercial solicitors must be highly analytical to carry out tasks such as legal research, drafting contracts, and legal due diligence effectively. Such analytical skills must also be accompanied by strong attention to detail, particularly in proofreading legal work and drafting emails to clients. These qualities are particularly important for [X Firm], which instruct FTSE 100 clients such as [a and b], whom expect a market-leading service with minimal margin for error’
Hope that helps!
