Thank you so much, I will definitely take you guys up on that offer!! Is there anything I should currently be doing specifically, besides keeping commercially aware etc. (VS is in June and I’m a non law student). Many thanks again everyone!!
Hey
@Salin,
So my advice is to remain familiar with your CV and application answers that you submitted to the firm when you applied. My supervisors were sent these ahead of me arriving and asked me about them when I started.
In addition to the above, I would take a look at the practice areas that you are due to sit in (
if you have been told). I found it helpful to have an idea of the major clients and notable matters that the firm had been involved in the couple of years prior to me starting too (particularly those that included the practice area I was sitting in). This knowledge helps to contextualise a lot of what is said in meetings which makes them easier to follow. Being proactive about finding out about the firm's work will also reflect well on you too.
The last thing I would say is to think about the sort of work, clients and practice areas that genuinely interest you. For example, before my scheme at HSF I did a vacation scheme at Akin Gump, where I sat in financial restructuring. I really liked it so I wanted to learn about the sort of work that HSF does in this area, which led me to having coffee with a few people.
If you are able to say at the start of your scheme, "I am particularly interested in X":
1. Your supervisor and buddy might be able to put you in touch with another lawyer who has direct experience of X; and
2. You might be given work/opportunities relating to X (which will make your VS engaging which will likely mean you do
even better than otherwise!).
This post repeats some of the above, but might put things slightly differently too
.
I hope that helps and is clear!
So I took part in an inter-university commercial awareness competition recently. We were in small teams, and my teammate and I had to present back to the panel on a case study. Our presentation had multiple sections which we split amongst ourselves. They start first, I go next- all good so far. When the last section comes about they go way over the time limit of 1 min (which they had told me to strictly stick to in the preparation breakout room) and I am left with less than 30 seconds for my last section. I can only outline what I was going to talk about in a sentence before being cut off. Then there are questions from the panel- and I don't get to say a single word. They take up all the questions, including the questions regarding my part of the presentation. I unmuted myself multiple times but they took up the question nonetheless and as soon as they were done the panel member asking would say thank you and move on.
I am not shy or introverted. I am a confident speaker who has presented in high profile conferences and forums. I am also the "mother" of the group in group projects, always making sure people contribute and that work is allocated fairly- I don't try to make myself stand out over the rest of my team.
This experience made me feel so defeated, patronised, and small. The only positive part of it is that the outcome (which we found out in a few days) is assessed on a team level, and I must have done something right because I've had legal recruiters of the sponsoring firms reach out via LinkedIn.
Beside the rant, I guess the question here is: have you ever had to deal with difficult and "macho" team members like that, and how did you cope?
Hey
@AP2000,
I am really sorry to hear that you had this experience. It sounds like it was hugely frustrating. You do sound like you dealt with it in a professional and mature way though, which is impressive. It is not easy to work with someone like that and not allow your emotions to get the better of you.
Based on what you have said, I really don't think you should feel small or defeated. I think you dealt with an irritating and difficult situation well and you should feel proud of yourself that you were able to remain civil and calm (at least ostensibly) in a stressful situation.
I actually had a very similar experience. I actually discussed my discomfort with my partner as soon as I was able to. I mentioned that I felt uncomfortable with the way that the situation had been handled and that I would have appreciated it had they had worked with me during the assessment. This made no difference at the time as the assessment was over, but I did find it therapeutic to voice my frustrations with them. I came away feeling more sensitive to the feelings of others in groups - which ultimately is a
really important insight to have. So although the competition did not go your way this time, I bet you will be a better trainee in the future having had this experience, as you will know how important it is to communicate well with those around you(!).
It also sounds like your maturity and capability did shine through given that some legal recruiters have subsequently reached out to you!
