One of the Sidley VS questions is:
"
In your view which personal qualities make a successful lawyer? (250 words max) *"
Would it be appropriate here to try and weave in examples of how you have demonstrated these qualities, or would that be straying too much from the question?
@Jessica Booker ?
To give another perspective to what Jessica already said, I think that it is important to specifically focus on the question. I know it is hard and when I was applying I was tempted to bring in my own experiences in questions like this but you have to answer to the specific question at hand. Here in fact, they are asking you about the qualities that a successful lawyer has, so focus on these. The question gives you the chance of showing that you have knowledge of the legal industry by explaining why these traits would create a successful lawyer.
What I would do is:
- Look at Sidley's webites and look over the qualities/skills/traits they mention a successful trainee or a successful solicitor has to possess at the firm and expand on them in your answer. That will show a thorough comprehension of Sidley's values and qualities, but also a comprehensive understanding of the question you are dealing with.
- Focus on 2/3 qualities and talk about those. It can be easy to fall into the trap of highlighting so many qualities about a successful lawyer and lose yourself when talking about them. However, I think that in this case being specific and making sure that what you write about directly answer the question in an exhaustive but not redundant way is key, so in this case less is more. This is also due to the small word count that has been given to you.
- Talk to future trainees who already have applied and got the offer to make sure you understood exactly what the firm is looking for in terms of answering the questions provided.
Overall, I would try to stay focus on the specific question asked and not stray away from it. Consequently, I would try to be succinct, choose 2 or 3 qualities that make a successful lawyer and adamantly explain how these make a lawyer successful. This last point very crucial because by explaining the qualities you can sometimes lose the point of the answer. However, it is not only about mentioning and describing the qualities but it is also about explaining the relation between them and how they make a lawyer successful.
I hope this helps and good luck with you application!
@prospectiveswitcher