Hi thanks a lot for the feedback
Would you say that talking about work experience is always much better than talking about forage virtual work experience schemes, online courses or online lectures. I have complete a couple of legal work experiences at high street firms and whilst they have allowed me to experience various legal sectors, i am a little worried that it might seem like somewhat of a leap to link those to the practice areas of major commercial law firms.
In a "why this firm" question with a 250 word world limit, how much would you reccommend talking about personal experiences as opposed to showing research into the firm.
I think that anything that genuinely explains why you are mentioning a specific aspect of the firm works really well. I would not necessarily say that only actual work experience should be mentioned. Everything that gives a good picture of you as a good candidate is worth mentioning.
For instance, when I was applying to
Latham & Watkins, I mentioned how I was very interested in their Africa practice, and I linked this to both my African origins but also a volunteering experience I did in Ivory Coast and I think that that worked well. In fact, it showed a genuine reason why the firm was appealing to me. However, when I was applying to Goodwin (where I'll be doing my TC), I specifically focused on my work experience in start-up and emerging companies since that was an aspect of the firm I really enjoyed learning about (the fact that they work with small companies too!). I also used these experiences I had in start-ups to emphasise my interest in their Technology practice. It was not necessary for me to mention any courses or modules taken as I was genuine in expressing what really inspired me to be interested in that practice area.
I hope these examples help you a little bit more in understanding what I mean. In conclusion, I would say that it is important for you to mention everything that genuinely inspired you to be interested in a specific practice area or trait of the firms you are applying to.
In a 250 word limit answer on ''why this firm'', I would say that you need to focus on the reasons why you are particularly interested in the firm, pick 2/3 and link them to your experiences, they can be either personal or professional. Make sure those make sense to you and your background. There is not a rule as to what to say, as long as it is genuine and aligned to the strengths of the firm, you are on the right track.
Good luck again!
@F AJMI