Thank you this is really helpful and so insightful @Ram SabaratnamHiya @Tcvspfo
I think this could make for a great topic to discuss. While interest rates are easing, this doesn't mean there are no remaining and live issues surrounding private credit. If you're worried that interest rates will make for less of a compelling focus, you could also consider tackling the trend from other angles, including:
You could also explore how certain recent high-profile disputes (e.g., Cerberus) have highlighted the need for strong legal advice. Again, the point just is that private credit remains a live issue for many reasons aside from just interest rate fluctuations. I'm sure that @Andrei Radu and @Amma Usman would have much more to add here as well, but I hope this helps you get the ball rolling on your answer.
- Regulatory Scrutiny: You might've heard about the relatively new EU leverage caps on private credit funds and increased FCA data demands highlight challenges for fund managers and PE clients. Many of the concerns that motivated these regulatory interventions haven't gone away, and you can read about this here in a more recent Bloomberg article covering the issue of private credit valuations. There's also questions about the general transparency of the sector, which the UK is now particularly focussed on. Have a think about how this creates opportunities and challenges for firms like Weil to help clients navigate.
- Market Growth: There's been increasing involvement of big players like BlackRock in private credit. You might want to reflect on the way these moves create competition pressures and demand for bespoke legal structuring.
- ESG Pressures: As with many other forms of financing, private credit providers face growing scrutiny on sustainability practices. There's even been calls for certain well-known private credit specialists to be removed from initiatives such as the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment Scheme. Again, think about how these efforts relate to firms such as Weil and their clients.
Hey @NJS I think both can work, as long as you can explain (i) why this general commercial issue/more particular story interested you more than other general commercial issues/more particular stories; and (ii) how it directly impacts the business and practice of law firms in the future. Generally, I think it will be easier to fulfil both criteria when discussing a broader commercial topic as that is by its nature something that tends to have a wider and more significant impact on the economy. If you choose to discuss a more particular story, like a merger, it will require a lot of research to be able to properly explain why this merger was so unique so as to distinguish it from all other deals and also why it is likely to have a significant impact on the legal industry in the future. Indeed, only a handful of transformative and precedent-setting deals will ever be capable of fulfilling this requirement.For this Goodwin question.... Discuss a commercial issue that has particularly interested you. Why did it capture your attention, and what impact could it have on the legal sector?
Are they looking for a general issue (i.e. interest rate rises, i probably wont use that...) Or are they looking for a particular story (like a recent merger for example). @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman @Ram Sabaratnam (sorry for the tags lol) Thank you!
I completely understand. I applied twice for their open days and put quite a bit of effort in the later one as well. But the truth is given how much interest is shown in this forum alone, PW will be incredibly competitive for all the reasons, notwithstanding its meagre trainee intake.I know… I just wanted to feel a bit special, like I was a strong applicant.
But wonder if previous open day rejectees also had the same
Just following on this, if anyone can help I’ll be grateful!
Aw thank you for being honest and understanding about things.I completely understand. I applied twice for their open days and put quite a bit of effort in the later one as well. But the truth is given how much interest is shown in this forum alone, PW will be incredibly competitive for all the reasons, notwithstanding its meagre trainee intake.
The online invite should be for everyone who got rejected for the last open day, although I might be wrong.
Just to add to @Amma Usman's great response, I think to the extent that you can make connections to the firm in the work experience section (such as mentioning why particular skills demonstrated by your work experiences align well with the responsibilities and tasks in the firm's main practice areas), I think you would be desirable to do so. However, my advice is to only do so if you can draw plausible links - do not grasp at straws, as this will be very evident for recruiters. I don't think it will be a big issue if you do not get to mention many 'why the firm' points. Some firms simply prefer not to ask the 'why the firm' question at this stage and to assess your application on other criteria. If they cared a lot about your why the firm reasoning at this point in the application process, they would have asked the question directly.That’s what I would usually do but there’s no questions on the application form so I wasn’t sure!
Who are the remaining 2? just to have an ideaPretty sure everyone gets the invite as you automatically get the link after registration.
PW will most likely be at least the 3 most competitive firms this cycle, so not surprised at all with how competitive their open days are
I asked the exact same question the other days, this is their reply:Can you apply to both the linklaters direct TC and vacation scheme? I would really prefer not to do a vac scheme as I work full-time but my success rate with direct TCs is awful compared to for vac schemes…
@Amma Usman @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam Hi! This is one of the application questions from the Weil VS Application. Just wanted to know how would you recommend structuring this answer and also researching about their clients? Thank you so much!
Think of a current commercial issue that has recently attracted your attention. Why does it interest you, why do you consider it to be significant and how do you think this will impact Weil's clients? (200)
Me too 🥲Bank of England PFO post-test 😭
Sorry to hear that. Was this for London?Eversheds pfo maybe because I tried to use AI.
On the written application?Eversheds pfo maybe because I tried to use AI.