Congrats! I also got invited to the Burges Salmon AC ☺️
I applied for Bristol spring/summer VS and got the email half an hour ago. I'm not sure if they're sending out mass emails for each office- but I wish you the best of luck 🤞
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25
- Thread starter Jessica Booker
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You’re doing well lasting 10 minutes. If I go more than 3 I get nausea and the shakes 😂
I think I’ll assume PFO as the dates are first come first served, congratulations and good luck though!!!
bro how long does it take to send decisions? obviously, I am the best candidate so why take so long to make me a partner, smh
😒
(obviously this is a joke and ik how few hr staff there are and how high the number of applicants are)
😒
(obviously this is a joke and ik how few hr staff there are and how high the number of applicants are)
- Sep 7, 2024
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Hiya @KBanana
While tempting to do so, I think the focus of the answer should be on how the characteristics you've identified enable a Ropes & Gray lawyer to drive the firm’s business (rather than turning the question into a discussion about your own skills and experiences). This question is an opportunity to show your understanding of what makes a successful commercial lawyer and your awareness of the skills that matter most at Ropes & Gray’s London office.
I'm sure you've already thought about this, but you could discuss characteristics like client focus, technical excellence, adaptability, creativity, or commercial awareness. If you can, I'd encourage you to make the discussion of these traits more specific to Ropes & Gray. When making the link, you could consider how the traits you identify relate to the firm's strengths in areas such as private equity, high-yield finance, or in sectors such as the life sciences, and explain how they allow the firm's lawyers to contribute to the firm’s success in London and globally. This will demonstrate your thoughtfulness and commercial awareness while keeping the focus on the firm.
For instance, if you mention adaptability, why is this important to a firm such as Ropes, especially given its considerable private equity and leveraged finance focus? How does adaptability help clients in these areas when considering the specific market conditions they typically face? When drafting my answer to these type of questions, I also tried to incorporate research from certain publications about the specific sectors in question. Additionally, I'd also try to incorporate recent research about law firms themselves and what traits were particularly important for lawyers operating in big law. This allowed me to 'make the case' for why the specific trait was useful for lawyers operating in particular sectors or particular kinds of firms.
Hope this helps!
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personally emailed as I knew they originally planned on starting ACs this week, so assumed it was a PFO and asked for confirmation
I mean before the AC after completing the WG! I completed mine monday and got sent an email a few days ago saying they are reviewing them all and to hear back by the end of feb but im just worried this is a preemptive PFO haha. Huge congrats btw!
Need a bit of advice
For everyone that has been successful with AC's this year, what would be the key economic developments that could come up in a case study?
For everyone that has been successful with AC's this year, what would be the key economic developments that could come up in a case study?
Has anyone interviewed with Fieldfisher in the last two weeks and heard back? Direct TC
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- Sep 7, 2024
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Hey @murm and @AnAnonymousDuck ,
I have actually made a thread on this which I have linked below.
Looking at the thread also, I now see the need to expand on certain areas to enable candidates to be more specific with the question on a law firm’s respective competitors.
I’ve included a more detailed analysis below:
If you’re trying to figure out if firms are competitors, I wouldn’t rely on Band 1 rankings alone. It’s a good starting point, but there’s more to it. For example, just because a firm is Band 1 in infrastructure and five other firms are too, doesn’t mean they’re all direct competitors. You’ve got to dig deeper into what they actually do within that area. Are they working on the same type of projects? One firm might specialise in financing infrastructure deals, while another focuses on disputes or PPP projects, so they might not be directly competing.
You also need to look at where they’re operating. If one firm’s focus is primarily in the UK and the others are big in Asia or Africa, they’re not really clashing for the same clients. Cross-border work is another factor. If two firms have a strong global reach, they’re more likely to compete than if one only works regionally.
Another thing to check is their client base. Are they going after the same kinds of clients, like government bodies or private equity investors? If you notice they’re working for completely different sectors, they might not even be on each other’s radar. Rankings won’t tell you that, but their deal announcements or case studies might.
Then there’s reputation, beyond just being ranked Band 1, are these firms seen as leaders in the field? Do they publish thought pieces, host events, or push innovation like new ESG approaches? Sometimes a firm might technically rank the same but not have the same level of influence in the market.
Volume and size of deals also matter. A firm doing smaller or mid-sized infrastructure work won’t really be competing with a firm that handles billion-pound projects. It’s about scale, not just rankings.
One thing that really gives it away is lateral hires. If two firms are always poaching talent from each other in a certain area, it’s a big sign they see each other as competitors. And finally, you’ve got to think about strategy. If a firm has publicly said it’s focusing on growing its infrastructure practice and targeting the same regions as another Band 1 firm, that’s a clear overlap.
So yeah, Band 1 rankings are helpful, but they’re just scratching the surface. You’ve got to think about clients, geography, deal size, and strategy to really figure out if firms are competing. It’s all about the bigger picture.
Guide to Identifying a Law Firm’s Competitors
In this guide, I’ll be talking about how to identify a law firm’s competitors. This is a skill that’s not only useful for applications but also helps you get a much better understanding of the legal industry as a whole. Honestly, this was something I initially struggled with. I found it hard to...
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
Bakers VI! Would love any insight at all, this is my first proper VI invite.
Hey thanks for the in-depth answer, no one does it quite like you Ram! ☺️
The firm's emerging companies/tech/VC practice areas are what has drawn me to the firm. Did you explicitly mention how the firm differs to Cooley, Brown Rudnick, Goodwin etc?
I have followed a similar approach for the why Orrick, mentioning my interest in VC/EC and where how this has developed through my current work. I then go on to talk about their unique qualities, but I haven't mentioned explicitly the other firms I am comparing and contrasting against.
I will be sure to hammer home the culture/small trainee intake etc in the covering letter.
Anyone heard from Weil post VI? Don't even care if it's an acceptance or rejection, just want to be able to move on with my life
A part of a longer series on how to tailor every aspect of your life to law firm applications. 😅
- Sep 7, 2024
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Thank you, friend!
I didn’t directly compare Orrick with other firms in my answers. Unless the question specifically asks you to (like, “Who are our competitors, and how do we differ from them?”), I’d generally advise against drawing explicit comparisons in applications. Instead, I used those contrasts during the drafting/outline stage to think critically about what made Orrick unique and to ensure I wasn’t writing something that could just as easily apply to their competitors. It helped me clarify their USPs and focus my answers on what truly sets them apart. Hope this helps! Good luck!!!!
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