Work Experience Section

[-legal-]

Hi, I am currently in the process of refining my work experience section and wanted to get some insight on the length/content of it.


"I had the opportunity to shadow a team of lawyers, primarily focusing on medical negligence cases. This experience provided a comprehensive view of legal practice, from case preparation to courtroom proceedings. My role was to observe daily tasks, including contract drafting and case preparation, and to attend court sessions to gain insight into how lawyers approach hearings and trials. I immersed myself in each task, closely observing the precision required in drafting documents and the meticulous preparation needed for cases. What I found most engaging was attending court, where I could see the dynamic nature of legal argumentation. I was struck by how lawyers adapted their tone, body language, and choice of words to suit different audiences, from judges to opposing counsel. The balance of assertiveness, respect, and strategic adjustment in their delivery inspired me, and I appreciated the skill required to present complex information with clarity and impact.

This experience reinforced my enthusiasm for the legal profession, particularly in roles that require both analytical skills and effective communication. I gained a deeper appreciation for attention to detail and strategic adaptability. My supervisor recognised my keen interest and dedication, giving me additional opportunities to observe client meetings."

Most of my work experience details are very similar to this, structure and length-wise.

I would appreciate any piece of advice or any reccomendations.

 

[yasmars]

My personal opinion is you should keep your work experience section factual. It should clearly outline what you did, any achievements that you gained, and it can also highlight some skills.

I don’t really think it’s necessary to outline how it links to your desire of becoming a lawyer. You should save that for the written application section, where you often have the word count to substantiate your desire for a legal career.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey @-legal- ,

Thanks for sharing. It looks really good. I have a few additional comments below;

• Some parts could be shortened to convey the same points in fewer words. This will ensure you hit the nail on the head and explain less of how you felt doing the tasks, and more of what you specifically did and/or any results obtained. How you feel is better included in the ‘why law’ answer.
• I usually use a combination of prose and bullet points to write the work experience section. I’ve included a specific example below using the well-written statement you provided above.

Example:

- Shadowed a team of lawyers, primarily focusing on medical negligence cases.
- Gained a comprehensive view of legal practice, from case preparation to courtroom proceedings.
- Observed daily tasks, including contract drafting and case preparation.
- Attended court sessions, gaining an insight into how lawyers approach hearings and trials. How do lawyers approach hearings and trials? Being specific here on what you observed will be great
- Closely observed the processes involved in drafting documents and the early preparation needed for cases. Are there any specific softwares used to draft these documents?Any legislation/research tools like LexisNexis? Name them.


The following points you included will be more suited to an answer on why commercial law:

NOTE: I especially liked how you included supervisor feedback as it showcases great proactivity and a commitment to continuous learning.

What I found most engaging was attending court, where I could see the dynamic nature of legal argumentation. I was struck by how lawyers adapted their tone, body language, and choice of words to suit different audiences, from judges to opposing counsel. The balance of assertiveness, respect, and strategic adjustment in their delivery inspired me, and I appreciated the skill required to present complex information with clarity and impact.

This experience reinforced my enthusiasm for the legal profession, particularly in roles that require both analytical skills and effective communication. I gained a deeper appreciation for attention to detail and strategic adaptability. My supervisor recognised my keen interest and dedication, giving me additional opportunities to observe client meetings.

I also recommend decreasing the use of words such as ‘struck’ as these may come across as too flowery. In answering why commercial law using the points above, you could also focus on why attending court appealed to you specifically. Did it spark an interest in litigation/arbitration? Are you applying to a firm that has a strong presence in contentious work? Including this in the why law section will enable you to build on it more fluidly in the ‘why X firm’ section.

 

[Lawlife5]

Hi @Amma Usman, for your work experience sections did you explicitly state skills or tie it into the role of a trainee and how your role will help in that? I have seen some firms mention doing this? thanks

 

[-legal-]

Hey @-legal- ,

Thanks for sharing. It looks really good. I have a few additional comments below;

• Some parts could be shortened to convey the same points in fewer words. This will ensure you hit the nail on the head and explain less of how you felt doing the tasks, and more of what you specifically did and/or any results obtained. How you feel is better included in the ‘why law’ answer.
• I usually use a combination of prose and bullet points to write the work experience section. I’ve included a specific example below using the well-written statement you provided above.

Example:

- Shadowed a team of lawyers, primarily focusing on medical negligence cases.
- Gained a comprehensive view of legal practice, from case preparation to courtroom proceedings.
- Observed daily tasks, including contract drafting and case preparation.
- Attended court sessions, gaining an insight into how lawyers approach hearings and trials. How do lawyers approach hearings and trials? Being specific here on what you observed will be great
- Closely observed the processes involved in drafting documents and the early preparation needed for cases. Are there any specific softwares used to draft these documents?Any legislation/research tools like LexisNexis? Name them.


The following points you included will be more suited to an answer on why commercial law:

NOTE: I especially liked how you included supervisor feedback as it showcases great proactivity and a commitment to continuous learning.

What I found most engaging was attending court, where I could see the dynamic nature of legal argumentation. I was struck by how lawyers adapted their tone, body language, and choice of words to suit different audiences, from judges to opposing counsel. The balance of assertiveness, respect, and strategic adjustment in their delivery inspired me, and I appreciated the skill required to present complex information with clarity and impact.

This experience reinforced my enthusiasm for the legal profession, particularly in roles that require both analytical skills and effective communication. I gained a deeper appreciation for attention to detail and strategic adaptability. My supervisor recognised my keen interest and dedication, giving me additional opportunities to observe client meetings.

I also recommend decreasing the use of words such as ‘struck’ as these may come across as too flowery. In answering why commercial law using the points above, you could also focus on why attending court appealed to you specifically. Did it spark an interest in litigation/arbitration? Are you applying to a firm that has a strong presence in contentious work? Including this in the why law section will enable you to build on it more fluidly in the ‘why X firm’ section.

Thank you for your feedback! In my current work experience I have only included what I did and I got an AC and an interview but I thought that it might be too short as it is around 60-80 words for each experience so that's why I wrote this threat to potentially improve it.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey @-legal- , no worries at all. The length is not particularly important so far as the tasks you completed and your main competencies are highlighted. The more detailed parts will be better placed in the motivational sections. Hope this helps and feel free to pop in any more questions

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @Amma Usman, for your work experience sections did you explicitly state skills or tie it into the role of a trainee and how your role will help in that? I have seen some firms mention doing this? thanks

Hey @Lawlife5 , yep absolutely! I recommend including the skills after describing the tasks you completed. For example, in the following sentence or another bullet point solely covering skills acquired from the placement. @-legal- , I also recommend augmenting this into your responses as well. In my general approach, work experience sections shouldn’t be too wordy as the motivational questions will help you build on your experiences further.