The saga continues – Testing times ahead: (PT 2) – Sue Lenkowski
Hi,
I hope you all found my January tips useful, kept your resolutions and are ready for some more.
This month we will look in detail at group exercises, written exercises and problem solving exercises /tests of judgement /case studies
Group Exercises
The bad news is there are no easy ways to help you here because it’s all about behaving in a way which is appropriate and helpful to the objectives /needs of the group.
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Top Tips
• In a quiet group draw others in
• In a noisy group use names to get a word in edgeways
• Engage body language with all
• Watch feet...observers watch these!
• Don’t try and play a role if it’s not you. Be yourself and adopt the role you are most comfortable with.
• Stare at the observers (we hate it!)!
• Try and ensure the contributions you make are a mix of original thoughts and those which build on those made by other group members.
Don’t fret and don’t worry – Penny Cooper and Elizabeth Cruikshank
‘Do you have a training contract?’
This can be a real conversation killer if the answer is ‘Not yet’. You may feel you are surrounded by people at law school who already have their legal careers mapped out right down to their training contract for this year or 2012. If you are dead set on becoming a solicitor but are beginning to lose hope that you will secure a training contract, our advice is don’t fret and don’t worry. Opportunities for training contracts always exist – but you will have to be smart when it comes to finding them.
Size and location
If you are at the stage where you are about to select your LPC provider, then spending some time on considering the size and location of the various training organisations and how your choice might impact upon your search for a training contract will pay dividends.
First size. Size often has an impact on the amount of time that tutors can spend with individual students. Ideally you should choose a course where tutors want get to know individual students by name and will be interested in their individual career prospects. Find out if you will be assigned a personal tutor who will provide you with personalised training contract advice on a one to one basis.
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And then location.
Geographical location will obviously have an impact on the cost of the LPC and your living expenses; if you can stay at home, and your parents are willing to have you return to the family fold, then that could produce a considerable saving. But money is not the only consideration, because the location of your LPC could have consequences for your training contract search. If you have a particular city in mind for your training contract, then undertaking an LPC at the other end of the country could have considerable logistics and cost implications.
If you want a contract in the North East, then signing up for an LPC in the West will make it very difficult for you to attend open evenings and interviews at your target firms. Probably you will have long car journeys or have to change trains several times and will most likely have to miss some of your lectures to boot. When it comes to searching for a training contract, make sure your LPC location is an asset and not a liability.
The surprise of the High Street Firm – Gulnaz Raja
As I was drawing closer to the end of my Training Contract I was pleased to be approached by Emily to write a piece on my legal journey from embarking on a Law degree at City in September 2004 to qualifying as a Solicitor in November 2010.
After obtaining average A-Level results I was elated to receive a call from Lynn Childs to confirm my place on the Law LLB programme was secure. As I went through the degree I was keen to explore what kind of law firm I wanted to work for. Initially I was drawn to working for a commercial law firm which seemed glamorous but I quickly realised this was not the path I wanted to follow. After undertaking some voluntary placements at local high street firms at the end of my second year I quickly realised I wanted to act for people and not commercial entities!
On completing the degree in 2007 I began the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law. I had decided that the Solicitor route would be best for me as I didn’t want to undertake Court work day in day out.
After the LPC I worked as a paralegal for the in-house legal department of Whitbread plc. At this point I was slightly disillusioned as drawing up legal contracts and franchise agreements was not the most exciting work in the world! I was therefore happy to leave and work as a paralegal for a local high street firm, Indus Solicitors.
Negotiating, networking and a little luxury – Ali Gokal
To have exposure to a large, international law firm which finds itself right at the heart of global commerce is a rare opportunity – but one that anyone would surely relish. So to get that opportunity at the end of my first year at university was one I looked to grab with both hands.
The Interview
I received a call from the Graduate Recruitment team at A&O at the beginning of July to inform me that I had been offered, based on my end of year results, an interview with the firm with a view to a one-week placement. I soon found out my friend and fellow first year Matthew Toms had also been called. Suffice it to say we were just a little anxious, but nonetheless excited to showcase our enthusiasm and capability.
We spent the next week or so cramming as much knowledge about the firm as possible: what it does, how and where it does it, and, most importantly, its culture and ethos. We scoured the globe for every known reputable source of information on A&O. We knew that the interview would not only be a chance to get across a flavour of our personality, but also an opportunity to impress with our passion for the legal profession and our appreciation of the kind of work A&O undertakes.
Our interviews were, given our limited experience, relatively long – just over half an hour apiece. An inevitable signal failure on the trains meant that I was almost one hour late for my interview: that was in spite of having left nigh two hours early. However, I got off the train and called up to say as much and managed to have it rearranged for later in the day. Public transport at its most vengeful could not spite my endeavours!
The interviews themselves were relaxed and any tension we had dissipated given the warmth our interviewers showed. A plethora of topics - from our hobbies and interests, our academic performance thus far and to our understanding and experience of practical commercial law - were discussed. Matthew and I both agreed that it felt more like a conversation than an interview, which (I think!) is a always a good sign.
And, after days of nervous wait, we were told we had secured a placement at the firm.
5 days at Allen and Overy: 13/09/2010 – 17/09/2010 – Matthew Toms
My journey to Allen and Overy began as I was doing the dishes one summer evening in July 2010. I received a surprising call while listening to my music; it was the graduate recruitment team at Allen and Overy asking me whether I would be “interested” in a one week placement in September. While keeping my nerve and composure at the overwhelming request I answered – I would feel absolutely honoured at the prospect.
Nothing happened after this call for many weeks and I began to feel unsure about whether I would even get a confirmation of an interview. This thought persisted until I received a call – It was confirmed. I quickly called my friend who, by this point, had received a confirmation a week earlier. We agreed to practise interview questions on each other, research the firm and offer advice as this would surely give us an advantage during the interview process.
We hustled and bustled through endless amounts of information that was scattered across the internet; some useless and some very unique. I seem to recall reading about a phobia that one of Allen and Overy's founders had and actually contemplated its use. Yet, regardless of the authenticity, we wanted as much information about the firm in our arsenal so we could demonstrate our desire to be given the opportunity at working in such a prestigious organisation.
Then before I knew it, the day had finally come – D-Day. The most important interview of my life was upon me and I wasn’t going to take it lightly! I began the morning once again scanning through a pile of paper trying to locate any missing pieces I could fill into my head; alas there was nil. I did all the things people tell you to do: have a good night’s sleep, a good healthy breakfast and before leaving the house a quick game of FIFA to relax.
FT Innovative Lawyers report
The FT's annual Innovative Lawyers report is out today with emphasis on the changing role of lawyers. Ideal reading for you lot to get a feel for what the real challenges facing the law firm of the future are. Find out how they are adjusting to the financial challenges and changing their business. There's an interesting piece on in-house legal departments...unfortunately you have to be a subscriber to get the content or go out and grab a copy from the newsagents!
Background preparation – Elizabeth Cruikshank and Penny Cooper
Getting an edge
You’ve done your due diligence and submitted your training applications. Now you can breathe a sigh of relief and get on with the business of the LPC while you are waiting for the invitations to interview to roll in. But don’t waste this opportunity to give your interview that extra edge.
You want law firms to be interested in you, but they also want to feel that you are truly interested in them. The impression that most law firms want to give is that they are solid enterprises, concerned with the problems of their clients but with few real difficulties of their own. Look beneath the surface, however, and you will find that legal decisions and government policy may be giving them real cause for concern. During interview you will sometimes be asked questions that apparently have nothing to do with your CV or your motivations for becoming a lawyer.
BLD Legal Launch Pad – it does exactly what it says on the tin! – Suneel Basson-Bhatoa
December 2009
After my two minute fit of screaming and cheering in the middle of the University campus, my friends, to their confusion, asked me why I was celebrating so emphatically? I explained that I had just received an e-mail on my Blackberry from the Black Lawyers’ Directory (BLD) detailing my acceptance on to the Legal Launch Pad programme.
The Legal Launch Pad is a programme that is primarily designed to widen access to the Legal profession for black and minority ethnic (BME) students and incorporates an induction day, training sessions, a graduating ceremony, access to a mentoring relationship and work experience with the programme’s sponsoring organisations. However, above all of the formal elements of the programme, students also benefit from invaluable networking opportunities that go beyond the standard two minutes of time that one might expect at a law fair, crowded by hundreds of equally eager and impatient law students waiting in line.
How to get a vacation scheme placement
Legal Week features a useful piece on getting a vac scheme, straight from the mouths of the law firms (SJ Berwin, Field Fisher Waterhouse, Linklaters and Freshfields). There's a couple of case studies which detail the vacation scheme experience and offer top tips.
The Internet: Friend or Foe – Elizabeth Cruickshank and Penny Cooper
How clients find legal firms
According to a poll of 2,266 people, commissioned by online solicitor directory legallybetter.com, the most popular method of finding a solicitor is the personal recommendation of friends, relatives or colleagues. But recent YouGov research suggests that the second most popular method when people are looking for someone to do conveyancing or to advise on a will is the internet. This is yet more evidence of the power of the internet as a tool in the decision-making process. How can you make it work for you?
Finding a training contract
If you have not already found a training contract, the internet can be a powerful ally. You can use it to find possible candidate firms who will appreciate your talents and achievements. But don’t restrict yourself to perusing firms’ online brochures and downloading their application forms. Simple Google searches on the name of a firm can enable you to garner useful information on a firm’s:
- Areas of expertise
- Important clients
- Recent deals
- Recent cases and whether they have been won or lost
- Charitable activities
- Standing in the local community
- Salary increases – and in some cases salary freezes and decreases
- Redundancies
- Promotions
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