How do you shortlist the right law firm to apply for?
You've collected all the student guides; you have spoken to representatives at law fairs; you've collected countless branded pens. But what do you actually do with all this information and how do you choose which firms to apply to?
November 20, 2012 at 12:12 PM
5 minute read
You've done the right things so far. You've collected all the student guides to law firms; you have spoken to representatives at law fairs; you have collected countless branded pens and highlighters. But what do you actually do with all this information and how do you choose which firms to apply to?
One of the questions you are likely to get asked at interview for either a vacation scheme or a training contract is: "How have you chosen which firms to apply to?"
There are various potential answers to this:
1 – I applied to the firms with the best freebies at law fairs.
2 – I opened each of the student guides to law and picked 10 firms to apply to based on where the book fell open.
3 – I did my research and selected based on my criteria which are X, Y and Z. (This is the better of the three answers!)
Before you sit down to open the student guides, think about what you are really looking for from a firm, and what is most important to you.
Work and clients
First and foremost think about the type of work you are interested in doing. You may know that you are focused on pursuing a career in corporate/commercial law, but within this there are many nuances that you should consider. Firms in the City may focus on practice areas such as: corporate, project finance, litigation, banking, dispute resolution etc. Think about what you have enjoyed at university, speak to your friends who have done placements in firms, or are already working in firms and discuss with your tutors to consider the type of work which you are most interested in doing. Once you have this decided, you should be able to narrow down your choice a little more.
You can find out which firms specialise in specific areas through the student guides, law firm websites, the legal press and awards which firms receive for their work. The seats which are compulsory for trainees to complete are also a very good indication of the strongest practice groups for a firm.
Training
As a trainee solicitor, the Solicitors Regulation Authority regulations stipulate that you need to experience three distinct areas of law during your two year training contract. Firms approach this criterion in various ways. The most common seat pattern is to have four seats over the two year period (six months in each area). Other firms may have a six seat system (four months in each area), while other firms won't have a structured seat system at all, but put the onus on the trainees to find their own work.
Whichever approach you prefer, it is important to think about the reputation of the training department in place at the firm. Training isn't just important at trainee level, its key as you progress through to senior associate and partner level. Consider how training is run and the approach firms take to your development. Ideally, you want to know that your development will be taken seriously at all levels, not just when you are training. Asking about this at interviews will show a commitment to your career, beyond the two years of your training contract. This information should be fairly accessible, so look around to see what you can find.
Culture, values and environment
While it may be difficult to get a true understanding of the culture of a firm before starting work there, you can learn a lot from speaking with trainees, and reading up about the firms. One key difference between firms is the size of the office that you are applying to.
City firms can range from over 1000 employees in one office, to those with just 100. In line with this, the trainee intake per year can range from two to 120, so you really need to consider the best environment for you to train in. While your friends may be better off training at a firm with a smaller intake, this is not necessarily the case for you as well. Think about the type of environment where you have thrived in the past, and pick a firm that sounds as though it will have a similar feel.
While law firms may all seem to have a similar model from the outside, the values they have and what they place importance on provides key information about the firm. Consider your own values, and ensure the firms you apply to match these. For example, if you feel that one of the most important qualities for a lawyer is to deliver excellent client service, use this as one of your key criteria when narrowing down your selection of firms.
Final thoughts
There is a lot of information out there, so there is no excuse for not having access to information these days. Almost the opposite is true and there is now too much information available. So, before you start randomly flicking through the law firm guides, think about what criteria are important to you and start looking for firms which match this, rather than going purely off the marketing spin.
Speak to people in the sector already (friends, tutors and representatives at law fairs), do your research and take time over the applications you make. This will go a long way in helping you secure your training contract at the firm most suited to you.
Charlotte Hannan is the recruitment officer at Shearman & Sterling in London
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllWickard AI Partners With Law School to Bring Legal AI Training to Ethiopia
What Firms in Australia Are Doing to Attract and Retain Lawyers in a Competitive Market
7 minute readReport: Toronto Law Students Did Not Breach School's Code of Conduct With Pro-Palestinian Letter
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1As 'Red Hot' 2024 for Legal Industry Comes to Close, Leaders Reflect and Share Expectations for Next Year
- 2Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 3Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 4Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 5Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250