Advice from a future Magic Circle trainee

1 September marked the start of the 2026 trainee recruitment cycle. Future Magic Circle trainee and Legal Cheek writer Ryan Scott shares his top tips for securing a coveted training contract this application season.

1. Meet as many firms as possible

That dreaded application form staple — “why this firm?” — is often the first and hardest hurdle for future trainees to cross. From the outside, City firms can look very similar: international presence, ‘dynamic’ work, Band 1 rankings… basically, a load of corporate waffle.

Meeting firms directly, however, gave me a much clearer picture — not just of their practice areas and sector strengths, but of their culture, their people, and whether I could actually see myself fitting in.

Open Days run throughout September to December (and many firms reimburse travel!). You can tour offices, chat to trainees and partners, and pick up tips for the application process.

Legal Cheek also runs its Virtual Law Fairs and firm-specific events throughout the application season. I attended last year while doing my applications, and skipping through the different firms’ booths felt a bit like speed-dating: some I clicked with straight away, others I knew weren’t a match, and a few surprised me completely — ones I’d never even considered until I met them.

To keep this long-winded metaphor going, it’s also where I met the ‘one’ for the first time — my future firm.

2. Figure out what matters most to you

Be honest about your priorities. A fat salary? A plush office on Bishopsgate? Free weekends?

For me, it was Band 1 rankings across the board — that way, I could explore a variety of seats, confident I’d be working on top-quality matters while learning from the best. A large trainee cohort and strong international presence mattered too. This might make some feel like just another cog in the machine, but I saw it as a chance to connect and collaborate with colleagues across the globe.

Others might prefer the smaller cohorts on offer at some boutique or US firms, where trainees take on much greater responsibility from day one and face a steeper learning curve.

A great starting point is The Legal Cheek Firms Most List (and I don’t just say that because I work here now), which lays out the number of trainees, salary, working hours, international presence, secondment opportunities, and more.

3. Create a shortlist of firms

Once you know your priorities, narrow your focus to around 10-15 firms — and dive deep. Clifford Chance alone received 5,804 applications in 2022. I’d hazard a guess that the other Magic Circle firms were broadly similar, putting the total combined applications for the quintet in the tens of thousands each year.

A scattergun approach to applications — sending generic applications to dozens of firms in the hope that one sticks — rarely works. By creating a shortlist, you can dedicate more time to research, tailor each application properly, and keep deadlines manageable.

Last year, I whittled my list down to 12 firms that aligned with my priorities, and that excelled in the practice areas and sectors I was interested in (more on this later).

4. Track deadlines

Plan ahead. Application season moves fast, and December will sneak up before you know it.

I was working full-time as a paralegal while applying, balancing the 9–5 office job with the 5–9 application grind — and sacrificing my annual leave to travel down to London for Open Days. Focusing on only 12 firms made this (slightly) more manageable.

Record each firm’s deadlines for vacation schemes and training contracts — Legal Cheek’s Key Deadlines Calendar is great for this. And check if deadlines are rolling: Slaughter and May, for example, reviews applications as they come in, so early submission is key. An 11:59pm submission on deadline day probably won’t cut it.

5. Go beyond the surface

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List is a brilliant starting point, but don’t stop there. Dig into firm websites, Chambers and Legal 500 rankings, reports, podcasts, newsletters, articles, even LinkedIn posts.

Focus on what genuinely interests you — it makes your application read far more authentically. In my case, that was the net-zero transition. I went to webinars and combed through firm websites to find specific deals I could namedrop in applications and interviews.

Handily, Legal 500 even provides “work highlights” for each practice area, showcasing the matters that firms are particularly chuffed with.

6. Reach out to current trainees

Messaging trainees on LinkedIn feels a bit like cold-calling — but in my experience, it’s nothing to stress about.

Every trainee I’ve reached out to has been extremely generous with their time. And remember: most are only a couple years older than you and can vividly recall the trials and tribulations of application season.

But be respectful of their time. Generic and open-ended questions like “Tips for a TC?” rarely get replies. Do your homework — maybe a bit of LinkedIn stalking — then ask about the seat they’re in or what they enjoy most about it. Show you’ve thought about your question, and you’ll get a far better answer.

7. Organise your research

All that research is useless if it’s saved in some random folder on your computer that you’ll never find again. Find a system that works for you to collate and organise it. Mine was a giant Excel spreadsheet (aptly named “Firm Megatable”).

Firm names ran across the top row, and areas of research down the first column — practice area specialisms, key sectors, legal tech, big-name clients, training contract structure, secondments, pro bono, diversity initiatives, recent mandates, and so on.

The beauty of the Megatable was being able to compare firms easily. You can see at a glance in which areas Firm A is stronger than Firm B — which then feeds straight into tailored answers.

Whether you like Word, Pages, or a notebook with pretty highlighters, the key is to have one system and update it consistently.

8. Tailor your applications: why, why, why

One of the biggest mistakes I see is failing to answer the “Why?”.

“I attended a webinar on the firm’s net-zero work.” Great — and? What did you learn? Why does that motivate you to apply here? Did it spark further research, or interest in a specific deal or report? Go deeper, and show some genuine engagement. It’s all about linking your experiences to your motivations.

If you reference a deal, don’t just say “I found this interesting.” Explain why — the regulatory complexity, the cross-border elements, the financing structure — and then link it back to the firm’s strengths and your reasons for applying.

9. Don’t be afraid to stand out

Early Talent teams sift through thousands of applications each cycle. The last thing they want to see is the same copy-pasted, ChatGPT-ified paragraphs on a loop. Authenticity is an asset.

Non-legal experiences can be extremely compelling. While some candidates may have completed every vac scheme in the City, balancing part-time work for years alongside your studies can demonstrate more dedication and resilience than a brief two-week stint at a firm.

It’s all about drawing connections between your experiences (legal or not) and the skills needed as a trainee.

In a recent interview I did with future trainee Layla Qazi, she drew on “unorthodox” experiences — including building a university roller-skating society from the ground up — to evidence her leadership, collaboration and initiative. She went on to secure a training contract at Taylor Wessing.

10. Build your commercial awareness

“Commercial awareness” — the buzzword that sends chills down fledgling lawyers’ spines. It isn’t a single skill; it’s a habit of noticing how organisations make decisions, how firms make money, and how headlines affect clients. You won’t become the next Alan Sugar after one binge of the FT; commercial awareness builds up gradually. As the saying goes, it’s a marathon, not a sprint — so start early, not the night before applications.

My top resources:

• Books: All You Need to Know About the City by Christopher Stoakes makes complex economic and business concepts accessible and easy to understand.

• Newsletters: LittleLaw and Legal Cheek Weekly Round-Up are both free. Watson’s Daily (paid) breaks down headlines into ‘what this means for industry X’ — the exact skill you need to build for interviews and case studies.

• Podcasts: FT Daily Briefing and Legal Cheek Podcast during my morning commutes.

• News: CityAM (free), and the FT (if your university provides access because £39/month is steep).

Closing note…

Everyone’s journey is different, and comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t try to mould yourself into what you think a corporate lawyer should look like — be yourself and focus on what matters to you. Research thoroughly and craft applications that genuinely reflect your interests and personality.

Advice needed

In our latest Career Conundrum, an aspiring solicitor has been invited to a training contract assessment centre, but needs advice on what to ask their interviewers.

“Hi Legal Cheek, I have an assessment centre coming up which involves an interview with two senior lawyers from the firm. I know I should prepare some questions to ask them at the end of the interview but I’m really struggling. I want to seem well-informed but not too intense/pushy and I definitely don’t want to be too personal. Am I meant to ask them about law? About the firm? About their careers? Help!”

If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.

Worked as a paralegal at City firm

A former paralegal at City law firm Macfarlanes has been barred from working in the legal profession after it emerged that she accessed confidential information related to the firm’s training contract assessment day in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over other candidates.

A decision published today by the solicitors’ regulator reveals that Elena Jalali “repeatedly accessed” sensitive materials, including a business case study exercise, model answers and the mark scheme, ahead of the assessment day in August 2023.

According to the regulator, Jalali used this information to secure an unfair advantage during the assessment.

Macfarlanes launched an internal investigation on 17 August 2023, during which Jalali denied having accessed the confidential materials when she knew she had done so repeatedly.

The former paralegal is now subject to a section 43 order, which prevents her from working at any SRA-regulated law firm without prior approval from the regulator.

The SRA said: “Jalali’s conduct was serious because it demonstrated a lack of integrity and a breach of the trust placed in her by her then employers. Her conduct was also dishonest and such behaviour risks affecting public trust and confidence in the profession.”

She was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA’s costs of £600.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows Macfarlanes offers around 33 training contracts each year on starting salary of £56,000. This rises to £61,000 in year two and jumps to £140,000 upon qualification.

Macfarlanes has been approached for comment.

Runs alongside US outfit’s traditional pathway

The London office of US law firm Milbank has introduced a new training pathway designed for aspiring lawyers aiming to specialise in leveraged finance (LevFin).

The new pathway is “exclusively reserved” for those who have a “clear and committed interest” in LevFin and runs alongside the firm’s traditional training contract, according to its graduate recruitment website.

For those unfamiliar with the term, LevFin is the process by which a company borrows funds, often through loans or bonds, to increase the potential return on an investment, such as through acquisitions, expansions, or restructuring.

Trainees will spend 12–18 months with our LevFin team in London, followed by at least one seat in another practice area, with the ultimate goal of qualifying into Milbank’s LevFin group. Successful candidates are required to have completed a vacation scheme with the firm.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows Milbank recruits approximately eight UK trainees annually, offering a recently improved starting salary of £65,000 in the first year, increasing to £70,000 in the second year. Upon qualification, junior lawyers earn an impressive £170,455.

“Much like the general training contract, there is no set pattern or specific backgrounds for candidates applying for the LevFin training contract,” said Milbank partner Sarbajeet Nag. “However, an interest in finance is fundamental, along with a desire to practise commercial law in a diverse environment, working alongside and learning from some of the leading practitioners in the industry.”

This isn’t the first time a firm has developed a training contract programme focused on a specific practice area. Several years ago, BCLP introduced specialised routes in financial services and real estate, alongside its traditional pathway. Meanwhile, other firms have introduced tech-focused routes, with some adding innovation seats to their existing programmes.

New juniors to earn market topping £180k

Elite US law firm Paul Weiss is ramping up its recruitment in the City of London with the launch of a new UK training contract programme.

The New York-headquartered outfit plans to recruit what Legal Cheek understands to be between five and 10 trainees from this autumn as part of an ambitious expansion strategy this side of the pond, which has seen it poach top partner talent from a raft of its Magic Circle and US rivals.

The inaugural cohort will commence their TCs in 2026 and earn a market-topping £180,000 upon qualification. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List — where Paul Weiss will soon appear — shows that currently only one other law firm, fellow US player Gibson Dunn, offers this amount of cash to its NQs.

Trainee pay is yet to be finalised, but the firm will offer additional financial support including maintenance grants and covering law school fees.

Over the past year, Paul Weiss has been assembling a formidable team of lawyers in London as part of expansion plan lead in part by private equity rainmaker Neel Sachdev, who attracted significant press attention when he moved from rival US firm Kirkland & Ellis last summer.

Speaking to Legal Cheek about the creation of the new training contract programme, London co-head Sachdev said:

“The launch of our training programme is a key milestone for our growing London office. We are excited to have the opportunity to mentor and develop trainees to become our partners of the future. We have an elite bench of lawyers across private equity, public M&A, debt finance, tax and antitrust who act on the highest profile and most complex transactions in the global markets. Trainees will have the opportunity to become part of these stellar teams in a unique, diverse and client-facing culture.”

Overseeing the programme is the firm’s new senior recruitment manager, Paul Gascoyne, who led graduate recruitment at Shearman & Sterling prior to its merger with Allen & Overy.

“The training contract programme at Paul, Weiss is going to be something special,” Gascoyne told Legal Cheek. “We aim to offer the best training to junior lawyers, in an environment like no other. The London team is extraordinarily talented, creative and collaborative, and our office will be a fantastic training ground for those looking to be at the top of the legal profession.”

Paul Weiss has had a presence in London since 2001, but it has only recently begun pursuing significant growth. The firm now has 108 lawyers in the UK capital, more than triple the headcount in 2022, thanks to a bold hiring strategy that has attracted top partners from rivals such as Kirkland & Ellis, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Macfarlanes and Ropes & Gray.

As part of this major recruitment drive, Paul Weiss also recently relocated to Twitter’s (now X) former London headquarters (pictured top), situated on the edge of Soho and just a stone’s throw from upmarket Mayfair, home to a large number of the firm’s private equity clients.

The new talent has in turn attracted big ticket work across the firm’s specialisms of M&A, finance, capital markets, tax, antitrust and IP. The London office recently advised on the financing and structuring of a potential cash offer for International Distributions Services, the parent company of Royal Mail, as well as on General Atlantic’s acquisition of a majority stake in Joe & the Juice.

Outside London, Paul Weiss is a major global legal player, with over 1,000 lawyers in more than 10 offices across the globe. Last year the firm turned over just over $2 billion in revenue, with profit per equity partner standing at a whopping $6.5 million (£5.1 million).

John Watkins, Director of Employability at The University of Law, discusses AI in TC applications and the importance of adaptability, ahead of next week’s Legal Cheek-ULaw Summer Virtual Vacation Scheme

“I didn’t achieve particularly strong scores at school,” says John Watkins, Director of Employability at The University of Law (ULaw). “So, I reached a point when I turned 18 where I really had to consider trying something different and proving myself. I entered into the BBC’s sports commentator of the year award, and I found myself as the runner up!” Watkins reveals. “It was quite transformational in terms of my self-belief, so I always advise the students I work with: you probably have talents that you don’t know exist yet, so just throw yourself into it.”

After spending a few years as a sports journalist for the BBC, Watkins turned his hand to accountancy before finding his way into employability. Having coined the phrase ‘employagility’ back in 2020 as an amalgamation of ‘employability’ and ‘agility’, Watkins seems a great example of the ability to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to a career. “Looking back, the talent I discovered at the age of 18 has been invaluable over the past 30-plus years, especially in speaking to large audiences during my accountancy work. The confidence I developed laid the foundation for a career that I truly enjoy,” he reveals. “Having thrown myself into sport commentating, and discovering I was quite good at it, my attitude from then on was: ‘I might be good at the next thing, too, so I’ll give it a go!”

Legal Cheek Careers explores why ’employagility’ is crucial for aspiring lawyers by asking Watkins about the importance of building resilience and adaptability in the modern legal world. “If you can turn your hands to lots of different things, do things in different ways with different people, this is a great way of conducting life,” he begins. “It’s very important for employability in general but it can also help you to build resilience over the course of your career, because you have so many tools in your kit.”

A keen advocate for resilience and ‘climbing mountains’, Watkins also reveals his “admiration” for this generation. “They have a real willingness to try embrace new ways of doing things, and they’re going to be a real asset in the workplace. This is because I believe that students nowadays have access to an incredible amount of employability content – more than previous generations did. But they’ve also had real life experiences,” he says. “I don’t think anybody can look back and say that the pandemic was ‘good’, but there were positives that came out of it.” For example, Watkins says that this generation has had to overcome setbacks and difficulties, and as a result, they’ve developed strong skills in resilience and adaptability along the way.

Given that this generation of aspiring lawyers are naturally adept at ’employagility,’ we are eager to hear Watkins’ thoughts on whether advances in generative AI are beneficial or detrimental. He warns against the risk of over-reliance on tech: “Some firms are rejecting applications that use AI, while others encourage applicants to demonstrate their ability to utilise generative AI technology. So, students need to be alive to the expectations of each firm,” he advises.

Another factor students should consider is that overusing AI technology early on may have negative consequences later in the application process. “Recruitment processes will also assess candidates in person on how they react and behave in an assessment centre, for example, and if applicants have been disingenuous in their application, this could be exposed later on down the line,” says Watkins. “So, AI can be helpful to applicants if purely complimentary, but it’s you — the real person — who has to be able to show why you’re the ideal candidate.”

With AI being a hot topic for students to understand before interviews, we ask Watkins how ULaw is uniquely preparing its students on important commercial awareness topics. “We run a commercial awareness competition at the University which gives students free access to a daily ‘commercial awareness’ bulletin. This fills them in on what’s going on in the world from global politics to advancements in technology,” he tells us. Emphasising that commercial awareness is often hard to pin down, it appears that Watkins prefers students to create a daily habit over a longer period of time. “The idea with this approach is that students slowly build up a practice of keeping abreast of current affairs to stay in the competition, and what we tend to find is that our students really start to enjoy it. It becomes knowledge that they have on tap, and students can begin to apply this ‘commercial awareness’ in a client-focused way over time – which is exactly what firms are looking for,” he reveals.

But what are the current hot topics? “Aside from AI, at the moment we’re in the middle of an election cycle, which will have economic repercussions, and also in the UK legal industry there’s a lot of discussion around apprenticeships – so I think these topics are important for applicants to bear in mind ahead of applications,” he says. “But it’s so important for students to take this knowledge one step further by interpreting current affairs and considering how this will impact industry.”

Ahead of Legal Cheek’s Summer Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair from June 10-14, we ask Watkins how students can find ‘application gold’ during the programme. “Students need to think ahead – what do I want to get out of it? What do I want to put on my CV or my applications forms that I can’t put in today?” he advises. “This might be expanding their network by finding every opportunity to connect with people. I’ve personally created some amazing connections from the Legal Cheek vacation scheme events!” he enthuses. But he notes that employers aren’t simply interested in whether or not you attended the scheme –- they want to see what you got out of it. “How much more confident are you? What can you bring to the table that you couldn’t before?”

On his top tips for approaching virtual events, he advises: “Make sure you follow up! And take action off the back of the scheme, by either building relationships with connections you’ve made or further researching topics you found interesting. Finally, while it’s fresh in the mind – update your CV to reflect what you’ve learned from the process.”

John Watkins will be speaking at ‘The Legal Cheek Summer Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair 2024, in partnership with The University of Law’, which runs from Monday 10 June until Friday 14 June. Apply now to attend.

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Told they’d failed SQE1 when actually they’d passed

Students who had their training contract offers rescinded are among those hit by Kaplan’s SQE1 marking error, Legal Cheek can exclusively reveal.

Yesterday, we reported that 175 students, who were initially informed they had failed either Functioning Legal Knowledge 1 and/or Functioning Legal Knowledge 2 (the two parts of SQE1), had actually passed those assessments.

Both Kaplan and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) apologised for the extraordinary blunder, attributing it to a rounding error in the calculation of the final scores.

But the fall-out may only just be beginning. Overnight it has emerged that some students who had their training contracts revoked last month after being told they had failed SQE1 had, in fact, passed the exam.

Now their firms are desperately trying to figure out what to do. For obvious reasons Legal Cheek isn’t naming the students or firms involved. We understand that graduate recruitment teams are busy assessing the various options.

Posting on LinkedIn, the City of London Law Society’s Training Committee urged “any employer with impacted candidates to look extremely carefully at the matter”. They continued:

“We anticipate that this will including proactive and speedy consideration of reinstatement of the employment status of impacted candidates, including those for whom employment has been terminated and/or offers/training contracts rescinded,” it said. “The committee is happy to meet any employers to discuss; we are keen to support.”

ULaw London Moorgate Dean Aruna Verma talks smooth networking, tailoring firm applications and dealing with rejection

Having spent time in both legal practice and education, Aruna Verma, now Campus Dean at The University of Law’s London Moorgate outfit, has a wealth of advice to offer.

Ahead of her appearance at Legal Cheek’s Spring Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair which begins on Monday, we sat down with her to get her thoughts on how students can make the most out of the scheme and maximise success in their applications.

The ULaw-Legal Cheek Spring Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair has several components to it – workshops, law fairs and an employability expo. What are your top three tips for how students can get the most out of attending the scheme?

The ULaw-Legal Cheek Spring Vacation Scheme is an excellent opportunity full of various events. Firstly, I would encourage you to prepare in advance of attending the event. Find out the names of the firms and organisations attending, visit their websites to understand their areas of expertise and work culture. Be curious, make a note of any questions you have about the firm and any major work they have done recently.

Secondly, during the vacation scheme, be active.  Participate by asking relevant questions, share your ideas and thoughts. Start conversations, continue them and take part actively. Leave an impression.

Finally, make sure you send follow -up emails to the contacts you have made. Refer to conversations you had and reinforce your interest in the area of law or firm.

After events I have presented or hosted, I usually get LinkedIn requests with a short note on where we met and what we discussed.

When it comes to virtual networking, how should students be deciding who to speak to and the kinds of questions to ask that would be a useful addition to their written applications to firms?

Events, whether they are online or in-person, requires a strategic and proactive approach before attendance. Who do you want to speak to and why? Is there anyone you need to ensure you have spoken to?

Prior to any major event, I would urge you to make sure your LinkedIn or social media networking platforms are up to date.  List all your skills, experiences and interests. Highlight your strengths.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions during the networking. I would ask a general question to get the person’s attention. For example, what part of your work do you enjoy the most?  Express your interest in their work and request a brief conversation to learn more about their career path and gain insights into the industry. If you have questions about the application process, ask for advice, for example, what are the firm considering when looking at personal statements.

Another struggle with networking is how artificial it can sometimes feel, and that might make it a tad awkward. How would you suggest students combat this and try to come across as genuinely and authentically as possible?

Always be yourself. Authenticity shines through when you’re true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Speak naturally and let your personality come through in your communication. Smile.

Demonstrate genuine interest in the other person by actively listening to what they have to say. Keep eye contact.  Make notes. Ask thoughtful questions. This demonstrates that you value their perspective and are engaged in the conversation.

Follow through. If you say you’ll follow up with someone or send them information, make sure to do so in a timely manner. This demonstrates reliability and builds trust.

Show appreciation for the time and insights others have shared with you. A simple thank you goes a long way in building positive relationships and leaving a lasting impression.

What is your advice to students who are in the process of figuring out what kinds of firms they want to apply to — what sorts of factors should they be taking into account, and what should their shortlisting process look like?

This all requires research and a fair bit of it. Look into the type of firm you wish to work in by looking at their practice areas, does this interest you and fit in with your career aspirations?

Research into their culture and values. Does it fit in with yours? Consider the importance of professional development, work-life balance, diversity and inclusion for example.

Make a list of all the criteria that is important to you so you can benchmark the firms against your values.

One of the most difficult things in an application is demonstrating your genuine interest in the firm. In your experience, what can a student do to stand out in this aspect of their application?

The extensive research into the firm will shine through in your application. Tailor your application and customise it to the firm. You can tell when you have sent out a generic letter which is nonspecific to the firm.

What do you want the firm to know about you? What impression do you want to leave them with? Ensure you highlight these experiences.

Getting a training contract is often a long process. What is your advice for those who are feeling deflated or demotivated by rejections, especially when getting feedback on applications is rare?

Experiencing job rejections can be disheartening, but it’s important for students to stay resilient and maintain a positive mindset.

Its okay to feel emotions, acknowledge them and process them. Sit with them. But not for too long.

Always follow up with a thank you and ask for feedback. If you do get a response back on this, use the feedback constructively to identify areas for improvement and refine your strategy.

Stay persistent and continue applying to positions that align with your skills, interests, and career goals. Take online courses, attend workshops, or pursue certifications to enhance your skills and make yourself a more competitive candidate.

Reach out to your mentor or support network to debrief.  Stay positive, rejection is temporary. Take care of your physical, emotional, and mental well-being during this challenging time. Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, whether it’s exercising, spending time with loved ones, or pursuing hobbies.

If you could now give one piece of advice to your younger self when you were starting out in your career, what would it be?

To utilise my network and my mentors! I was worried about approaching people, but I realise now that people are very generous with their time – they just need to be asked. They can only say no!

Aruna Verma will be speaking at The Legal Cheek Spring Virtual Vacation Scheme and Law Fair 2024 taking place from Monday 25 March to Wednesday 27 March 2024. Apply now to attend.

Follow @UniversityofLaw

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No second chances

Magic Circle giant Clifford Chance has revoked the training contract offers of future trainees who recently failed the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

Legal Cheek understands that the firm contacted around four future trainees to inform them that their TC offers had been rescinded because they failed to pass SQE1 on the first attempt. It is believed some students missed out by just a few marks.

Members of the firm’s HR team apparently delivered the bad news via a phone call last week and followed up again this week. Legal Cheek understands these calls included advice on what students can do next as well as career consultancy support.

The decision not to offer resits is significant given Clifford Chance is the largest training contract provider in the country. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2024 shows it offers up to 110 training positions each year and sends it futures trainees to The University of Law. The firm provides students with an SQE grant of £17,500 and also covers law school and examine fees.

There are swirling rumours circulating the internet regarding the approaches that other major firms are taking in relation to trainees who fail the SQE. Some outfits seem to be adopting a similar approach to Clifford Chance, while others are providing future trainees with at least one opportunity to retake. Others are said to be adopting a case-by-case approach.

Last year Legal Cheek reported that the City of London Law Society had urged law firms to adopt a “supportive, understanding approach” towards trainees who fail to pass SQE1 at the first attempt. Options floated included a short or long deferral, taking into account extenuating circumstances and, among other things, whether the failure was marginal or significant. The body also suggested rescission of the training contract as a third option, but noted this could potentially result in “negative publicity” for the firm which “could be felt through the next few years”.

SQE1 tests ‘Functioning Legal Knowledge’ (FLK) in two multiple-choice tests of 180 questions each, and covers a broad range of topics similar including business, criminal law, tort, land and contract law. Students must also successfully complete SQE2, which assesses both skills and the application of legal knowledge.

A spokesperson for Clifford Chance told us that “it doesn’t comment on specific applications”.

Do you know what approach your firm is taking? Drop us an email at tips@legalcheek.com

Needs help on what to do next

In the latest instalment in our Career Conundrums series, an aspiring solicitor asks for guidance following disappointing SQE1 results and an unsupportive response from their firm.

“I sat the SQE1 exams in January and found out last week that I have failed. My training contract (City law firm) was due to start in September 2024 so I was extremely worried about what the consequences would be. After a few calls with graduate recruitment and HR, I’ve been told that my TC offer has been revoked. I just have no idea what to do at this point, and want to know if anyone else is/has been in the same boat, and how they dealt with the situation. How are other people’s firms handling cases of future trainees failing the SQE?”

If you have a career conundrum, email us at team@legalcheek.com.

Video interviews, aptitude tests, group tasks and more

After sending out application upon application and refreshing your inbox incessantly, you finally get that email inviting you to a video interview or assessment centre. Yay! But the happiness is soon taken over by worry as you start to question what it’s going to be like and how you can prepare. If this sounds familiar, then read on to get your questions answered about a range of post-application assessments.

Aptitude tests

Most firms send out an aptitude test after you’ve submitted your application to complete an initial sift. You should be able to get an idea of what to expect on this from the firm website. Some types of tests, like the Watson Glaser test, can be practised prior to be taken, while others do not offer this option. Regardless, these tests typically test candidates’ critical thinking, analysis, literacy and numeracy skills — so if there isn’t an option to practice the test, make sure to keep these in mind as a rough guide of what to expect.

There are also often situational judgement tests, where candidates are presented with a range of scenarios they would likely face as a trainee solicitor and asked how they would tackle these. For instance, what would you do if you’re given an urgent piece of work last minute by your supervising partner and don’t know how to approach it? What if you’re confronted with a frustrated client asking for updates on a matter you don’t have yet? What if there’s a deadline you can’t meet because another more pressing issue has come up?

Video interviews

These are sometimes an additional sifting stage before the assessment centre. Rather than being faced with an actual interviewer, these take the form of candidates providing recorded answers to questions, with some platforms allowing candidates to re-record their responses a certain number of times and others not providing this option. Firm websites might provide an idea of the kinds of questions you can expect to receive on these video interviews. If that isn’t the case, it would be good to prepare by knowing your CV well. Also try having bullet point responses planned out to likely questions such as why you’re interested in working at [insert firm name] and examples of instances where you’ve demonstrated certain key attributes — time management, team working and other such skills.

Assessment centres

 While these can take a variety of forms, broadly speaking, they can be thought of as comprising two aspects — a general, or competency-based element and a skills-based element. These can be tested through a range of methods — partner or graduate recruitment interviews, group tasks (such as a negotiation exercise, for instance) and individual case studies (oral or written) are some examples.

The competency aspect of the assessment centre is essentially trying to test whether your skills and personality are suited both to a career in law more generally and to the law firm you are applying to in particular. So be prepared to have very clear answers to both of these, as they are likely to come up. It also helps to know the kind of skills that the firm is looking for in a trainee solicitor, something which a lot of firm websites include on their graduate recruitment page. Make sure to be ready with an example of where you’ve demonstrated each skill during university or in your career to answer questions about why you’d be a good fit at the firm.

The skills-based aspect tends to test candidates’ legal skills, such as writing, analysis and commercial awareness, whether in an individual or group setting. It’s important to have a really good idea of the kind of work the firm does and the market developments impacting its practice areas the most. Make sure to keep an eye on the amount of time you have if completing a written task and try to have a clear structure to your piece with headings and signposts. It’s also a good idea to make notes if doing an oral case study or group task, and don’t be afraid to ask questions to clarify something you’re not sure of in the scenario you’re given.

Finally, it’s always worth trying to find out who you are going to be interviewed by — it never hurts to drop graduate recruitment a quick email and ask! Also use the assessment centre and interviews as an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about what it’s like to work at the firm or find out more about a given practice area, as this is always a good indicator of genuine interest.

ULaw Moorgate, London Dean Aruna Verma discusses campus life, transferable skills and commercial awareness hot topics

Former solicitor Aruna Verma has been Campus Dean at The University of Law’s London Moorgate, London campus since April 2023. She tells me about the multiple clubs and societies that have been set up on campus. “The University encourages students to share their skills by taking the initiative of hosting events and building clubs and societies. This creates a sense of community at the campus and polishes the transferable skills of those students taking the initiative”, she explains.

Verma points out that these transferable skills can help one succeed in any career they go into, elaborating on this with an example. One of the most important transferable skills she gained from her time as a solicitor which helps her in her current career in legal education is public speaking. “Having the experience of being in a courtroom and arguing a case really helped me when I started teaching – I was often in front of large groups of students numbering over 100”, she details.

Verma shares that these skills can drastically increase the chances of students securing a coveted training contract. “Setting up a society takes initiative. Running it alongside full-time studies takes commitment and it demonstrates a student’s time-keeping skills which is very important for lawyers”, she says.

Using the example of setting up a football society, Verma explains that theses social groups do not need to have a business or legal context to build valuable skills. “It takes planning and teamwork to get the kits together. Getting permission from the University to use its logo requires the students to look at the regulatory infrastructure. These are competencies that they can demonstrate during their interviews,” notes Verma.

In terms of pro bono opportunities, she shares that the Moorgate campus hosts several projects that allow students to obtain valuable insights into different practice areas like family and employment law. “Students have shared their experiences with me about interviewing real clients, listening to the advising solicitor, making notes of the meeting and undertaking legal research”, she highlights, noting that the skills students are able to develop in these clinics are crucial building blocks of a legal career.

I went on to ask Verma about the advice she would give to students about transferrable skills they can demonstrate from non-legal roles to law firms. “What I’ve always done is I make notes of anything new I’ve done within my role. I can then use these as examples to demonstrate core competencies in either applications or interviews”, she suggests. Verma elaborates that in addition to her role as Dean, she also chairs a tribunal, which often confronts obstacles. “I constantly write down how I deal with these situations and what competencies I use — it’s an ongoing process and it means you demonstrate competencies in everything that you do,” she points out.

Her advice to students who are preparing for interviews is to have a bank of experiences that they can turn to. “Remember to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method when you answer interview questions. Research the law firm that you are interviewing for and most importantly, know your CV so that you can instantly tell the interviewer about a particular experience when asked”, Verma advises. She goes on to highlight the importance of taking action after an interview. “This is your opportunity to leave a good impression. Always send a follow-up note thanking the panel members for their time. It shows that you have a holistic approach from start to finish.”

Touching on vacation schemes, I ask Verma about how students can convert these short placements into training contracts. “The whole process should be seen as a live interview. You should immerse yourself in every opportunity. The firm has worked hard to give you a good experience with its work. You should make the most of it and ask insightful and relevant questions”, she suggests. Verma urges students to also engage with the work, be proactive and make connections both with the people there as well as their fellow vacation scheme students. “Hopefully, you’ll be in a cohort together”, she points out.

On the topic of commercial awareness, Verma explains that the Moorgate campus offers different opportunities for developing this elusive skill through guest speaker sessions, networking events and mentoring sessions. These have the added long-term benefit of building up a professional network. “Students should think about how businesses and industries around the globe are being affected by current events. They should be critical while doing so, considering the benefits and drawbacks of these current events for the businesses”, she explains.

Commercial awareness is also an important component of learning at ULaw Moorgate. “All of our papers and materials teach students at the cutting edge of law and business. We try to get students opportunities for work shadowing and encourage students to bring topics they have read in the paper to class so that they can discuss it and share their views, which leads to fruitful discussions. We also hold commercial awareness competitions”, Verma details.

I then ask her about key commercial awareness topics for students to follow for 2024. “The law is constantly changing – in addition to that, business developments in one part of the world can affect another region quite significantly, so it’s always important to keep track of geopolitical implications”, she says. Verma also reassures students that AI will not replace lawyers but instead help them shine within law firms. “There is an opportunity in this generation for law firms and businesses to automate processes through AI and you need to jump at that opportunity. You can lead this innovation and bring changes to law firms in the way things have been done for years”, she encourages.

Verma also states that despite 2023 being a big year for AI, it will continue to get even bigger in impact and popularity in 2024. She characterises it as a snowball effect — the technology used in AI will continue to build upon its success with more resources dedicated to it, is Verma’s prediction.

Aruna Verma will be speaking at ‘Secrets to Success London — with Ashurst, CMS, Osborne Clarke, Willkie and ULaw’ an in-person event taking place on Tuesday 20 February. This event is fully booked, but secure your place at one of our upcoming events.

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Burges Salmon’s Liam Edwards discusses his varied work in the firm’s projects department

“The common aspect underpinning projects work at Burges Salmon is that everyone generally deals with long-term, complex commercial contracts,” says solicitor Liam Edwards. Within that sphere, the team focuses on a number of different sectors, including defence, public procurement, energy and environment, transport and healthcare. As a junior lawyer, you are strongly encouraged, though not required, to fill your desk with work from whatever interests you across these areas. So, if you come in wanting variety, as I did, there’s ample opportunity for that.”

Edwards qualified into Burges Salmon’s projects department in September 2023 after having completed the final seat of his training contract with the team. In the nine months that he has spent in projects, most of his work has come from defence, healthcare and public procurement projects, he tells me. “I find this breadth quite freeing, so my day-to-day now is very varied. I work across these sectors, but there’s also no expectation for me to continue doing so if I develop a focused interest in another area over time,” explains Edwards.

I was keen to ask Edwards about his work in defence, and whether working in this sector brings any particular challenges. “Contracting in the defence sector is a heavily regulated area. So, as a junior, you’re coming in with perhaps a broad familiarity with how commercial contract negotiations work, but you’re then faced with a regulatory backdrop that’s very new to you. The same goes for public procurement. Having to get to grips with this background is crucial, because you’ve got to understand how the legal-regulatory, commercial, and policy factors interact with each other to inform the parties’ decision-making,” Edwards says.

He goes on to discuss stakeholder management, and how to advocate for a client’s position in large-scale public sector and defence projects. “The key principle is communication. As a junior, this applies to you twofold — not just in terms of communicating with clients, but also internally. A lot of people find it easy to slip into the habit of not saying anything when things are progressing as planned. The reality, however, is that getting a simple email across to let someone know that things are on track can be hugely reassuring, and it doesn’t take much time”. He tells me that it became apparent to him during his training contract that a lot of the best lawyers communicate quite heavily with their clients and recommends getting to grips with this approach in the early stages of one’s career. While client contact is not likely to be too prominent at a very junior level, this skill can nonetheless be sharpened by managing expectations and keeping people up-to-date internally, explains Edwards.

We also discussed his thoughts on Burges Salmon’s six-seat training contract (most law firms take a four-seat approach) and how he’s finding the transition from trainee to solicitor. “By the time I reached the third or fourth month of a seat, I usually felt confident that I could make a well-informed judgement on whether I could work in that department long-term,” he says. For Edwards, having the additional variety was a valuable opportunity to explore more areas of the firm and gave him the comfort that he was making the right choice when applying to qualify into the projects team.

Moreover, the six-seat training contract usually entails sitting in five, rather than six, different practice areas, with final-seat trainees generally going back to sit in the department they are planning to qualify into.

“I think that’s a huge advantage for trainees transitioning to an NQ role — with three or four months left on your training contract, you’re about as good a trainee as you can be. While the type of work and degree of involvement intensifies as an NQ, the transition is much smoother as Burges Salmon NQs have the sense of continuity that they are working on the same matters as they were in the final months of their TC, explains Edwards. “It’s really useful that this is a gradient process, rather than a sudden change in expectations,” he says.

So, how does a junior lawyer find their feet when pulled into a long-term project? “You often come into one when it’s been rumbling along for months or even years, so it can be quite difficult to get your head around how you now fit into it,” notes Edwards. He advises being proactive and asking for time from one of the more senior lawyers to get an overview of how things have progressed thus far and why. “You might question whether this is a good use of their time or your own, but you’d be surprised at how often a discrete bit of drafting or research in a very large project can be informed by having that broader contextual view,” he says.

To finish off our conversation, I went on to ask Edwards what advice he had for junior lawyers to make the most of their training contract experience at a given firm.

“In terms of skills that hold a trainee in good stead, communication and time management are key. You should generally be able to deliver the outputs expected of you on time without compromising on standards,” he points out. “You also need to remember that you’re going to make mistakes which are often unavoidable — as a trainee, you’re not going to perfectly understand how an agreement works in a really complex circumstance. You need to give yourself time and space to reflect on mistakes. Part of your job is to evaluate your work to understand how and why it got changed before being sent off to the client.”

Liam Edwards will be speaking at ‘Life as a projects lawyer — with Burges Salmon’, a virtual student event taking place on Wednesday 11 October. Apply now to secure your spot.

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Future trainee Anuja Venkataramani offers advice to lawyer hopefuls

Every autumn, law firms in the UK receive thousands of vacation scheme applications from students aspiring to secure a training contract and start their legal career. Those high-pressure months can feel daunting and it’s easy to agonise over whether you’re doing too little or spreading yourself too thin.

Having been there and done that, I accepted a training contract offer from the London office of a US law firm last summer, just after finishing my undergraduate law degree. Here, I’m sharing five tips that I found helped me along the way, and might be a good sounding board for others starting the application process in the coming months.

1. Don’t rush

I spent most of second year just trying to understand the subjects on my degree — I’m still not quite sure I succeeded at doing that with trusts law! Meanwhile, it seemed that everyone around me was feverishly applying to vac schemes, going to commercial awareness webinars and knew exactly which law firm they wanted to start their career in and why.

I still had no idea if I wanted to go down the barrister or solicitor route. Of course, it was hard not to get caught up in the rush everyone else was in, so I sent out a couple of vac scheme applications just to try my luck. Naturally, they didn’t work out — I read them back now and realise I had no idea what I was talking about.

The point is, everyone works on a different timeline. If you can attend law fairs and firm dinners in your first year, and have your mind made up by the start of second year, that’s great. But equally, if you need time to settle into university and think about your options, then take your time. For instance, I had to do a mini-pupillage to realise that the barrister path wasn’t quite right for me — and no, a law firm is not going to frown upon that. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to explore different aspects of a field you want to build a career in.

When people around you are applying for vac schemes and you still aren’t quite sure what you want to do, it’s easy to feel like you’re behind. That just isn’t true. People seeking out training contracts are often in vastly different stages of their life. Some are switching over from a whole other career, some have been trying out different aspects of the legal industry before deciding they want to go down the solicitor route.

It helps to have this perspective to appreciate that it’s probably unrealistic to have laser-focused clarity when you’re just 19 or 20 years old. It is, by no means, a disadvantage to need some more time to make up your mind. If anything, this can work in your favour, because your response to the inevitable “why do you want to be a solicitor” question is likely to be authentic and well-considered.

2. It’s not ‘take what you can get’

Don’t fall into the trap of applying to 30 different law firms in the three or four months that vac scheme and training contract applications tend to be open for. The likelihood is that you will get exhausted halfway through and just start recycling what you’ve already submitted.

Instead, use the summer prior to the application season to research different firms and think about what appeals to you and fits in with your personality. Do you thrive in a more relaxed or a fast-paced work environment? Is it important to you to spend time working abroad? Are you someone that prefers structured training or learns best by figuring things out yourself and asking questions? What industry or sector do you find interesting?

Once you know what your priorities are, you’ll know which law firms fit in with that, and those are the only ones you should apply to. If you’ve been prudent with your selectiveness, this should work out to about eight to ten different firms. Research these in more detail, go to any events they are present at and ask questions to gauge whether it’s the sort of environment you would be happy in.

It’s easy to get so caught up in applications that you see securing a training contract as the end. True, it’s what you’re working towards, but you need to think beyond just that to considering how you would feel to actually work at that firm for those two years (at the very least). The benefit of this is that you’re likely to understand each firm you’re applying to in greater depth and have more convincing reasons for why you’d like to be there, which is ultimately what graduate recruitment is looking for.

3. The commercial awareness conundrum

Becoming ‘commercially aware’ for your applications, interviews and assessment days can be intimidating, because naturally, you can never know enough. Of course, the associate or partner who has been working in the industry for several years is going to know more than you will. But no one is holding you to that standard. What matters is that you have an understanding of trends within the spaces that the law firms you are applying to operate within and can discuss these from different perspectives.

What I found helped for me was listening to the BBC Global News and Financial Times podcasts most mornings. They’re free, easily available and take up about 30 minutes of your time. The more you listen to these, the more you start to recognise links and threads — it helps to think of the news as a story, with new developments every day.

I didn’t find that I had time to make notes about what I listened to, but if you’re consistent with this small addition to your routine, you will tend to remember how things have progressed over time as you add small chunks of information every day.

Try not to listen to these news stories passively. Think about them for a few minutes and consider why a law firm you are applying to might be interested in them. A short mental SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) is a helpful way to structure your thoughts around it. So, when it comes to writing about a recent sector development in your application or completing a task for an assessment centre, you’ll find that you not only have the knowledge from keeping up with the news, but can also analyse it contextually, which is key.

4. The interview(s)

You will almost certainly have one, or multiple, interviews as part of the assessment centre prior to a vac scheme. You might also have interviews towards the end of the vac scheme process to determine whether you are made a training contract offer. Interviews tend to be a major source of intimidation for most students, and reasonably so. There’s no doubt that it’s daunting to be discussing the law and your interests with practising legal professionals. It helps to separate out two aspects of most interviews.

There’s the general part, where you are likely to be asked “why this firm”, “why the solicitor route” and questions about your time on the vac scheme (if an exit interview). Think about these in good detail in advance. If you know you’re going to have an interview at the end of a vac scheme, make a list of the tasks you do each day, and spend some time picking out what you found most interesting and what you learnt from them, so you can discuss these at interview.

There’s also the more technical part, where commercial awareness is likely to come into play. Spend some time before the interview thinking about news developments that might be important to the firm, and a range of viewpoints from which you can evaluate these.

It’s also helpful to demystify the interview(s) by thinking about it as just a conversation. For those 30 minutes or so, try to put it out of your mind how much you may want the vac scheme or training contract. Just focus on calmly answering the questions you’re asked, and remember that you too can ask questions at the end of the interview.

5. The vac scheme

Get to know people and be forthcoming. If you attend a presentation and hear a trainee or associate discuss an area of law you think you might be interested in, drop them an email and ask them if they are free to grab a coffee. Most of the time, they will be happy to oblige and you’re likely to learn a lot from even a 15-minute conversation.

It’s also important to strike the right balance between asking questions and thinking independently. There’s nothing wrong with clarifying doubts, and it’s probably necessary if you’ve been given a completely new task. But try to do so by first thinking about how you might approach it and then asking whether you’re on the right track. This shows that you’ve engaged with the problem yourself before looking for guidance, rather than expecting a spoon-fed solution.

Anuja Venkataramani joined Legal Cheek as an editorial assistant in July 2023. She studied law at Durham University, later completing a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at Oxford University, and is soon to start a training contract at a US firm’s London office.

Howard Kennedy’s Alexander Wood discusses his busy work-life and making the step from paralegal to associate

Howard Kennedy associate Alexander Wood says the draw to qualify into capital markets came naturally to him. “On a very basic level, I decided that transactional work was more for me than disputes — and every other seat on my training contract had an element of disputes to it,” Wood explains. But it wasn’t just a process of elimination — Wood confesses that he genuinely enjoys the work and loves the typical client base of a capital markets lawyer, be it company founders or financial institutions.

Wood started life as paralegal at the firm before going on to secure a training contract. “As you can imagine, the paralegal work is fairly admin-heavy,” he explains, but it helped that his supervisor was supportive and “quickly got him doing more advanced things”. He attended various real estate training sessions which allowed him to get more involved and develop a deeper appreciation for this area of law. “Although I didn’t end up in real estate, I did actually quite enjoy it,” Wood says.

So how did this experience help him secure a training contract at Howard Kennedy? Leveraging paralegalling experience to get a TC depends on what you make of it, according to Wood, who qualified in 2021. “If you take an interest in how the firm operates, particularly in terms of how the billables work and how that translates into profits, then it’s quite useful being at the firm already,” Wood says. “You already have a good understanding of what the firm is aiming for and what the culture is like.” Additionally, Wood remarked “I suppose weirdly, the fact that I was familiar with the building and didn’t have to worry about logistics — travel, for example — helped me feel more comfortable at the assessment centre.”

Nowadays, as a more junior member of the capital markets team, Wood tries to keep his practice quite broad. “I often ask to get involved in M&A deals as well, which the department is very open to. If slightly more niche work comes through our door, I always ask to get involved.” Speaking of his day-to-day, Wood notes that the markets have been fairly quiet of late — a trend seen across many firms — so there hasn’t been too many company IPOs that have come his way. But he remains busy with the firm’s funds practice, comprised predominantly of venture capital trusts and investment trusts. “These are big projects and raise lots of money each year, and Howard Kennedy represents a large number of them – it’s very exciting to be a part of,” he says.

Wood is also heavily involved in the business development side of things — something the firm really encourages. “I’m often out and about, speaking with business founders and helping them in their efforts to raise funding,” says Wood. “One day these businesses will get to the stage where they want to expand – or even float — and this will hopefully lead to ‘big-ticket’ work for the firm. The founders believe so strongly in what they are doing, and it’s nice to be able to help them raise money to realise their vision.”

For those wondering what kind of work BD entails, Wood outlines that it’s largely about networking. “One side of it is about keeping current clients happy by making the effort to take them out to lunch or drinks if we’re doing a deal with them,” he explains. “The second is about hosting events with other corporate finance teams to get your name out as much as possible.” It certainly helps that Howard Kennedy is “very encouraging about BD involvement” and that the people you meet through this are “generally good fun,” Wood adds.

His advice to future trainees seeking to follow in his footsteps is to be open to the various aspects of a capital markets practice — it’s not just listing companies on the stock market. “There’s other parts, like off market fundraising, and there will never not be founders who are trying to raise money, so there’s lots of interesting things to be getting involved with even if you’re not doing the big-ticket stuff on the London Stock Exchange,” he says. “Financial regulation will always be something that people need lawyers for, a particularly hot topic at the moment is dealing with crypto form a regulatory perspective.”

If you find yourself in a capital markets team on a vacation scheme and are confused about the countless acronyms floating around, Wood offers this top tip; ask for the firm’s trainee introduction pack to capital markets (if they have one). “There’s this assumption on vac schemes where people think that they’re not as good as a trainee would be, but that’s not quite true in capital markets. If you’re a trainee in your first week in capital markets, you’re pretty much in the same boat as a vac schemer because the LPC doesn’t really cover anything in the Capital Markets world,” he says.

Wood is also incredibly positive about his time working at Howard Kennedy. “It’s got a really nice culture, with quite a family feel to it”, he says. The firm’s encouragement of BD is a huge draw for him, as he loves speaking to people and building his client base, with partner support for new ideas from juniors also being very rewarding. “Although we are spread over 6 floors , I feel like I know a lot of people from across the firm. It’s very important to the partners that there’s a work-life balance, and there is always decent recognition of work that is done,” Wood tells me.

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