Unlocking Success: Essential Tips for Your Legal Application

Top tips for applying:

1. Tailor your application – When shortlisting, it is easy to identify those who have sent in the same generic application to multiple firms. Ensuring that your application is tailored to the firm/role you are applying for shows you’ve taken the time and effort to do your research into the firm you’re applying for and to really do your application justice, which will help set you apart from others who have not.
2. Highlight transferable skills – Many candidates only give a brief job description of, in particular, their non-legal work experience and fail to showcase what transferrable skills they’ve learned from these roles that would be relevant to the role they’re applying for, which is equally important.
3. Be concise – remember that firms potentially receive hundreds (or even thousands) of applications so it’s important that you get to the point and don’t waffle – it is better to submit a shorter application filled with high-quality information, rather than pages and pages of unnecessary, repetitive or irrelevant information.
4. Make yourself stand out – the majority of applicants will have strong academic backgrounds and be able to demonstrate an interest in pursuing a legal career in the type of firm they’re applying to so try to make yourself stand out (for the right reasons!). Remember that this does not need to be directly related to law – it could be about volunteering or charity fundraising, a position of responsibility held, a hobby or interest etc.
5. Proofreading – Attention to detail is an important skill for any solicitor so if you fail to showcase this in your application, it is unlikely to be progressed further. Asking someone to proofread your application could be the difference between being invited to interview or not – when you read something back yourself, you can often read what you wanted it to say rather than what it actually says!

Top tips for an interview:

1. Do your research – inevitably you will be asked to showcase your knowledge of the firm so make sure you know your stuff and demonstrate your commitment to the firm you’ve applied to.
2. First impression is key – you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. Dress professionally and remember that anyone can give feedback, not just the interviewers – your interview starts from the minute you walk through the door.
3. Have practical examples to demonstrate key competencies – you will almost certainly be asked to tell the interviewers about a time when you demonstrated a key competency to the role you’ve applied for so have multiple practical examples prepared in advance, ideally from different areas (which don’t need to be directly related to law or even working, as long as you can highlight the competency asked about/how that would be transferrable to the role).
4. Listen carefully and take your time – often when preparing for interview, candidates prepare some answers to frequently asked questions. This is great but do make sure that you listen carefully to the question you have been asked and that you directly answer it, not the question you wanted (or expected) to be asked! Don’t feel that you need to dive straight in and answer immediately either – have the confidence to pause and think about what you’re going to say before you start answering.
5. Come prepared with questions to ask the interviewers – but be careful not to ask questions that you could easily have found answers to by doing a little research online etc.

Now you are all prepared, if you are looking for somewhere to complete your period of recognised training starting in 2026, our applications are now open (closing 31^st July ).

In addition, we are currently taking applications for our 2024 work experience programme (open until 31^st March), which is a great way to get a feel for our firm and show us how great you are.

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