Bircham Dyson Bell Training Contract Application Model Answers

Please describe a challenging experience you have encountered recently. Please include the challenge faced, how you dealt with it, learning points and overall outcome. (4096 characters / 300 words max)

This year I have successfully set up a ‘[University] [Sport] Club’, which was unsuccessfully attempted for over fifty years. The main reason for there not being a [Sport] club at the university is because the sports committee had health and safety concerns regarding the nature of the sport. However, having [done the sport] at both national and international level, I was instinctively led to adopt a different view. Therefore, when approaching the sports committee in meetings I had to resort to another perspective and mitigate its concerns. I got many people interested in the sport and invited them to come along to the meeting with the sports panel so as to present a broader perspective on the sport, bearing in mind that the majority of these people have not done [Sport] before. After much consideration the sports committee allowed [university] University to form an affiliation with the ‘[university name] [Sport] Club’. From then on I had to attend multiple meetings with the ‘[university name] [Sport] Club’ to decide how to best merge the two clubs together, which admittedly was very time consuming and stressful because ‘[University] [Sport] Club’ was not officially recognised. Lack of recognition prevented us from receiving sponsorship. I established a ‘[Sport] Appreciation Society’ to promote [Sport] at [university] University and act as a proxy for the affiliate club. This official society gained the ‘[University] [Sport] Club’ recognition which means that we can start marketing the club and receiving support from various organisations.

What is your motivation for pursuing a legal career, in particular, at Bircham Dyson Bell.

(4096 characters / 300 words max)

As a City lawyer I will have an active involvement in project management, making sure deadlines are met, colleagues are kept up to date and information is communicated to the client. Given that commercial law is both transactional and ongoing suggests that I will have to build a rapport with the client and apply strong communication skills coupled with high technical ability when forming a clear picture of the client’s needs and objectives and then explaining what may well be a complex area of law when advising on the best solution. This may require me to liaise with a number of legal departments thus making each day unique, enjoyable and fulfilling work experience. Bircham Dyson Bell’s impressive growth attracts me as a potential employee. Bircham Dyson Bell’s growth in a short space of time implies that it possesses some very dedicated teams who can perform a wide range of work to the highest standard. This also means that each team member makes an important contribution to every task, and to the overall growth of the business, making work both personally and professionally rewarding. I am attracted by the small number of trainee intake which I feel will offer me bespoke training that is individually tailored to my interests, experience and aptitude. More importantly, I will receive the excitement and challenge of working on high value, complex transactions and disputes, in the size of office where everyone knows who you are. For me this will mean getting involved in real work from the start whereby I will be able to add something to the cases I work on. This environment will unquestionably foster my professional and personal growth in my capacity as a lawyer.

Please select one of our practice areas and identify a current legal issue or legislative change which has interested you. Why is this issue important and what will be the future impact on this particular area of law.

(4096 characters / 300 words max)

I will refer to the employment law sector of Bircham Dyson Bell and discuss the issue of agency workers lacking protection under the discriminatory laws. The case of Muschett highlights a loophole in discrimination legislation for agency workers who are neither employed by either the employment agency that supplies them or the end-user. The consequence of this decision is that agency workers have no statutory protection against discrimination at the hands of the end-user unless they are employed by the agency itself, or they can persuade a tribunal that it is necessary to imply a contract of employment between them and the end-user (this might be unlikely where the contractual arrangements adequately describe the working relationship between the parties), or a contract for services exists to supply services personally to the end-user. The Equality Bill (which the Government is aiming to bring into force later this year) plans to tie the various pieces of discrimination legislation together but as currently drafted, it does not address this issue. Nor does the agency workers legislation stemming from the Temporary Workers Directive, which covers employees and ‘workers' (which also implies that the services must be required to be carried out personally by the individual).

Please give details of any positions of responsibility held, scholarships, academic awards or prizes you have received.

(4096 characters / 300 words max)

I have received a ‘[award name]’ award for attaining the highest grades at GCSE and A-Level in my institutions of study. Since [year] I have been a very zealous member of the ‘[society]’ society. In the past I have been in projects aimed to save electricity and helping the local wildlife, such as switching off unused computers in the library during vacation breaks. In January [year], I have successfully started an on-campus [Sport] club which has been unsuccessfully attempted for over fifty years. I am currently the president of the society and have the responsibility of managing ten executives and coordinating the overall strategy and direction of the club in its teething period. Throughout my second and third year at university I have actively represented [bank name] to graduates. I had to communicate to graduates interested in a career in investment banking, give presentations, organise on-campus marketing events, coordinate and manage people involved in marketing campaigns. I am a very active executive of the [language] Speaking Society where I am actively organising cultural events such as the [celebration], [language] [national day], [language] Winter Party just to name a few. I am a very dedicated member of the [University] [sport] club and have been selected to represent the university at the National [sport] Championships. I am also a member of the [university] [club] where I get an opportunity to practice my precision and improve my concentration levels.

In 2003 I founded the languages ‘lunchtime’ club where students got an opportunity to improve their linguistic skills and learn additional languages. I was in charge of the [language] and [language] teaching course where I supervised five executive members, organised excursions to [language] and [language] events in United Kingdom, provided students with interactive activities and homework and helped them to prepare for GCSE exams. I was a very active member of the debating society and have represented my school in the national debate competition. Throughout my time at school I was a very active member of the first football team and have represented the school in many inter-school competitions. To help the local community I organised and participated in ‘give a hand, help a neighbour’ campaign whereby the local community was encouraged to help the elderly and deprived through altruistic behaviour. I was the member of the local amateur [Sport] club whereby I competed in amateur bouts almost every fortnight.