Bird & Bird Vacation Scheme and Training Contract Application Answers

Please tell us about your non-academic activities and interests. Give us some detail about what these are and any positions of responsibility you've held. 500 words max.

Outside of work, I enjoy fitness and playing football. I played for the French national team at the European Moscow Games 2015 in Vienna and at the Moscow Games 2013 in Russia where I played successfully as part of my football team and helped us to perform at our best. I am an active member of the Russian Speaking Youth Organisation in France and like to interact with people to learn more about my background and culture. As a member of this organisation, I helped people to develop new perspectives and different ways of thinking about many topical issues facing today’s society. I have a keen interest in modern art and photography and regularly attend photography exhibitions and creative conventions. At the University of Westminster, I wrote for the ‘CBD Life Mag Magazine’ on some interesting topics such as on the emergence of fashion as its own field of law and ways of protecting a mobile app.

Why do you think you will be successful as a commercial lawyer? 400 words max.

I will be successful as a commercial lawyer because I truly enjoyed working on commercial law matters during my legal experience and I possess the relevant skill set that will allow me to succeed as a commercial lawyer. I possess excellent problem solving and client facing skills which will allow me to deal with complex and unprecedented problems and then work with clients to apply cutting-edge legal solutions that will not only fit their business models but also add value to their business and enhance their competitiveness in the marketplace. During my legal experience at Clifford Chance, I successfully applied these skills during a client meeting in Mayfair at which the client sought advice on winding up a company in the UK and incorporating a new company in the US to publicly trade on the US stock exchange. At the meeting, I successfully developed my legal research in the light of what was being discussed and effectively presented my ideas that helped partners to arrive at a speedy solution for the client.

During my experience at real estate agencies in France, namely Creative Bear Tech, I received a very good insight into how businesses operate as well as the pressures and challenges that they face in the property sector. My involvement in this work developed my commercial awareness which will allow me to understand not only how businesses operate but also the pressures and challenges that they face. My commercial awareness will enable me to tailor all my legal work to the unique requirements of commercial clients to produce innovative solutions and ensure their competitiveness.

My creativity and innovative thinking will allow me to devise pioneering solutions to unprecedented problems facing clients, which will set me apart as a successful commercial lawyer. My interest in modern art and photography has allowed me to enhance my creativity. Similarly, whilst at the University of Westminster, I wrote articles for the CBD Life Mag Magazine on some interesting topics such as on the emergence of fashion as its own field of law and ways of protecting an app.

I regularly practice kickboxing and feel that it has developed my discipline and resilience to pressure and difficult situations. Given the challenging nature of the legal profession, I feel that I will be able to cope with pressure and tight deadlines with relative ease.

What keys skills and qualities do you have that will help you succeed at Bird & Bird? 400 words max.

I possess outstanding teamwork and leadership skills which will allow me to form successful professional relationships with Bird & Bird’s professionals and the firm’s external stakeholders. I believe that my teamwork skills will enable me to work effectively in teams to develop complex legal ideas into effective solutions for clients. I also feel that my ability to form strong relationships with people will allow me to add value to Bird & Bird through networking events.

During my work experience at Skadden Arps, I received a very rounded experience and made important decisions on a daily basis, which I found very empowering and motivating. I dealt directly with the firm’s clients and handled all relevant documents. This helped me to develop my organisational and client-facing skills, which allowed me to effectively run and manage my own case files with minimal supervision. I have dealt with a wide range of clients ranging from law firms to corporate organisations. This developed my client-facing skills and commercial acumen because I was required to align my work with individual requirements of each client.

At the University of Westminster, I wrote articles for the CBD Life Mag Magazine on some interesting topics such as on the emergence of fashion as its own field of law and ways of protecting an app. This experience taught me that as a commercial lawyer, I will be required to keep abreast of all the latest developments in the commercial sectors and think creatively about complex issues that require pioneering solutions. I feel that this will make my career as a commercial lawyer very exciting and rewarding.

During my active involvement at the Russian Speaking Youth Organization in France, I demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by encouraging people to develop alternative perspectives and think more laterally. I feel that my leadership skills will allow me to effectively manage my caseload as well as make a contribution to all the cases that I work on.

My involvement in kickboxing helped to hone my discipline and resilience to pressure. These skills will allow me to deal with pressure with relative ease.

My international background, experience and fluency in other languages and cultural awareness will make me a real asset when working with international clients across different jurisdictions. I believe that my language skills and cultural empathy will allow me to add value to the cases I work on by bringing in new perspectives and know-how.

I am motivated, resilient and adaptable. I am very used to working long hours and feel as though I strive best in high pressure environments.

I am very good at understanding client’s needs

I have also got great experience in dealing with unexpected events.

Maybe include skills from Skadden Arps too.