Foot Anstey LLP Training Contracts & Work Placement Application Example

Foot Anstey LLP Training Contracts & Work Placement Application Example

-1(a). Describe why a career in a leading regional law firm appeals to you and what factors and influences have affected your decision to become a lawyer. (250 words max)*

I have decided on a career at a regional law firm because regional law firms allow for more flexibility with working hours, therefore creating a better work-life balance. On the personal development side, hard work is likely to be recognised and rewarded more within regional law firms. In many of these firms, managers will tend to have more time to spend working one-on-one with their trainees. This will help me to gain more first-hand experience and develop my own personal skills. From here, progression and promotion may become much more achievable. I feel that at a regional law firm, I will receive more responsibility over my cases as well as client-facing work, which I feel will make my work fulfilling. Regional law firms tend to have a friendlier and more relaxed culture which will allow me to feel comfortable and forge successful relationships with my colleagues. 

I want to be a solicitor because I believe that every single day will be different and challenging, yet extremely exciting. At University and the Bar Professional Training Course, I played an active role in mooting competitions, in which I applied and interpreted the law to complex hypothetical situations. This experience pushed me to think laterally and consider different perspectives before reaching a conclusion, which I found to be very enjoyable. During my legal experience at a number of law firms, I especially enjoyed dealing with clients from different business sectors and jurisdictions, which I felt made my work experience very rewarding and refreshingly different. 

-1(b). In light of your answer to 1(a) above, please explain why are you are interested in a career as a Foot Anstey lawyer and the skills and attributes you would bring to the firm (250 words max)*

I am interested in a career as a Foot Anstey lawyer because I am attracted by the firm’s innovative approach and friendly and relaxed culture. I feel that this culture will allow me to realise my full potential which would not be the case with larger city law firms. I find Foot Anstey’s relatively small size to be appealing because this suggests that I will get more responsibility and autonomy over my cases, which I feel will allow me to see the “bigger picture” of each case and gain experience in dealing with clients from different business sectors. I feel that this will allow me to develop into a well-rounded and successful lawyer. 

During my legal work experience, I have acquired excellent client-facing and commercial awareness skills when working with clients from different business sectors. I believe that these skills will allow me to understand the challenges and opportunities facing clients as well as enable me to deliver pragmatic solutions that not only solve clients’ problems, but also add value to their respective businesses. I am an excellent team player, which I feel will allow me to get along with different people as well as work successfully in teams to meet collective objectives. I possess very good communication skills which will allow me to convey my ideas with clarity and precision. My international background and knowledge of the Estonian language and international markets will allow me to add value to my cases, especially when working with international clients. 

-2. Please write about a current issue or news article that has interested you and how you feel that subject would affect Foot Anstey. (250 words max)*

I am very interested in the recent invention of “nanosponges”: a sheet of entwined nanowires that soaks up oil but leave water behind. The sponge, which resembles paper, can absorb 20 times its weight in oil, a feature that may make the technology useful in cleaning up spills and separating contaminants from water. Although the spaghetti-like mess of nanowires has not yet been put to the test outside the lab, researchers say that the material should be easy to produce in large quantities. The sponge can be reused after heating, which evaporates off any oil or organic solvent the mesh has absorbed. This invention is extremely exciting because not only will it allow us to deal with oil spills and environmental disasters but it will also enable us to make use of spilled oil thus creating an alternative energy sector for “recycled oil”. I feel that this invention could benefit Foot Anstey because since it is a very innovative law firm, it can start working on this field at an early stage in order to establish itself as a leader in what may emerge as a separate energy practice area in the future. 

-3. If you could introduce one client to Foot Anstey, which would it be and why (250 words max)*

At this time, I would introduce Vapour Labs Ltd, a manufacturer of e-liquid (for electronic cigarettes). Since the Tobacco Products Directive came into effect in the UK, all e-liquid and e-cigarette manufacturers have to conform to the new regulatory requirements as well as submit much paperwork in order to gain approval from the regulating body for each e-liquid flavour. Given that many American companies intend to manufacture e-liquid in the UK, each one of their e-liquid flavours will need to be approved by the regulatory body. I feel that this client would bring Foot Anstey a lot of work and subsequently, generate a lot of revenue as each e-liquid flavour would require a separate application. Moreover, as vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, Foot Anstey would be able to establish its leadership in this new sector. Equally, as most e-liquid manufacturers are based outside of the city, I feel that Foot Anstey’s regional character and friendly culture would be a perfect fit for such clients. 

-4. What is your alternative career, should law not be the avenue for you? (250 words max)*

My alternative career would be in rowing. Having practised rowing at both an amateur and a professional level for many years, I feel that I could build on my skills to become a successful rower at a more professional level. I really enjoy rowing because it allows me to work in a team as well as apply my leadership skills to lead others. I also feel that the competitive nature of rowing is a great way of pushing my comfort boundaries and helping me to grow into a stronger individual. 

-5. Describe a time when you faced a significant obstacle to succeeding with an important work or study project or activity. (250 words max)*

Whilst helping the homeless by volunteering with the housing charity “Shelter” in Oxford, I helped to manage builder and developers who provided their services on a volunteer basis in order to help to upgrade the existing dilapidated housing facilities for the homeless. I contributed to this project by calculating project costs and helping with budgeting and general management of the works to ensure that the project was completed on time. I was also responsible for assisting the council planning permission application process, which proved to be extremely problematic because our building was for the homeless and as such, did not match any of the standard categories that the council normally deals with. This problem required me to apply my legal skills and think creatively about the problem by matching the planning permission laws to our idiosyncratic situation. I also worked closely with others by considering our present situation in the light of their previous experiences with planning applications with the council. I found that by speaking directly to the council and explaining the problem to them, we were able to find the best solution since the representatives from the council’s planning department were in the best position to advise on the best solution. I found that my creative thinking and excellent teamwork skills coupled with my tenacity helped me to find the best solution for our problem. 

-6. What are your career aspirations and where do you see yourself in five years' time? (250 words max)*

Firstly, I would like to qualify as a successful solicitor. During my training contract, I would like to receive excellent exposure to different practice areas as well as forge effective relationships with my colleagues and clients alike. In five years’ time, I would like to become a very successful solicitor and develop expertise in my chosen practice area. I would also like to be in a position to bring my own clients through networking as I feel that this will make me feel like a valuable member of a law firm. Similarly, I would like to utilise my language skills and cultural empathy in order to bring international clients to a law firm and contribute to its financial success. My ultimate aim is to become a partner at a law firm and an authority on my chosen practice area. 

-7. What differentiates you from the rest and makes you "stand out" from the crowd? Why should we offer you a training contract? (250 words max)*

I possess very good levels of commercial awareness as I have previously worked with clients from different business sectors. I feel that my commercial acumen will allow me to understand the problems facing Foot Anstey’s clients and deliver timely and effective solutions that will increase the competitiveness of clients in their respective business sectors. I have exceptional team work and leadership skills which will allow me to make substantial contributions whilst working in teams, bring new perspectives to the table and help to lead my colleagues towards the achievement of common goals. I possess very good attention to detail, organisational and time-management skills which will allow me to manage my workload effectively and meet tight deadlines. My involvement in rowing has strengthened my resilience to pressure and confidence. This will help me to deal with new problems and challenges with relative ease. My qualification and experience as a barrister will allow me to bring my advocacy skills, which I feel will help me with the networking and client-facing aspects of my work and allow me to contribute towards the financial and reputational success of Foot Anstey. My international background and fluency in Estonian language will allow me to work effectively with international clients as well as assist Foot Anstey on international client acquisition. 

-8. What motivates you? (250 words max)*

I am motivated by friendly and relaxed teams because I feel that this allows me to apply my creativity and explore different approaches to problems instead of pursuing a rigid avenue. I also feel that friendly and relaxed teams lead to greater synergies, motivation levels and ultimately, greater personal and financial gains for a law firm. I am also motivated by autonomy and large levels of responsibility over my workload. I feel that these aspects will present me with an ability to develop my own unique approach of working, which will subsequently add value to the law firm and give it individuality. I am motivated by complex problems and a variety of work. During my previous work experience, I found that different cases and problems presented me with truly unique work that required me to think differently and constantly study new markets and business models. This made my work experience extremely rewarding and enjoyable and, in turn, boosted my motivation levels.