Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Training Contract Application Answer

Please tell us about any awards, scholarships or prizes you have been given.

I have received a ‘[award name]’ Award for attaining the highest grades at GCSE and A-Level at my institutions of study and local borough. I have received over sixty trophies in amateur [Sport] and won a gold medal for England.

Please write about yourself in no more than 650 words. You may wish to mention any positions of responsibility held at school or subsequently, any regular employment or other work experience, any sporting or other achievements and any particular interests and personal qualities which are relevant. Please also state briefly why you are making this application.

You can type your statement directly in to the box below or draft it in another document, then paste it into the box. Please note, however, that any formatting will be lost.

Since [year] I have been a very zealous member of the ‘[society]’ society. In the past I have been involved in projects aimed to reduce carbon emissions and promote ‘greener’ living. I helped to organise campaigns such as where students would be encouraged to turn off their unused appliances. During my third year at university, I was elected onto the Student-Staff Liaison Committee in my capacity as a third year law students’ representative. I actively maintained a constructive dialogue between the third year law students and the law faculty by attending regular meetings. I was an executive of the [language] Speaking Society and helped to organise a number of cultural events such as International Women’s Day, [language] Christmas, [language] [national celebration] and New Year Celebrations.

At present, I am assisting [law firm]’s London team on [high-net-worth individual]’s defense to [high-net-worth individual]’s claim estimated at £[value] in a dispute arising from sale of the claimant’s shares in [natural resources company], one of [country’s] largest oil companies. I am working closely with [law firm]’s associates from [city] and London offices in conducting disclosure. I have confidently demonstrated immaculate attention to detail when analysing documents and meeting tight deadlines. I then collaborated with the wider team to bring individual elements together and reach a successful conclusion. I applied strong communication skills and irrepressible optimism when explaining to associates why I thought specific documents to be relevant to the disclosure request pursuant to the court’s order. I applied fresh thinking and exercised intellectual rigour to find practical solutions to complex problems. This made my experience challenging and allowed me to grasp new concepts with ease.

At [Law Firm Name] ([LAW FIRM INITIALS]), I assisted the senior partner on a cross-border case comprising of a shareholder dispute in a joint venture vehicle. As the client could only speak [language], I was the first point of contact. The client requested that I attend the Board of Directors (BoD) Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of a natural resources joint venture in Amsterdam. I was instructed to supervise the minority [language] shareholders and explain the facts of the case to [language], Dutch and English lawyers. At the EGM, I maintained a thick skin and resourcefully tailored my communication for diverse audiences and applied a sharp analytical mind to explain complex issues in a simple language and made sense of a complicated situation. I maintained a very commercial focus and demonstrated physical and mental stamina coupled with unabating enthusiasm. I was required to think on my feet and see things from a business perspective and always align myself with client’s commercial objectives whilst managing to remain robust and calm under pressure. The cross-border nature of the case produced more interesting work, greater variety and a wider group of experts to learn from which made my work intellectually and commercially rewarding.

On a sportier note, I greatly enjoy amateur [Sport]. With over fifty amateur bouts I have [done the sport] at national level and won a gold medal for England at the Four Nations Tournament. In [year] I have founded an amateur [Sport] club at the [University] for the first time in fifty years through the application of innovative thinking and excellent advocacy skills at all levels. I have displayed commitment and enthusiasm in the management of the club and have successfully prepared several prospective [sportsman]s who went on to do outstandingly well in the ‘varsity’ championships. I enjoy horse-riding and [sport] because it exposes me to pastoral settings and puts me in touch with nature, which in effect helps to reflect and refresh my thinking. I was a member of the [university] [sport] Club and have been selected to represent the [University] at [sport] National Championship after having been with the club for only 3 months.

I would like to undertake a training contract with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP because I will be able to see up to eight seats to ensure that I have a really good understanding of which areas of practice interest me the most and play to my strengths. I am also very attracted to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s emphasis on building strong relationships with clients so as to gain a deeper understanding of their business and their objectives. Given that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP represent governments and corporations around the globe such as Tesco, Citigroup and Nokia will allow me to work on a variety of cross-border cases that will expose me to numerous jurisdictions and industries. This will therefore help me to deliver innovative and effective solutions through my knowledge of law as well as my ability to interchange between languages, thus adding value to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and the clients’ businesses.