Ropes & Gray Training Contract Application Example

Use the space below to introduce yourself and tell us why you wish to pursue a legal career. Please also explain why you have chosen to apply to Ropes & Gray and what factors influenced or informed that decision.

Since graduating in [year], I have gained some first-class legal experience by working on some high-profile cases. During my spare time, I enjoy helping my friends with the legal aspects of their events management business and running [sport] classes at my local gym.

I want to become a solicitor because every day is varied, challenging and engaging. At university, I enjoyed applying and manipulating law to hypothetical scenarios during my modules and mooting competitions because it stimulated my intellectual curiosity since every situation was never the same and required a different approach. As commercial matters span many areas of law, industries and borders, they demand the application of lateral thinking and extensive problem-solving. In turn, this would see me work in integrated teams with a commercial focus on the problem in a quick-paced environment with approaching deadlines. At [law firm] , I especially enjoyed working in teams across different time zones to solve commercial problems. This produced more interesting work, greater variety and a wider group of experts to learn from which made my work environment stimulating and rewarding.

I have decided to apply to Ropes & Gray because I am attracted by the relatively small size of the London office will enable me to receive a broad exposure across the firm’s different practice areas. This will allow me to view different laws and make a great contribution to the growth of the London office, all of which will help me to develop into a well-rounded lawyer. I am attracted by the firm’s strong global capabilities because this will expose me to complex cross-jurisdictional problems and enable me to operate in diverse teams across the firm’s different offices. This will see me constantly push boundaries and set new standards, which will make my experience challenging, stimulating and rewarding. What sets Ropes & Gray apart from other firms is its culture of teamwork and collaboration which will enable me to receive exposure to high quality and exciting work across the firm and according to the needs of the clients. This will enable me to pursue my interests freely and provide me with a broad exposure which will ultimately help me to realise my full potential and develop into a leading solicitor.

Identify a current commercial issue which has attracted your attention recently. Explain why you consider it to be significant and what the implications may be for those concerned?

Recently, I developed a strong interest in the global shale gas revolution because it can potentially play an important role in re-shaping the global energy landscape. I find the advent of shale gas interesting because it is still in its early transition period and is hence a very topical subject area. I consider the advances in the shale gas industry to be significant because they have the potential of opening up competition in the energy industry by breaking up large monopolies. The advances in shale gas exploration and extraction techniques will help to satisfy growing demand for energy across the world and increase consumer purchasing power. Similarly, lower gas prices can improve the competitiveness of energy intensive industries and attract foreign investment and create local opportunities, which can help to boost the economies of many countries. However, the extraction of shale gas poses significant risks to the environment because hydraulic fracturing, a process of extracting gas from the shales, is potentially dangerous to the environment because it uses chemicals that can contaminate drinking water. Similarly, Shale gas also hinders the transition to renewable energy because it reduces fossil energy prices thus making renewable energy expensive. I am particularly interested in the developments in the shale gas industry because currently it is estimated that despite large reserves of shale gas, only a small fraction is extractable which puts the entire commercial viability of shale gas into question.

Please give details of any prizes, scholarships, extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility and any other noteworthy achievements that will support your application.

I enjoy [sport] and hold [sport] sessions at my local gym. When I was at [law firm], I used to run [sport] classes for lawyers. I am closely involved with my local community and help people with their legal and administrative matters. I enjoy jogging and take part in charity runs. I enjoy travelling and keep up to date with current affairs and commercial and legal news. I was the sports executive at the [university] [language] Speaking Society and organised sporting events such as five-a-side football tournaments and [sport] sessions. At university, I pioneered the University of [university] Amateur [sport] Club for the first time in fifty years and was the president of the society. As a member of the [environmental society], I helped to develop an innovative initiative to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by switching off all unused desktops during vacation breaks. At school, I regularly represented my borough and England in national amateur [sport] competitions. In [year], I won a gold medal for England in the [English sports tournament name] Amateur [sport] Tournament. In [year], I was awarded the [award name] prize for my achievements and contribution to English amateur [sport]. In [year], I was awarded a [award]for my academic achievements in my borough.