What is it about being a lawyer that attracts you to a career in the profession?

Q1: What is it about being a lawyer that attracts you to a career in the profession and how do you feel a career at WFW would support this?( word limit=250)

I am interested in corporate and commercial law because it will allow me to assume the role of a project manager and will vest me with early responsibility. 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. More importantly, as a lawyer I will gain experience in dealing with a diverse range of clients which will improve my commercial background and resultantly my ability to deliver effective and timely solutions to individual client needs.

I am attracted by the relatively 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.

Q2: Describe a time when you have received critical feedback. Please describe specifically:

• How you dealt with it;

• What you learnt;

• What did you do differently as a result?

This year I have written a dissertation in a contentious area of the ‘[topic name]’ in the law of trusts. I started the dissertation with a consideration of all sides of the argument. My tutor was more inclined for me to take a more philosophical path to reach a greater justification and explore the roots of the argument. I found such an approach extremely difficult as it was an area that did not have much literature. I therefore had to refer to very early fifteenth century cases and explore them in the light of the prevalent philosophical views of the time. Instead of simply exploring the arguments for the debate, I justified why ‘fusion’ may be a good or a bad thing and illustrated its progress in the light of nineteenth and twentieth century decisions. I also explored the stance of the judges vis-a-vis their personal view regarding the argument. I found that this approach made the dissertation of utmost interest to me as I had explored the argument from a new perspective. The experience has taught me that it is very important to listen to others and their views and then decide on the importance of each view using reasoned judgment.

Q3: Describe a time when you have been particularly well organised in order to meet a challenging commitment.

Last summer, I volunteered to help a family friend to help to clear their property and prepare it to go on the market. I remained focused on what I needed to achieve by prioritising activities and managing my time effectively. This meant that I had to anticipate any contingencies and plan in advance. For example, I had to reserve storage space to store some items temporarily whilst the house was being decorated. This meant that I had arranged the reservation, transportation, and contractual factors effectively to ensure that all tasks ran smoothly. Every time I set out to accomplish a task I asked myself the question of how this is helping me to achieve my final aim, and if it did not then I decided that it would be more worthwhile for me to concentrate on other tasks.

Over time, the person putting the property on the market informed me that they would not be able to meet the tight deadline themselves as they were busy with other commitments. For me this meant that I had more time to meet the commitment. I therefore used this time productively to add value to the property through activities such as helping the family friend to plan the logistics and research into the fittings that they would like for the property when it is to go on the market. This saw me visiting different auction houses and furniture outlets to ensure that everything was in place when the family friend got back.

• How did you stay focused on what you needed to achieve?

• How did your plans and organisation evolve over time?

Q4: Describe a time when you have come up against strong resistance from other people that proved to be a hurdle in achieving something significant for you.

• How did you deal with this issue to achieve the best outcome?

• What did you learn about working with others from this situation?

I helped to organise a New Year’s party night on the behalf of the [language] Speaking Society ([SOCIETY INITIALS]). The theme and location of the New Year’s party was the most contentious issue with no emerging consensus. I was particularly keen on having a joint party with other universities in London. However, most executives thought that travelling to London would not be a very feasible idea given the budget and other constraints. I persuaded the executives to host the party in London by captivating their imagination with images of grandeur and glamour associated with the spectacular fireworks around the London eye and joyful crowds congregating in Trafalgar Square. I was very motivated to ensure that the party left a lasting impression on the members of the [SOCIETY INITIALS] and that their cultural learning experience was enhanced through a sociable and interactive medium. I therefore went outside my way to display a high degree of commitment by contacting a number of [language] Speaking Societies in London Universities to get an insight into the logistics and potential ways to organise the outing.

I found that working with others can be very beneficial in terms of exploring different perspectives to the problem. Teamwork gave me an opportunity to question certain aspects of my proposed outing. Teamwork in this situation helped to produces synergies and therefore helped to ensure the viability and the success of the New Year’s Eve.