Winckworth Sherwood LLP Training Contract Application

Please explain in not more than 600 words why you wish to train at Winckworth Sherwood, why Winckworth Sherwood should invest in your career, and what contribution you might expect to make to the business both during your training contract and (if retained) thereafter.

I am attracted by the small intake of trainees which I feel will offer me bespoke training that is individually tailored to my interests, experience and aptitude. Small teams also suggest that I will have increased responsibility and operate as a lawyer from day one in an informal and collegial working environment. 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. I am also exhilarated by the idea that partners are to the fore throughout every transaction and that they lead small and close-knit teams that stay with clients for the long-term. Being a member of such a team will allow me to develop real relationships with clients and a genuine in-depth understanding of their business. This will therefore increase my sectoral expertise and allow me to deliver quick and efficient solutions to client problems. Similarly, the work will become more personal and subsequently personally and professionally rewarding.

Winckworth Sherwood should invest in my career because I possess outstanding interpersonal skills and commercial acumen. At [law firm], I attended a Board of Directors EGM of a joint venture in Amsterdam in my capacity as an interpreter between clients and overseas solicitors. I successfully managed the meeting and demonstrated initiative. I applied a sharp analytical mind to explain complex issues in a simple language and made sense of a very complicated situation. I demonstrated lateral thinking and always aligned myself with client’s commercial objectives. At the end of the meeting, the solicitors were more informed of the client’s problem which allowed them to act more swiftly. By assuming large amounts of responsibility and operating in a quick-paced environment with tight deadlines, I have developed my ability to respond to imminent problems confidently and effectively which makes me suited to Winckworth Sherwood’s entrepreneurial style and its refreshing lack of hierarchy. I am very entrepreneurial, motivated and resilient, which makes me suited for a training contract with Winckworth Sherwood where I will have to transgress boundaries when solving complex problems. For the first time in fifty years, I have established the ‘University of [university] Amateur [sport] Club’ in [year]. As a member of the [environmental society], I helped to introduce and develop social responsibility initiatives at University such as switching off unused computers during vacation breaks to reduce University’s carbon footprint.

I expect to contribute to the success of Winckworth Sherwood by offering clients pragmatic solutions that are in line with their commercial objectives. I will bring in my teamwork skills when working in diverse teams to solve complex problems. I will apply my organisational skills and attention to detail to meet tight deadlines and ensure that the client receives an excellent service.