Discovering CityLawLIVE and the opportunity to make an impression

I did not want to distract myself with vacation scheme and training contract applications while doing my dissertation in my last year of my undergraduate history degree, so it was in October 2015, having started the GDL at BPP London Waterloo, that I was motivated to interact with the law firms that specialised in my preferred practice areas. My diary was full of open days, seminars and insight sessions with firms, and as any law student will tell you, the difficulty of balancing your studies and applications should not be underestimated.

I saw CityLawLIVE advertised on www.lawcareers.net and immediately realised the value in being able to meet with multiple firms at one organised event and I applied. After a few unsuccessful applications and disheartening rejection emails, I found out that I had been successful in my application for CityLawLIVE; it came at just the right time, and was well placed to keep me focused on my end goal. At this point I was asked to select my preferred workshops.

From the moment I arrived at CityLawLIVE in Westminster, London on 11 December 2015, I could tell that this was going to be a very innovative event. After grabbing a cup of tea and a croissant I started speaking to some of the other like-minded delegates. We were all different ages, from different backgrounds and different universities, and at different stages in our education; however, we shared the view that CityLawLIVE was an event not to be missed. It was clear that engaging with firms and their trainees in the workshops and being allowed to witness the culture so often talked about by firms in practice was what everyone was looking forward to.

The first speaker of the day was Mark Soundy, a partner in the mergers and acquisitions group in the London office of Shearman & Sterling. His introductory speech to the conference about his working life was inspiring, funny and extremely honest.

The panel discussion that followed, ‘The law firm as a business’, was useful in helping us to understand how firms operate as businesses and how we, as potential trainees, would fit into that process. It was a whistle-stop tour of what the legal profession was, is and where it is going. Compared to other events, I could really see that CityLawLIVE was making the most out of every minute for the delegates and trying to broaden our commercial awareness in ways that are fundamental to properly understanding what it means to be a lawyer today.

The workshops I attended were brilliant additions to the day. My team won Shearman & Sterling’s ‘How to pitch for and win a client’ workshop. The bonus was winning, but it really showed the hard work required for good lawyers to gain new clients. Each team that presented did so in a different way and the trainee’s detailed feedback on what worked and what could have been done better was very useful. My other workshop, Cooley LLP’s ‘Life cycle of a company’, gave me a greater understanding about the technology industry and new companies, and their requirements from lawyers in terms of advice.

The final panel discussion, ‘Key advice for applicants’, was a really good way to finish the day. It was encouraging to hear from all of the firms on the panel the key things that make a good impression in applications – namely, enthusiasm and being real, not just giving scripted answers written to make a good impression. One word that I took away from this session was ‘authenticity’; firms want people applying and interviewing who are genuine in their interest in the law and being themselves throughout the process. This really helps law firms visualise their future potential as trainees within the firm and answer the ‘Is he or she a good fit?’ question.

In my head throughout the day I was already singling out those firms that really spoke to my interests, after networking with them in the breaks and getting positive responses. As they spoke in the final session, I rapidly took down their advice in my notepad and since then, I have always referred to my notes when writing applications for the January deadlines that followed. It made applications so much easier, as while answering a firm’s specific questions I could remember the over-arching points and skills all law firms want candidates to demonstrate.

CityLawLIVE increased my confidence and motivation as I met lots of trainees doing the job I want to do and loving it. It made me truly feel that I had a great opportunity to make a good impression, while the workshops and panels allowed the law firms to make a lasting impression on my fellow delegates and me.

I strongly recommend CityLawLIVE to those considering attending in 2016 - it really is unique. The panel discussions, and the opportunity to have your questions answered ‘live’ by not just one firm but by different firms partners and recruiters, and being able to compare and contrast their responses and views, is so useful in deciding if firms are suitable for you. Ten firms sponsored the event in 2015 and the opportunity to network was great. The firms are attending the event for a reason too; they realise that they get to meet a large number of great candidates, so although it may be initially daunting to take the plunge and chat, everyone is very friendly. I definitely got the impression they were looking to remember stand-out candidates and genuinely wanted me to apply for their firms. You will leave feeling very motivated and energised, which is brilliant considering the timing of the event in December and the end of January deadline for vacation schemes.

Hannah-Minna Razzak is a research analyst at Lexology.