CityLawLIVE student conference: we want what firms want

CityLawLIVE is a unique event that offers the chance to meet partners, trainees and graduate recruiters from top City law firms. We handpick the best student delegates to spend the day with these representatives - delegates we believe could go on to become excellent trainees at our sponsor firms.

So what are we looking for in a CityLawLIVE delegate application? Exactly what a top law firm is looking for in a training contract application. Below are the questions we ask ourselves when looking at a CityLawLIVE delegate application:

What stage is the candidate at?

The CityLawLIVE conference is best suited to students who will be making vacation scheme applications to top City firms in January 2015 (and subsequently training contract applications). Firms tend to recruit vacation scheme students who are in their first or second year of a law degree, final year of a non-law degree or have recently started the GDL, so if you fall into these categories then this is a great event for you. Applications from law graduates and LPC students will be considered, but we will give priority to our core audience in the first instance.

Does the candidate display excellent intellectual ability?

All top City law firms are looking for candidates with an excellent academic record. And by this we mean a predicted 2.1 degree and mostly As at A level. The table below shows the minimum criteria specified by our law firm sponsors (source The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook 2015):

This means that in CityLawLIVE delegate applications we expect to see A*s, As and Bs at A level (or equivalent) and good grades (60% and above) so far on your degree. Obviously we allow for mitigating circumstances, but this should be clearly explained and backed up by medical or university records. We also expect you to have excellent written English - that means fully formed sentences with appropriate capitalisation, no spelling mistakes and no text speak!

What (legal or non-legal) work experience has the candidate undertaken?

We appreciate that it can be difficult to get that first bit of legal work experience, but we would like to see some prior work experience (legal or non-legal) be it a formal vacation scheme or working on a supermarket checkout. With regards to legal work experience, it’s not just formal vacation schemes that count. If you have done a day work-shadowing a solicitor or been to a firm open day, then mention this on the application form. Make sure to include any non-legal work experience you have as this can demonstrate a great range of skills, for example how you interact with colleagues or customers in a formal environment, how you respond to different situations and how you organise you time. This is key - with any type of work experience make sure that you are telling us not only what tasks you undertook but also, and more importantly, what skills you gained from this experience.

How does the candidate present him/herself in the long-answer questions?

Our application form contains two long-answer questions:

• Why do you want to attend the CityLawLIVE conference and meet our City law firm sponsors?
• Please tell us why you believe you possess the skills and attributes to become a successful commercial lawyer.

We read EVERY application that we receive so this section really gives you the chance to reveal your enthusiasm and commitment to a career in law.

Why do you want to attend?

We pay a lot of attention to a candidate’s reason for attending the event in the same way that a law firm would consider your reasons for wanting to work at that particular firm. We want to be sure that candidates attending our event understand what the purpose of the event is, what they can gain from meeting the sponsor firms and, in turn, what they can offer to those firms. However, we appreciate that not all of you will have firmly decided that a City law career is right for you; if this is the case, say so. The event will allow you to discover how a City firm operates, what you can expect from working there and how City firms differ from other firms. We do not expect you to know all of this at the outset (NB this is the one point where our recruitment process differs from a firm’s. The firm WILL expect you to demonstrate that you understand how it functions, the work it undertakes, how it differs to other firms and so on). A word of warning: we do not expect to see the CityLawLIVE website regurgitated in response to this question - we wrote the website, so can easily tell!

Skills you possess

This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are dedicated to a career in commercial law and that you have the skills that it takes to be successful. For example, we want to see that you have strong communication skills - this shows us that you will have the confidence to network and build up contacts at the event. Another skill we expect to see is commercial awareness, so demonstrate to us that you are interested in the business world. This suggests that you will ask thought-provoking questions during both the firm-led workshops and the panel discussions at the event. Other skills we would like to see evidence of include teamwork, leadership, drive, motivation, attention to detail, negotiation, client care, initiative and interpersonal skills. I could go on. The point you need to remember is that our City law firm sponsors are looking for the best candidates so you need to prove that you are one of that group.

And now a question for you:

Do you think that you’ve got what it takes to be a first-rate CityLawLIVE delegate?

If yes, then what are you waiting for? Complete our online application form now! The deadline for applications is 7 November 2014, but we will be offering places on a rolling basis from early October. The conference is open to a maximum of 200 students so get your application in asap. You will be advised by email if you have been accepted for a place at the event.

You can find out more about the event on the CityLawLIVE website.

Sponsors

You can read more about the CityLawLIVE law firm and law school sponsors on their entries on LawCareers.Net:
Baker & McKenzie
Clyde & Co LLP
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Dentons
Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
Ropes & Gray International LLP
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
The University of Law