The secret to successfully applying for legal apprenticeships

I’m no expert, but there are numerous ways to make your legal apprenticeship application stand out.

In year 13 I applied to nearly 30 different apprenticeships, both in law and business. To say this was challenging is an understatement.

I spent hours drafting, doing practice interviews for each application, which caused a lot of stress and upset at times. Those who sat with me during this time could probably tell you funny stories from this period of my life, like how I used to reach for my bag every time my phone buzzed or used to beg the teacher to let me take a call outside – these were all common parts of my day!

Why is applying to an apprenticeship so challenging?

Apprenticeship applications appear to be a process like no other, with multiple rounds of rigorous tests and challenges.

A typical application process will involve four key components:

• The initial application – This is an opportunity for a firm to collect as much information about you as possible. Usually, you will be asked to provide personal data, as well as answer a series of written questions about the role you are applying for and why you are a good fit.
• A critical thinking test – The critical thinking test can be tricky. You must focus to answer several questions in a limited amount of time. The questions can be anything from puzzles to situational thinking questions.
• A video interview – At this stage, you will be given a few questions that require a video answer. Questions will come one at a time, with a limited time to read and answer the question.
• The assessment centre – This is typically the final stage of an apprenticeship application. The assessment centre can last most of the day. At this stage, you can expect a series of interviews, a case study task and a group task.

Although overwhelming at times, the real-world practice and experience you get from each stage of the process is invaluable. Across all my applications, I spoke to partners who offered constructive criticism and helpful insights into legal practice. Not only did I meet some incredible people, but I was also able to sharpen my interview technique due to physical practice and feedback.

Tips to make you shine during the application process

For me, it’s the fear of failure and rejection that often consumes me. Nobody likes rejection; in fact, it’s a human instinct to feel upset when rejected. In hindsight, the largest piece of advice I would give myself, would be to not get too disheartened if you are rejected from some applications.

I know for certain that every law firm has between 500 to 1000 applicants a year, which is a lot of people. You can imagine, from a recruitment perspective, how difficult it is to select a handful of people from that many applications.

Something I discovered throughout the process is that, strangely enough, you can get rejected from one position at the initial application stage but get to the final stage of another. In my opinion, it depends on what the specific firm is looking for in a person.

When applying think about how your answers prove that you possess the firm’s desired values.

Use your non-legal work experience

To ensure you have the wide range of skills firms typically look for, you must seek an extensive range of work experience. Your experiences can be law-specific or other general affairs from which you can draw law-related skills from in an interview. For example, I had a part-time retail job. Although this is not law-specific, I made connections between the customer experience skills and communication, and how these relate to the legal industry.

Since the pandemic, we’ve all had to adapt to new ways of doing things. Physical work experience has been difficult to come by over the past couple of years. However, you must show recruitment teams that you can rise above this and seek alternatives.

In the run-up to my application, I completed a virtual law course online to demonstrate my willingness to learn more about the industry. This reinforced the point I made in many of my interviews, that my drive to achieve a career in law has not been disrupted by the pandemic.

Tailor each application

Another crucial tip for applications is to make sure each submission is specific to the law firm itself. An early talent recruiter told me that if my application can be generalised and used to apply to any firm then the answer is not detailed enough!

You must integrate statistics and facts about each firm when answering questions on your initial application, demonstrating that you have thoroughly researched the firm and understand why you want to work there.

It is not always easy to be 100% in your mind that what you are applying for is something you want to commit to. My solicitor apprenticeship is a six-year commitment and the decision regarding a responsibility that big is not necessarily easy. To ensure you are confident in what you’re signing up for, I would recommend attending any apprenticeship talks, events or fairs held by firms or by legal companies.

Use social media to your advantage

Many companies have social media accounts or websites for early talent. I would recommend keeping an eye on these platforms, because they often post important information that might be relevant to you. Two years ago, I attended an information evening for CMS, where I spoke to the partners and recruiters that would be reviewing my application. You could say attending this event gave me a competitive advantage over some other applicants.

Final thoughts

The purpose of this LCN Says was not to worry or scare you. It’s perfectly normal and understandable to feel anxious or overwhelmed when applying for anything, whether it be a job, apprenticeship or university.

Remember to take your time with each application and make it the best reflection of your talents. Although it is easier said than done, stayed focused and keep your cool.

PS Remember anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

Jessica Lee (she/her) is a solicitor apprentice at CMS. You can follow her on @livinglifelegally.

If you’re an aspiring apprentice:

• check out LawCareers.Net’s ‘Meet the Apprentice’ section;
• key questions for apprentices;
• ‘Your legal apprenticeship checklist’;
• ‘Apprenticeship v university’; and
• legal apprenticeship vacancies.