#training contract

15 / 06 / 19

Decided to do a bit of career planning today so took my laptop over to the Starbucks next to the University I did my undergrad at after work. 

I have made a plan of what exams, applications and assessment centres I need to pay attention to over the next 10 months as we head in to Training Contract application season. 

My goal is that this time next year I will be starting a TC with my current firm, as over recent years i’ve realised I really enjoy corporate work, however we will have to see what the future has in store!

I have a burden on myself that Im a failure, it never leaves me. I get jealous of people that are successful and have better grades than me even though I work my ass for them. In college life was finally great for me in the second year I got abcd in my as which I could drop the D and the C well there was nothing I could do, I wish I'd stayed another year and done another a level but I can't turn the clock. The a and the b was ok. The a was in law, the B in English Language and lietature and the C in Sociology. AS only counts as half an A level (which is needed to go to university - the higher the A level the better the university). The second year was better in that I got friends (I was a real loner with bad self esteem issues during high school, I went from group to group, got humiliated, I could talk about it all day but im sticking to this subject). But at the end of college I got the A Levels BBC. No they're not that bad, some would say they're good. But to me it was a massive disappointment. One that kills me Every time (you can laugh and stop reading thinking may be this might be an interesting read and I've actually been through some s*** and that's fine, im just writing this for myself). Because of my grades I never got accepted into the unis that j wanted, well if I got bbb I could have studied at Lancaster law school which was the only one I wanted. Luckily for me I got the uni that I have now (im not going to say it - I just want to remain as anonymous as possible) but im so happy with my uni, despite many never hearing of it. But it's a starting uni and all the time I think im still not good enough for it, they only accepted me for numbers to get it running,I'd never have got it had it been future years and they could finally choose people decent enough. But I thanked god I got in.

Once there I still felt bad about a levels and considered resitting them (people told me not to as it would have been a waste of time, I disagreed.) But while at university I had my first law mock in contract law And I got 70 percent ( a first) and j was so happy, I thought finally it's changing, I'd studies hard and knew what j was going. However when it came to the real thing I got a 58 (which is a 2:2 - a pass but that beat me up the most) it didn't go towards my final degree but I'd worked so hard for it, I understood everything, I couldn't comprehend why I did bad, at the same time I did legal essentials exam and got a lesser score (still a pass and tbh I was glad at this at it was more business). I cried about them after and that just added on to the hate I already felt. Then in tort I thought as this goes towards degree try to forget about the others (which is an impossible task for me) and just put your all in (which I did and I got 61 percent (you need 60 to get a 2:1). Loads of people get higher, and they all still congratulated me but I was so ashamed. I always thought it was all p*** easy, I thought I did incredible answering all the questions, remembering every single case there was, writing pages and pages,knowing every principle, but I was still doing no where near as well as I hoped) and again i cried. The final module was criminal, And I had been looking forward to this as it was something I wanted to go into. For this I got 62 percent (again I cried). So many people were getting 70 percent and 80 percent (firsts), I.simply felt like I didn't belong. I prayed to god so much for a high grade and worked my ass off, but it felt like it was all against me.

Now I am in my second year, I have my first mock for land law and I've promised in gonna well (although I thought I already was). So that sums up part of the reason why I hate myself and wish I wasn't me.

At university theyr3 already talking to us about signing up for training contracts at law firms and doing plenty of work experience and networking with lawyers. This fills me with dread 1) for the reason I'll mention in th3 next paragraph and 2) because I've always felt like a failure and never having any friends -i can't do any small talk, or talk in general. How would I even get an opportunity when I have no idea how to converse with lawyers or anyone (if anyone is still reading - you're probably thinking omg it's not hard just say hi or whatever - and you're right, but for me it fills me with dread.

As mentioned earlier her3 is the second point. During my second year of college I worked at McDonald's and boy was it a nightmar3. I did it as a Saturday job but each time I was treated like utter s*** from the main manager. I wasn't bad at my job, but I was mad3 to feel bad. I was a customer assistant which meant that I worked on the tills but nearly every week the manager would make.me do the cleaning of the tables (no one likes doing that so it felt so demeaning for me to always do it every week - but I never got any hassle doing it so I was glad to do it,actually relieved to, but still it was humiliating. I could never talk to the work force I tried but it always feels like I have to make an effort with people ( which I do) but it always makes me feel well how does anyone get friends because to me it feels like not a single person makes an effort to make friends (not with me anyway). Every week I'd dread when it would be a Saturday, I would spend Fridays not getting any sleep because I couldn't face working there, setting foot in there ( Even though I haven't worked there for 2 years I still can't go in and I still cry Every time I think of it, just like I do with my memories of high school). The main manager would threaten to sack me most weeks and tell me k was s*** at everything. I could never gain the confidence to defend myself with him or anyone,I just took it. He would humiliate me in front of customers and they would look at me like "oh im glad I ain't you" and "I can't believe I've just witnessed that". But I took it and carried on serving even though I wanted to cry right there ( I never cry in front of people,in fact I would smile and nod like "yes sir, of course sir im so sorry sir"). I remember talking to it with my parents ( I never share anything with them because in so ashamed to admit that im a failure but as j was talking I neglected to mention a lot if thing,they'd tell me to stick up for myself,my dad even offered go have a word with "this guy" and my mum told me to defend myself,but as I told them not even the worst of it,the very minor details of it my eyes welled and I looked down (I never cry in public not even let my eyes well but that I couldn't control) they didn't say anything to the eyes welling up luckily. Anyway, as I was going to uni I finally had an excuse to leave the place (you're probably wondering why I didn't leave earlier and 1) I didn't want people especially my family to se3 me as a failure even though they wouldn't have I always feel like they do and 2 I just never had the balls to give in my notice but I finally I did with the excuse "im going to uni" even though I came home every Saturday and could have kept it. He took it off me and when I checked the timetable he reduced my 2 week notice and just gave me one week (he couldn't wait to get rid of me). Anyway because of this,it has made me feel even more of a failure, I cry every time because I feel like if I couldn't even do a job at McDonald's how can I get any other, especially a lawyer.

A job came up at my mum's work and my younger sister (who gets all As got it), I thought she would hate it cos she's a lot like me for personality but she's thriving in it. I could never worj there because i thought I'd suck at that too but this time they would tell my mum about how s*** I am, that I can't take. I can't take my mum thinking im a failure, she's such a strong character, with my sister her colleagues told her to raise her voice "be like your mum", so that example should explain how different my mum is to me.

Back in October 2018 I successfully applied for a summer vacation scheme placement at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, a full-service law firm in London. Initially, I was drawn to the firm after meeting genuine and engaging trainees at a law fair at University. After researching further, I gained more of an understanding of who the firm’s client list includes (Goldman Sachs, Deliveroo and Apple to name a few) and the type of services they provide (based around four key practice pillars: corporate, finance, real estate, and litigation and corporate risk). Although I am certain that I want to pursue a career in law, I am not yet set on which area of law I would like to qualify into. Therefore, it is important for me to be able to train at a firm like BCLP who offer both depth and breadth of work opportunities to their trainees.

After what simultaneously felt like a lifetime and no time at all, June rolled around and it was time for my vacation scheme placement to begin. Helpfully, the firm’s graduate recruitment team had been in frequent communication with us since we were offered a place on the program - sharing information ranging from accommodation recommendations to a thirty-minute phone call offering feedback from our assessment centre. This really put me at ease as I felt as though they were really invested in making sure that we all felt as comfortable and prepared for the scheme as we could. After I moved into my accommodation nearby, I took this beautiful photo of the skyline view from right outside the firm’s office.

Monday

On Monday we spent the whole day being welcomed into the firm. We were given an inspiring talk from the London office’s managing partner, Segun Osuntokun. As a person of colour, working at a genuinely diverse and inclusive law firm is of paramount importance to me. BCLP is co-chaired by two women, and the managing partner of the London office is a black man. These two stats alone show that not only do the firm aim for diversity at junior levels, but there are diverse figures in the most senior positions, too. Later in the week, I was able to meet with Daisy Reeves, partner and LGBT* champion at the firm. She discussed the firm’s different LGBT* initiatives and how they have reached second place on Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index. On Monday afternoon we were briefed on our ongoing vacation scheme pro bono project with Reprieve, where our work will actually be used to inform the organisation’s work. 

Tuesday

During the vacation scheme, you are allocated one department for each week you are at the firm, as well as trainee, associate, and partner buddies to support you within those departments. On Tuesday my trainee buddy and I got to attend court on a financial remedy case, which was a really exciting opportunity. Here, my attention to detail was a key skill as my written notes would be typed up and form a record of what had taken place at the hearing. I didn’t get to spend much time in my department afterwards, but I began to write up my court attendance note as I knew that it would be a lengthy task. In the late afternoon, Michael Anderson delivered a session titled How the City Works and explained more about his role as a partner in the corporate finance team. Afterwards, we had a networking session with our buddies for our second seats (as well as other trainees) which made us all feel excited for next week.

Wednesday

Wednesday’s session was called Creating a City Landmark and focused on the various real estate projects the firm has undertaken in the City - most notably the Walkie Talkie building - and how trainees are involved at each stage of the process. As I will not be sitting with a real estate team during my time at the firm, I found this session really useful in explaining how the different real estate teams work independently and with other departments. Increasingly, BCLP is finding that their work is sector-focused rather than departmentalised, meaning that communication and collaboration within the firm are more important than ever. Afterwards, we were treated to a four-course lunch where four vacation scheme students ate with a partner, two associates, and a member of graduate recruitment. This was another opportunity to learn more about different departments at the firm, as well as learning about their experiences both joining the firm and progressing to senior positions within it. Towards the end of the day, I attended a video conference that the private client tax team held on Controlled Foreign Corporations. They were linked with their counterpart teams in the New York City and Atlanta offices. Following the merger between Berwin Leighton Paisner (UK) and Bryan Cave (USA) in 2018, the firm regularly holds these information-sharing sessions to ensure that the firm takes a cohesive approach to its advice to clients and that both legacy firms are aware of how each jurisdiction operates.

Thursday

Our first session on Thursday morning was a Transport and Asset Finance case study. A partner in the team, Jamie Wiseman-Clarke, discussed what the firm does in this area, as well as sharing a number of examples of work that they have done for clients. This session was also live-linked to Hong Kong, allowing the vacation scheme students there to learn more about the department, too. Our case study was given to us the day before so that we could be quizzed on information on the term sheet for an aviation finance deal. We all took part in the quiz using our phones and it got very competitive! The graduate recruitment team totally re-designed the vacation scheme sessions to incorporate more interactivity, so this was a fun way to learn about a finance deal. In the afternoon we were taught a session on How to Pitch to Clients by two business development managers. This was a great insight into how creativity and innovative thinking are championed at BCLP to pitch for work to new and existing clients. We found out that we will be doing our own client pitches next week which is another interactive way to showcase our presentation and creative thinking skills. Alongside the various presentation sessions and ongoing projects, we are given work within our department by different members of the team. One task I was asked to complete was research to determine whether our client was tax liable for a property they held overseas. I found that I was able to use my intuition and research skills to navigate online legal libraries to find updates in the area. I put together a memorandum for the trainee who gave me the task and ensured that I checked all spelling and grammar before sending it over. Although it may take an extra few minutes, it is definitely important to check every detail of a written task, as a small mistake can have a huge impact on your work.

Friday

I cannot believe how quickly the first week went by! Friday’s morning session by Bruce Braude (director of legal operations solutions) was around Innovation and Tech at BCLP. Again, this was linked to the vacation scheme students in Hong Kong - which is a visual representation of the global reach of the firm. I found the session really engaging as I am particularly interested in technology both in terms of client-side work and the legal tech used by BCLP. Bruce discussed how the firm stays ahead of its competition not only by buying into tech but,  also, having a culture driven by openness and embracing of change. BCLP is a market-leader in tech - they were the first firm to offer managed legal services, the first firm to make a flexible lawyer pool, and the first firm to offer a dedicated legal operations consultancy service for clients. For BCLP trainees, having technology in place to automate routine tasks is exciting as it means that trainees can spend that time being exposed to more complex legal work. We have been filmed throughout the week, and on Friday afternoon I was asked to go up to the roof of the office to film some scenic shots. I put aside all my fear of heights and the team made me feel really comfortable in front of the camera. I was invited to have lunch with all of the trainees in private client, which might sound minor but it really made me feel like part of the team (as they had done all week). Something that was made clear from day one is the importance of the culture at BCLP, and how the people at the firm are what differentiate it from their competitors. I definitely noticed the non-hierarchical nature of the teams as partners were always happy and willing to help me and answer any questions that I had. After work, most of the vacation scheme students headed to a nearby bar to celebrate the end of week one.

Next week

So happy to share that I’ve been accepted onto two vacation schemes at top London law firms! I’m still waiting to hear back from one assessment centre, got another assessment centre tomorrow, and there are still firms I’ve not heard back from at all yet!

Although this cycle isn’t over yet, I’m going to start putting together some blog posts about my top tips for writing law firm applications, how to demonstrate commercial awareness, and how to ace online reasoning tests. Is there anything in particular that you would like me to write about? 

Not feeling super confident and the chances of having got it are slim (I can think of 100 things I wish I’d said / phrased better in the interview) but it would be life changing to actually get it.

Putting it out into the universe and manifesting ✨ that I’ll get an offer 🙏🏻