Interview with Bradley Darbyshire, a future trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance

In this interview, Carla Braquet speaks with Bradley Darbyshire, a future trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance.

1. Firstly, could you share a brief summary of your background and journey?

Of course, I grew up in a family whereby I was the first generation to attend university and I went to a state school in Suffolk. I studied Economics, History, Sociology and Biology as well as completing an EPQ in Sixth Form and achieved 5A*s. I went on to study law at Bristol University where I am now in my final year and during my first year I completed multiple insight schemes with a variety of international law firms. One of these schemes was Clifford Chance Spark and on completion of this I obtained a training contract with firm to commence in 2026 after completion of the SQE. I have since represented Clifford Chance as the Bristol campus ambassador and now am the Co-Director of the University of Bristol Law Club’s Commercial Awareness Programme whereby I give weekly seminars to 50 students on application advice, commercial topics and practice areas etc.

2. What was your motivation behind choosing Clifford Chance? What would you say is unique about the firm?

I think there are 2 main reasons for applying to Clifford Chance. Firstly their breadth of work was immense with the firm having the most Tier 1 rankings and as someone who wasn’t entirely set on specific practice areas, I knew by applying to Clifford Chance I would be working on high profile work wherever I sat. Additionally I had interest in M&A and Finance work which are the largest groups at the firm, so I knew I would receive the best training and exposure to these areas.

Secondly the culture of the firm really resonated with me. I liked the work the firm has done on social mobility with specific flagship events targeted at certain groups of people and that aligned with my own meritocratic values. Having completed Spark, I genuinely really enjoyed my time there and spoke to a variety of stakeholders in the firm and all my encounters were very pleasant and help me confirm that this was the place I want to begin my legal journey.

3. You have been accepted in a training contract at Clifford Chance, what advice would you give to students currently going through the application process and subsequent steps?

I would say learning as much as you can about the firms you are applying for is crucial as every application should so detailed knowledge of the firm. Start by having a look at the firms practice areas, their culture and pro-bono work to identify areas of work and values you share. Hone in on areas of work by looking at tier rankings and specific deals that the firm has worked on and think genuinely about why this interests you.

Also ensure you have a sound motivation for why commercial law and why that firm specifically which can be built upon their work, their culture, their training contract, international opportunities and pro-bono/community outreach work. Complimenting this, you also need to develop competency examples of when you displayed certain skills e.g. teamwork, leadership. Use the STAR framework to explain these.

4. Are there any resources that you found useful in securing this training contract?

There are a host of materials that are useful for securing a training contract but these 5 stand out.
• Forage- great to access trainee level tasks in certain departments of a law firm to gain real online work experience. Highly recommended to complete a course from each firm you are applying to and use it to answer why this firm.
• Chambers Ranking/Legal Cheek View- great to gain a macro-overview of each firm so you can spot differences in the firm’s approach to training and community outreach. Provides a good insight into what working for that firm would be like.
• Linked In- connect with future trainees or current trainees for your preferred firms and ask them more nuanced questions. Make sure your questions are tailored and not just ‘how to get a training contract’ but instead think about if there are certain areas of interest you have in the firm that these connections can help you explore.
• Firm Websites- these are great for getting an idea of the work the firm does and how they present themselves. This will help in making tailored applications and also is a useful resource to access events the firm is hosting which you can take part in.
• Commercial Law Handbook- I wouldn’t usually advocate for paid resources but this book is a lifesaver! It introduces you to the role of commercial lawyer, explains common practice areas and tasks that trainees do so you have a real understanding of the role. It will also give you exposure to commercial terms to use in assessment centres like warranties, indemnities, equity finance and due-diligence etc.

5. As you are the co-director of the University of Bristol Law Club Commercial Awareness Programme, why would you encourage students to engage in commercial awareness?

Good commercial awareness is crucial for any successful candidate applying for commercial law as the work is international and connected to the broader commercial world. Commercial awareness is however more than just reading the news, it is about reflecting on these news stories and thinking how it will affect certain stakeholders and players in the global economy. Taking this further, is an appreciation of the law firm as a business so you need to look at the impacts of news and policy and think how it will affect a law firm’s business and their clients business. Commercial awareness is a notorious buzzword but it is far more simple than it is made out to be but it is something you build overtime and fundamentally it is a general interest in the world of business and commerce.