Hi Aaron! Could you please introduce yourself and explain a bit about your legal journey thus far, including what you’ve been up to since you graduated?
I graduated from Warwick Law this summer, and am a future trainee at Freshfields. My interest in commercial law started when I was 16. In my first week of sixth form, I randomly Googled the largest law firms, which was when I first discovered the concept of the ‘Magic Circle’. I was intrigued by how they worked on cases that had direct political and economic implications. This then led me to participate in virtual work experiences at Pinsent Masons and Linklaters, and I really enjoyed the insight I gained about their work! Currently, I am mentoring students from disadvantaged backgrounds, which I have found to be a rewarding way to help other candidates through the competitive legal process.
The process of securing a training contract is quite competitive. Can you walk us through your application and interview experience?
In my first year, I applied for first-year schemes at Herbert Smith Freehills, White & Case and Linklaters. These programmes equipped me with the necessary tools to better prepare myself for the next stage of my legal career. I also successfully applied for the Linklaters scholarship (a great opportunity that I highly recommend!), which gave me a guaranteed place at the assessment centre for the Linklaters vacation scheme.
However, in my second year, I got rather complacent, so I was unsuccessful in getting a vacation scheme offer. This made me reflect on my application strategy. Subsequently, I successfully obtained a place on the Latham & Watkins vacation scheme, as well as the direct training contract for Freshfields.
Making the decision on which law firms to apply to can be difficult. What advice would you give other students on how to narrow down which firms to make applications to?
Law Society is a great way to decide which law firms you want to apply to, as it helps you get some direct interaction with the firms. When it comes to applications, quality really takes precedence over quantity. I recommend finding 8-10 law firms that you are really interested in, and make focused and tailored applications for those firms. Personally, Freshfields’ 8-seat training contract was really attractive, giving me the opportunity to experience a wide range of legal work, giving me the best possible start to my legal career and equipping me with the tools to become a great lawyer.
What do you believe made your application stand out and contributed to your success in securing the training contract?
In my application, I tried to really bring together everything that I had learnt across my application journey. Make sure you reflect on every experience, whether it be legal or non-legal, and think about what skills you have gained from each one - every experience will have allowed you to gain transferable skills that you can talk about!
Commercial awareness is an essential skill to have for any aspiring lawyer. Are there any resources you would recommend for students to use to improve their commercial awareness?
I highly recommend the Financial Times’ daily briefing on Spotify - it helps direct you to news stories you may be interested in. When you read the news, think about how those developments can affect law firms and their clients. The Commercial Law Academy Handbook is also really helpful, particularly when it comes to assessment centres.
Following on from that, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the legal sector right now?
I think economic uncertainty is a big concern for everyone, particularly due to the conflcit in Russia, Trump’s proposed tariffs, and the war in the Middle East. This is likely to affect the deal-making environment as the uncertainty will meant that clients will be less inclined to engage in deals, so the work for lawyers will slow down. Another emerging challenge is that the legal sector will be dominated by large American firms, so it will be crucial for firms like Freshfields to adapt to be able to compete with their US counterparts.
With your training contract secured, what aspect of this next phase in your legal journey excites you the most?
Honestly, I’m just excited to get into the office! I want to learn everything that I can, and being surrounded by some of the best minds in the world just makes everything so much more exciting!
Lastly, if you could offer one piece of advice to anyone currently trying to secure a vacation scheme and/or training contract, what would it be?
It is a hard process, and there is a lot of luck involved, so keep yourself focused on your end goal. Make sure that you focus on yourself, don’t compare yourself t
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