How to apply for vacation schemes

Applying for vacation schemes can be a daunting experience, especially for those with little to no prior knowledge or exposure to the commercial legal world. This post is useful for all applicants, no matter what stage you are at, whether you are a veteran when it comes to applying to law firms or an absolute newbie. The essence of this post is to provide you with newfound wisdom you can hopefully use for your applications this upcoming cycle.

Finding Firms To Apply To

The first, and perhaps the most crucial piece of advice I received when I first started applying, is to look for firms that are the right fit for you. Emphasis is placed on this for a variety of reasons. When you limit your applications to anywhere between 10-15 firms at most, the quality and specificity of your applications tend to be higher, thus increasing your chances of success.

So, what kind of things should you be looking for to find this ‘dream firm’?

This is a difficult question, and oftentimes, you won’t know for certain without actually having done some work experience at the firm. That being said, there are various ways to gather information about the firm, which can allow you to get a good enough idea of whether you’d like to work there and whether you should therefore apply. For me, it was useful to consider several questions such as “What kind of firm do I want to work for?”, “Where are they located?”, “What is their work/life balance like?” and “What are their specialties and key practice areas?”

The beauty of the commercial world is that although most City law firms fall under the umbrella of practicing commercial law, each firm has qualities that distinguish them from the others. For example, US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges is notorious for its excellent Private Equity Practice, so you can expect traces of this kind of work to be apparent in all of its other practice areas. On the other hand, international firms like Hogan Lovells are known for having a varied practice, allowing you more opportunities to explore during your training contract. If you’re interested in exploring a range of practice areas, you may find firms similar to the latter more appealing. On the other hand, if you have a preference for a specialized niche area of law, it can be beneficial to seek out a firm that specializes in that particular field.

Another example is that some firms have a relatively large trainee intake. For instance, Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance takes upwards of 100 trainees each year, while other firms like US firm Wilkie Farr & Gallagher only take in about 6 trainees per year. With a larger intake, training tends to be more structured. Those who prefer such a structured approach may find it more favorable to apply to firms with larger trainee intakes. Conversely, individuals who seek greater independence and more responsibility during their training contract may opt for firms with a smaller intake.

This might be a factor to consider when it comes to what you want in your training contract, which is usually the ultimate goal when applying for vacation schemes. Once you’ve decided where to apply, you have to be 100% sure that if you received an offer to train from that firm, you would accept it without hesitation. It has to be an instinctive YES! This is because applications require a lot of investment in terms of time, research, and effort. It truly is hard work. That is why it’s crucial to create an effective strategy of only applying to firms in which you would actually want to work. This means that you can produce the best applications possible for a few firms that are really among your top choices.

Before Starting Your Vacation Scheme Application

The first step is research. When I was researching, I found it useful to create a Word/Google document for each firm I was looking into, and then I would write down everything I could find about the firm. This proved to be extremely useful throughout the application process.

There are a multitude of sources out there, but I always say the best starting point is the firm’s website, where you can research the firm, their key practice areas, key values, clients, etc. You can find information about how their training is structured and the various opportunities that come with that training, such as the potential for international and client secondments.

However, just looking through the firm’s website is not enough. You need to demonstrate a clear interest in each firm you are applying to, so you need more specific information about the firm that isn’t widely available online. The absolute best way to get this is by attending the multitude of events ongoing during the milk round. This is a period usually between October and February when representatives (graduate recruitment and trainees) from different law firms visit universities and hold events to provide information on what it’s like to work with them.

The events I found to be incredibly helpful include the Warwick Law Expo held in October, firm-specific Warwick Law Society events advertised on their Instagram page and online events held by Legal Cheek Careers and Vantage. Some of these events are firm-specific, while others are more general, like virtual law fairs featuring representatives from over 40 city firms. There are also opportunities to network virtually with associates and graduate recruitment at top City firms during some of Legal Cheek’s online events. The key is not just to attend these events, but to gather as much information as possible from them. Write down everything you find useful! No matter how seemingly small the details may be, they always turned out to be useful in my case. 

Additionally, these events are also useful for discovering what exactly each firm is looking for in their applicants. I urge you to attend these events, as members of the graduate recruitment team are usually present, and they often are the ones reading your applications to assess if you progress to the next stage or not. So what better way to find out how to write a successful application than asking them directly!

Tomorrow, part 2: How to write an effective vacation scheme application!