Courses for aspiring lawyers - what would you like to see?

Hi P!

I have found your previous thread so useful and the advice has been amazing for interviews etc!

For me personally, I would find it very useful! From my own experience - the term commercial law is too broadly used by law students (including myself) without knowing the full ins and outs! I think explaining what each sub-sector (if you will) will be great and be beneficial in getting an insight into the workings of, for example, heavy private equity firms etc.

Although - If I was being extra demanding, I would prefer videos about the application process/assessment centre tips etc and just an in dept application guide. Thats just me though as I am about to apply for TCs in June/July so for me personally that would be a great help!

That's great feedback, thank you!

Not demanding at all. To clarify, do you mean that you'd prefer I do videos on the app process/assessment centre before I go onto the commercial topics?

No problem!

Yeah, so personally I would find it better if you were to do, like a series of videos, then to get application advice in at the start (especially with TC season looming, I would find that would work best. General advice on the application stage - how to answer competency questions etc and then tips about interviews and ACs from your perspective, having been through the process it would be hugely beneficial.

Also, I see plenty of threads about grades and their importance on TCs, especially with people contemplating self-funding the GDL/LPC so just your view on that etc would probably help many people on TSR. Personally I would love application advice/interview tips/AC tips etc before getting into the heavier topics, though, I see why people might prefer it the other way round so idk

I’d agree with the above poster - most people are going to care much more about getting their foot in the door with applications and interviews, rather than the technical stuff. That’s where the bottle neck is anyway.

For the time being, legal recruitment is quite different to consultancy recruitment which relies more heavily on understanding of case studies etc, which is why people like Victor Cheng have been able to make money out of such an idea for that sector. That might change with the SQE though. The applicants per vacancy in consultancy is also far larger than law (easily 4-5 times the volume), making it a much more competitive industry to get into, meaning there’s more of a market for this type of support.

How much are you thinking of charging for this?

Hey

This would be super helpful - thank you so much! Also, I think it'd be good to maybe have a few questions from the list of 175 (or however many!) TC questions on the Corporate Law Academy specific to these topics with some model answers, maybe?

Looking forward to this. Thanks for everything you do!

Great idea. I'll add this to the interview course (and see how many questions I can get through!)

If this is done, please can you not do model answers, but instead explain how to answer it.

Model answers are the easiest way for someone to copy and paste, change a few words around and think the answer is good enough.

Hey

This would be super helpful - thank you so much! Also, I think it'd be good to maybe have a few questions from the list of 175 (or however many!) TC questions on the Corporate Law Academy specific to these topics with some model answers, maybe?

Looking forward to this. Thanks for everything you do!

Hey where can I find theses TC questions?

Another thought - more to do with the process of applications - but advice for Watson Glaser tests etc would be incredibly helpful, if there's any possible way to do this!

You’d have to pay for a mock assessment, and thats for each time someone takes it.

Plus you’d need to have a psychometric qualification to buy one.

You’d have to pay for a mock assessment, and thats for each time someone takes it.

Plus you’d need to have a psychometric qualification to buy one.

I’d just recommend pulling together a list of resources for free psychometric tests. That’s what I have done in the past. Only problem is that it means very little as the person taking the test doesn’t really know how they are performing, as any practice test is not marked against a norm group (which is the most important/distinguishing part).

Give me a shout when you come round to that content though, can provide you with loads of bits and pieces that might be of use.

Last time I looked at getting WG practice tests for a work project, it was something like £18 a go 😑

Do you agree with WG prep? All my uni's trainees at the top firms swore by it and were willing to pay 100 quid for the services.

To OP, I for one would be more interested to peek behind the curtain as it were. I think there is a lot of TC app info online already, and this would be derivative (albeit useful to many). Would be more original and I think generally more insightful if you went down the technical route.

Do you mean the websites like assessment day and job test prep? Or is it a specific service for WG tests (never heard of it if so).

But these prep courses are a mixture of common sense and just becoming more comfortable/familiar with the type of questions. If you were savvy enough you could find enough free resources rather than paying out for them.

These type of practice assessments are a bit like any brain training game. All you are doing is blowing away the cobwebs on your own abilities, you can’t really improve your performance in these tests in a short space of time, you just get more comfortable and confident with them.

It’s why recruiters like them though! It’s about raw ability, not learning things in a parrot fashion, which typically can happen with other assessments.

It is more painful as a candidate. I completely understand that, especially where there is generally a real lack of transparency (which I don’t necessarily agree with).

But it’s painful from a recruiter’s point of view too (although I would say that!). Its becomes much more accessible to apply these days, which in some ways is better for the industry but then also means you have to put measures in place to cut the numbers of applicants down. Recruiters are told to focus less on certain things (like UCAS points) which just mean they have to focus on something else instead. You often have crazy objectives in place that make it more painful for candidates rather than less, but you do it for the “greater good”.

I think AI profiling will happen more at an application stage. People will either upload their CV to a system or submit a short video interview and they will be encouraged to apply based on algorithms. Then a human will actually screen their actual application and shortlist using other assessments, such as aptitude tests and other psychometrics. The later stages of recruitment will remain the same - I suspect law will be the last sector to use things like VR at an assessment centre.

The SQE will change what firms recruit for though. There is a real risk that the SQE creates less centralised processes, and actually more bias where individual teams can now recruit specifically want they want in a trainee (rotations are no longer needed as you no longer need three “distinct areas of law” as part of your recruitment process). It could make things like nepotism worse rather than better. You also don’t have to recruit long term like you do now, so you can become far more short-sighted based on immediate need rather than long term.

I’m off to Legal Cheek’s “Future of Legal Education” conference tomorrow - it will be interesting to hear different views on what they think the SQE will bring.