Will I get a TN to Kirkland & Ellis
Hi everyone, sorry if this is long! I’m a student in year 11 currently and I am quite ambitious and usually a high achiever but my grades really fell, I’ve always wanted to go to Oxford and I know I need good grade for that, however my end goals is to work at Kirkland & Ellis as a corporate lawyer, but of course I need a TN first, I’m confident I can get into a Russel group university but seeing the look of my GCSE mock grades now I feel like Oxford might reject me even tho I can get 3 A* for sure and my passion for law is very strong, I’be wanted to be a corporate lawyer for quite a long time and I really love the law in itself, the logic and it’s principals.
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
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Sorry, do you mean TC? Or what is a TN?
Why have you decided that Kirkland and Ellis is your dream firm? You will need to be much more open minded to succeed at such a competitive career.
Do they look at GCSE results? Probably not - your A Levels and any University scores achieved at the time you're applying for a vac scheme will be the most indicative of your success.
Will they look at your university? Yes
Will they view Oxbridge favourably? Of course
Will they view other Russell Groups well? Yes.
You don't know that you can get 3As at A Level "for sure", and again, getting 3As is not enough to guarantee an offer at Oxford. They have more applicants with A*s than they have places, and sometimes perfectly good candidates are rejected for no apparent reason at all.
Try for the best RG you can, if you don't get Oxford you will hopefully get somewhere else which is good. This should put you in a position to get a TC at a good firm, whether K&E or otherwise.
You cannot hang everything on a single firm. They might reject you even if your GCSEs are perfect and A Levels are perfect, and you go to Oxford, simply because of a poor Watson Glaser score (for example) or because you get an interviewer who is in a bad mood.
Why have you decided that Kirkland and Ellis is your dream firm? You will need to be much more open minded to succeed at such a competitive career.
Do they look at GCSE results? Probably not - your A Levels and any University scores achieved at the time you're applying for a vac scheme will be the most indicative of your success.
Will they look at your university? Yes
Will they view Oxbridge favourably? Of course
Will they view other Russell Groups well? Yes.
You don't know that you can get 3As at A Level "for sure", and again, getting 3As is not enough to guarantee an offer at Oxford. They have more applicants with A*s than they have places, and sometimes perfectly good candidates are rejected for no apparent reason at all.
Try for the best RG you can, if you don't get Oxford you will hopefully get somewhere else which is good. This should put you in a position to get a TC at a good firm, whether K&E or otherwise.
You cannot hang everything on a single firm. They might reject you even if your GCSEs are perfect and A Levels are perfect, and you go to Oxford, simply because of a poor Watson Glaser score (for example) or because you get an interviewer who is in a bad mood.
Original post by Anonymous #1
Sorry, do you mean TC? Or what is a TN?
Why have you decided that Kirkland and Ellis is your dream firm? You will need to be much more open minded to succeed at such a competitive career.
Do they look at GCSE results? Probably not - your A Levels and any University scores achieved at the time you're applying for a vac scheme will be the most indicative of your success.
Will they look at your university? Yes
Will they view Oxbridge favourably? Of course
Will they view other Russell Groups well? Yes.
You don't know that you can get 3As at A Level "for sure", and again, getting 3As is not enough to guarantee an offer at Oxford. They have more applicants with A*s than they have places, and sometimes perfectly good candidates are rejected for no apparent reason at all.
Try for the best RG you can, if you don't get Oxford you will hopefully get somewhere else which is good. This should put you in a position to get a TC at a good firm, whether K&E or otherwise.
You cannot hang everything on a single firm. They might reject you even if your GCSEs are perfect and A Levels are perfect, and you go to Oxford, simply because of a poor Watson Glaser score (for example) or because you get an interviewer who is in a bad mood.
Why have you decided that Kirkland and Ellis is your dream firm? You will need to be much more open minded to succeed at such a competitive career.
Do they look at GCSE results? Probably not - your A Levels and any University scores achieved at the time you're applying for a vac scheme will be the most indicative of your success.
Will they look at your university? Yes
Will they view Oxbridge favourably? Of course
Will they view other Russell Groups well? Yes.
You don't know that you can get 3As at A Level "for sure", and again, getting 3As is not enough to guarantee an offer at Oxford. They have more applicants with A*s than they have places, and sometimes perfectly good candidates are rejected for no apparent reason at all.
Try for the best RG you can, if you don't get Oxford you will hopefully get somewhere else which is good. This should put you in a position to get a TC at a good firm, whether K&E or otherwise.
You cannot hang everything on a single firm. They might reject you even if your GCSEs are perfect and A Levels are perfect, and you go to Oxford, simply because of a poor Watson Glaser score (for example) or because you get an interviewer who is in a bad mood.
Hi, yes apologies I was meant to write TN, thank your for your reply. I of course have a list of other choices for both universities and law firms but the ones at the top of my list are the ones that I’m set on reaching, you are totally right tho, my success at Oxford isn’t guaranteed however I’ve got to do everything I can to try and reach my end goal and if I don’t, then I suppose I’ll have to learn to live with it. I understand i should focus on the present and I am progressively working on it but seeing so many people getting rejected from Oxbridge and not getting any TC’s really makes me worry, especially because I really do not want to work at a UK based firm :/
Original post by MsSpecter22
Hi, yes apologies I was meant to write TN, thank your for your reply. I of course have a list of other choices for both universities and law firms but the ones at the top of my list are the ones that I’m set on reaching, you are totally right tho, my success at Oxford isn’t guaranteed however I’ve got to do everything I can to try and reach my end goal and if I don’t, then I suppose I’ll have to learn to live with it. I understand i should focus on the present and I am progressively working on it but seeing so many people getting rejected from Oxbridge and not getting any TC’s really makes me worry, especially because I really do not want to work at a UK based firm :/
Secondly, as someone else mentioned, getting a job in commercial law is extremely competitive, with the acceptance rates at the top 20 firms all being far smaller than Oxford's acceptance rate for a Law undergrad degree. It would be silly for even the best candidate to set their heart on just one firm, as when thousands of people are applying for 50 or so places, getting a TC will sometimes just come down to luck. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the firms are far more similar than they are different.
Ultimately, if your grades are slipping, this is what your focus should be on right now, not for the sake of Kirkland and Ellis or Oxford but for you. Once you've crossed that bridge, then you can start thinking about university and future career goals. Other top law firms like Clifford Chance have programmes for year 12 students wanting to pursue a career in commercial law. Clifford Chance's programme is called ACCESS.
Original post by poppy2022
I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself here. For a start, while Kirkland and Ellis is a US firm, all this means is that the HQ is in the US. If you were to get a training contract with them, you would be working in their London office. There may be occasional short-term opportunities to travel abroad on behalf of the firm, but these are unlikely to arise until quite a way into your career as a lawyer and will be pretty competitive/high in demand. For the reasons above, getting a training contract with Kirkland and Ellis would involve very similar work to any of the other top commercial Law firms. You will be working with big global brands but from an office in London. Even the firms that have their HQs in London (aka the magic circle firms and pretty much any of the other top 20 London law firms) will rarely be working on cases/deals that are solely UK based. This is because these cases are very complex and usually involve teams of lawyers from multiple regions in the world. The clients you will be advising often won't even be based in London but in the US, Asia or somewhere else in Europe. Once again, regardless of the international nature of this work, it will all be done over the Internet and only very senior lawyers who have been with the firm for many many years (this applies to all firms, American or British) will get the opportunity to fly out to these countries.
Secondly, as someone else mentioned, getting a job in commercial law is extremely competitive, with the acceptance rates at the top 20 firms all being far smaller than Oxford's acceptance rate for a Law undergrad degree. It would be silly for even the best candidate to set their heart on just one firm, as when thousands of people are applying for 50 or so places, getting a TC will sometimes just come down to luck. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the firms are far more similar than they are different.
Ultimately, if your grades are slipping, this is what your focus should be on right now, not for the sake of Kirkland and Ellis or Oxford but for you. Once you've crossed that bridge, then you can start thinking about university and future career goals. Other top law firms like Clifford Chance have programmes for year 12 students wanting to pursue a career in commercial law. Clifford Chance's programme is called ACCESS.
Secondly, as someone else mentioned, getting a job in commercial law is extremely competitive, with the acceptance rates at the top 20 firms all being far smaller than Oxford's acceptance rate for a Law undergrad degree. It would be silly for even the best candidate to set their heart on just one firm, as when thousands of people are applying for 50 or so places, getting a TC will sometimes just come down to luck. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the firms are far more similar than they are different.
Ultimately, if your grades are slipping, this is what your focus should be on right now, not for the sake of Kirkland and Ellis or Oxford but for you. Once you've crossed that bridge, then you can start thinking about university and future career goals. Other top law firms like Clifford Chance have programmes for year 12 students wanting to pursue a career in commercial law. Clifford Chance's programme is called ACCESS.
Hi, I’m aware that their head quarters are here, my reason for preferring a a US firm over a UK firm are not to live the ‘American dream’ but I believe that there are few differences in terms of the culture of the firms between US and UK firms, I know that Kirkland is competitive and demanding and that only gives me more fo a reason to be wanting to work there. I never had doubt that a career in law, especially corporate would be competitive, but I believe that if there’s anything I can have to make me stand out from other candidates whether that’s academically or characteristically, I should take it. Like I mentioned in my other comment I am working on trying to think on the present but I like to be prepared so that I won’t be too surprised when then hardships come later. Regardless, thank you for answering, I’ll keep what you said about their selection of candidates in mind.
Original post by poppy2022
I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself here. For a start, while Kirkland and Ellis is a US firm, all this means is that the HQ is in the US. If you were to get a training contract with them, you would be working in their London office. There may be occasional short-term opportunities to travel abroad on behalf of the firm, but these are unlikely to arise until quite a way into your career as a lawyer and will be pretty competitive/high in demand. For the reasons above, getting a training contract with Kirkland and Ellis would involve very similar work to any of the other top commercial Law firms. You will be working with big global brands but from an office in London. Even the firms that have their HQs in London (aka the magic circle firms and pretty much any of the other top 20 London law firms) will rarely be working on cases/deals that are solely UK based. This is because these cases are very complex and usually involve teams of lawyers from multiple regions in the world. The clients you will be advising often won't even be based in London but in the US, Asia or somewhere else in Europe. Once again, regardless of the international nature of this work, it will all be done over the Internet and only very senior lawyers who have been with the firm for many many years (this applies to all firms, American or British) will get the opportunity to fly out to these countries.
Secondly, as someone else mentioned, getting a job in commercial law is extremely competitive, with the acceptance rates at the top 20 firms all being far smaller than Oxford's acceptance rate for a Law undergrad degree. It would be silly for even the best candidate to set their heart on just one firm, as when thousands of people are applying for 50 or so places, getting a TC will sometimes just come down to luck. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the firms are far more similar than they are different.
Ultimately, if your grades are slipping, this is what your focus should be on right now, not for the sake of Kirkland and Ellis or Oxford but for you. Once you've crossed that bridge, then you can start thinking about university and future career goals. Other top law firms like Clifford Chance have programmes for year 12 students wanting to pursue a career in commercial law. Clifford Chance's programme is called ACCESS.
Secondly, as someone else mentioned, getting a job in commercial law is extremely competitive, with the acceptance rates at the top 20 firms all being far smaller than Oxford's acceptance rate for a Law undergrad degree. It would be silly for even the best candidate to set their heart on just one firm, as when thousands of people are applying for 50 or so places, getting a TC will sometimes just come down to luck. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the firms are far more similar than they are different.
Ultimately, if your grades are slipping, this is what your focus should be on right now, not for the sake of Kirkland and Ellis or Oxford but for you. Once you've crossed that bridge, then you can start thinking about university and future career goals. Other top law firms like Clifford Chance have programmes for year 12 students wanting to pursue a career in commercial law. Clifford Chance's programme is called ACCESS.
Apologies, I Intended to write their HQ are in America*
Original post by MsSpecter22
Hi everyone, sorry if this is long! I’m a student in year 11 currently and I am quite ambitious and usually a high achiever but my grades really fell, I’ve always wanted to go to Oxford and I know I need good grade for that, however my end goals is to work at Kirkland & Ellis as a corporate lawyer, but of course I need a TN first, I’m confident I can get into a Russel group university but seeing the look of my GCSE mock grades now I feel like Oxford might reject me even tho I can get 3 A* for sure and my passion for law is very strong, I’be wanted to be a corporate lawyer for quite a long time and I really love the law in itself, the logic and it’s principals.
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
Also, 3 A-Levels might be enough if you take English, History and French but a lot of others taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History have 4 A-Levels and some have 5 or 6 A-Levels. 😧 Also, 60% of offer holders at Oxford achieved 3 A stars and 30% 2 A stars and 1A or greater. Not to mention, that so many with 'stellar' personal statements and A-Level and GCSE grades were rejected.
Furthermore, the interviews, are also the make or break, deciding factor whether you are made an offer or not?! ☹️
Kirkland and Ellis, has a new office being constructed right next door to its current office in The Gherkin skyscraper. Arguably they are also the largest firm of Lawyers in the western world. But so many Corporate Lawyers do 10 to 14 hours days of work and have no or little social life outside of work, especially during the early few years of their careers.
You should also consider Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst and Bowdoin in the USA, as they give "needs-blind" financial aid to international applicants as well. 🙂
Original post by thegeek888To get into Oxford, you need half your GCSEs to be 8/9 i.e. A* and the rest A with the odd B or C. Also, remember not all Oxford Law applicants have all 9s, but it does help to do well in your GCSEs. Because your GCSE grades will be viewed in 'context' of where you achieved them...i.e. your school's GCSE grade achievements, and whether you was above average or not?! 😉
Also, 3 A-Levels might be enough if you take English, History and French but a lot of others taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History have 4 A-Levels and some have 5 or 6 A-Levels. 😧 Also, 60% of offer holders at Oxford achieved 3 A stars and 30% 2 A stars and 1A or greater. Not to mention, that so many with 'stellar' personal statements and A-Level and GCSE grades were rejected.
Furthermore, the interviews, are also the make or break, deciding factor whether you are made an offer or not?! ☹️
Kirkland and Ellis, has a new office being constructed right next door to its current office in The Gherkin skyscraper. Arguably they are also the largest firm of Lawyers in the western world. But so many Corporate Lawyers do 10 to 14 hours days of work and have no or little social life outside of work, especially during the early few years of their careers.
You should also consider Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst and Bowdoin in the USA, as they give "needs-blind" financial aid to international applicants as well. 🙂
Original post by MsSpecter22
Hi everyone, sorry if this is long! I’m a student in year 11 currently and I am quite ambitious and usually a high achiever but my grades really fell, I’ve always wanted to go to Oxford and I know I need good grade for that, however my end goals is to work at Kirkland & Ellis as a corporate lawyer, but of course I need a TN first, I’m confident I can get into a Russel group university but seeing the look of my GCSE mock grades now I feel like Oxford might reject me even tho I can get 3 A* for sure and my passion for law is very strong, I’be wanted to be a corporate lawyer for quite a long time and I really love the law in itself, the logic and it’s principals.
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
This is all mixed up but my question is will Kirkland and & Ellis offer me a training contract even if my GCSE’s MIGHT not end up being good and will they consider me equally as much as they would with someone that went to Oxbridge ?
Also, 3 A-Levels might be enough if you take English, History and French but a lot of others taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History have 4 A-Levels and some have 5 or 6 A-Levels. 😧 Also, 60% of offer holders at Oxford achieved 3 A stars and 30% 2 A stars and 1A or greater. Not to mention, that so many with 'stellar' personal statements and A-Level and GCSE grades were rejected.
Furthermore, the interviews, are also the make or break, deciding factor whether you are made an offer or not?! ☹️
Kirkland and Ellis, has a new office being constructed right next door to its current office in The Gherkin skyscraper. Arguably they are also the largest firm of Lawyers in the western world. But so many Corporate Lawyers do 10 to 14 hours days of work and have no or little social life outside of work, especially during the early few years of their careers.
You should also consider Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst and Bowdoin in the USA, as they give "needs-blind" financial aid to international applicants as well. 🙂
Hello there!
Thank you so much for your response, I’d like to mention that you managed to guess all 3 of my A-level options, I found it quite funny (English lit, french and history. Your response helped quite a lot, it made me feel more confident in my abilities of being accepted, I feel like those that you said to have a ‘stellar’ profile got rejected because they had a lack of passion and maybe they seemed to love the idea of being a lawyer rather then loving the law in itself, I think that aspect might also put me in the ‘good’ list regardless of my GCSE’s. And replying to what you said about considering US universities, I have! But I found that It would be more convenient to do a master’s degree at Harvard rather then an undergraduate, but I do plan to attempt and get internally transferred to my law firms US office (wherever I end up).
I also feel like since I am entirely career focused and I highly doubt I’m going to develop a focus on family due to certain circumstances, I would be willing to spend the hours, also because my final goal is to become equity partner so whether I wanted to or not I would still have to spend extra billable hours🫠. I have other options but I’m still going to aim high!
Thanks a lot again!
I am applying to St. John's College, Oxford University and also LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS in October 2027. When are you applying?
A to Z Firm List - Chambers Student Guide
1. I have been collating a list of the largest top 200 UK law firms with offices here in London, UK. So, I can write to the recruitment manager of the respective firm and gain 2 to 3 days of work shadowing a solicitor. Also, I have copied the list of all the barristers in the UK and selected the London Chambers, and there are 193, and at least one will allow me to shadow them at their Chambers hopefully.
2. I have seen a lot of profiles of current solicitors at law firms on the websites of firms, as I have been searching for the careers/recruitment email addresses on the websites of the firms here in London and a lot of them studied English, History and French or Spanish or even German. Lol
3. Yes, you have to show you have a passion for the ‘academic’ study of Law. Also, the interviews will be on Year 1 papers such as Criminal Law, Tort Law and Constitutional Law.
4. Oxford Introduction to Law in the UK Summer Programme | Faculty of Law this course is excellent, especially if you’re taking a gap year or are applying with your achieved actual A-Level grades.
5. I can’t stress, how important the GCSE grades are for admission, as they are the only grades the admissions tutors have and the LNAT score alongside the UCAS Personal Statement to judge your application on. So I would recommend applying post A-Level with your A-Level grades achieved.
6. The US universities have a 4 year degree and a 3 year JD degree and 2 more years to to qualify as a Lawyer, compared to 3 years of any degree or a Law degree and SQE 1 year and 2 years of the training contract.
7. You would not want to transfer to the USA offices, as so many Americans work here in London and the London offices of USA firms offer £150,000 to £200,000 per year upon being a Newly Qualified Solicitor.
8. Here are the list of American Law firms with offices here in London you should email the careers person in charge for work experience:
9. Top US law firms in London
1. Kirkland & Ellis
2. Latham & Watkins
3. White & Case
4. Baker McKenzie
5. Skadden
6. Dentons
7. Simpson Thacher
8. Reed Smith
9. Weil
10. Mayer Brown
11. Milbank
12. Debevoise & Plimpton
13. Squire Patton Boggs
14. Shearman & Sterling
15. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
16. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
17. Dechert
18. Cleary Gottlieb
19. Sidley Austin
20. Ropes & Gray
21. Sullivan & Cromwell
22. Jones Day
23. Covington & Burling
24. Paul Hastings
25. Goodwin Procter
26. Proskauer
27. Gibson Dunn
28. Morgan Lewis
29. Davis Polk
30. Willkie Farr & Gallagher
31. Cooley
32. Fried Frank
33. Orrick
34. K&L Gates
35. Vinson & Elkins
A to Z Firm List - Chambers Student Guide
1. I have been collating a list of the largest top 200 UK law firms with offices here in London, UK. So, I can write to the recruitment manager of the respective firm and gain 2 to 3 days of work shadowing a solicitor. Also, I have copied the list of all the barristers in the UK and selected the London Chambers, and there are 193, and at least one will allow me to shadow them at their Chambers hopefully.
2. I have seen a lot of profiles of current solicitors at law firms on the websites of firms, as I have been searching for the careers/recruitment email addresses on the websites of the firms here in London and a lot of them studied English, History and French or Spanish or even German. Lol
3. Yes, you have to show you have a passion for the ‘academic’ study of Law. Also, the interviews will be on Year 1 papers such as Criminal Law, Tort Law and Constitutional Law.
4. Oxford Introduction to Law in the UK Summer Programme | Faculty of Law this course is excellent, especially if you’re taking a gap year or are applying with your achieved actual A-Level grades.
5. I can’t stress, how important the GCSE grades are for admission, as they are the only grades the admissions tutors have and the LNAT score alongside the UCAS Personal Statement to judge your application on. So I would recommend applying post A-Level with your A-Level grades achieved.
6. The US universities have a 4 year degree and a 3 year JD degree and 2 more years to to qualify as a Lawyer, compared to 3 years of any degree or a Law degree and SQE 1 year and 2 years of the training contract.
7. You would not want to transfer to the USA offices, as so many Americans work here in London and the London offices of USA firms offer £150,000 to £200,000 per year upon being a Newly Qualified Solicitor.
8. Here are the list of American Law firms with offices here in London you should email the careers person in charge for work experience:
9. Top US law firms in London
1. Kirkland & Ellis
2. Latham & Watkins
3. White & Case
4. Baker McKenzie
5. Skadden
6. Dentons
7. Simpson Thacher
8. Reed Smith
9. Weil
10. Mayer Brown
11. Milbank
12. Debevoise & Plimpton
13. Squire Patton Boggs
14. Shearman & Sterling
15. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
16. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
17. Dechert
18. Cleary Gottlieb
19. Sidley Austin
20. Ropes & Gray
21. Sullivan & Cromwell
22. Jones Day
23. Covington & Burling
24. Paul Hastings
25. Goodwin Procter
26. Proskauer
27. Gibson Dunn
28. Morgan Lewis
29. Davis Polk
30. Willkie Farr & Gallagher
31. Cooley
32. Fried Frank
33. Orrick
34. K&L Gates
35. Vinson & Elkins
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by MsSpecter22
To get into Oxford, you need half your GCSEs to be 8/9 i.e. A* and the rest A with the odd B or C. Also, remember not all Oxford Law applicants have all 9s, but it does help to do well in your GCSEs. Because your GCSE grades will be viewed in 'context' of where you achieved them...i.e. your school's GCSE grade achievements, and whether you was above average or not?! 😉
Also, 3 A-Levels might be enough if you take English, History and French but a lot of others taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History have 4 A-Levels and some have 5 or 6 A-Levels. 😧 Also, 60% of offer holders at Oxford achieved 3 A stars and 30% 2 A stars and 1A or greater. Not to mention, that so many with 'stellar' personal statements and A-Level and GCSE grades were rejected.
Furthermore, the interviews, are also the make or break, deciding factor whether you are made an offer or not?! ☹️
Kirkland and Ellis, has a new office being constructed right next door to its current office in The Gherkin skyscraper. Arguably they are also the largest firm of Lawyers in the western world. But so many Corporate Lawyers do 10 to 14 hours days of work and have no or little social life outside of work, especially during the early few years of their careers.
You should also consider Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst and Bowdoin in the USA, as they give "needs-blind" financial aid to international applicants as well. 🙂
Also, 3 A-Levels might be enough if you take English, History and French but a lot of others taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History have 4 A-Levels and some have 5 or 6 A-Levels. 😧 Also, 60% of offer holders at Oxford achieved 3 A stars and 30% 2 A stars and 1A or greater. Not to mention, that so many with 'stellar' personal statements and A-Level and GCSE grades were rejected.
Furthermore, the interviews, are also the make or break, deciding factor whether you are made an offer or not?! ☹️
Kirkland and Ellis, has a new office being constructed right next door to its current office in The Gherkin skyscraper. Arguably they are also the largest firm of Lawyers in the western world. But so many Corporate Lawyers do 10 to 14 hours days of work and have no or little social life outside of work, especially during the early few years of their careers.
You should also consider Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst and Bowdoin in the USA, as they give "needs-blind" financial aid to international applicants as well. 🙂
Hello there!
Thank you so much for your response, I’d like to mention that you managed to guess all 3 of my A-level options, I found it quite funny (English lit, french and history. Your response helped quite a lot, it made me feel more confident in my abilities of being accepted, I feel like those that you said to have a ‘stellar’ profile got rejected because they had a lack of passion and maybe they seemed to love the idea of being a lawyer rather then loving the law in itself, I think that aspect might also put me in the ‘good’ list regardless of my GCSE’s. And replying to what you said about considering US universities, I have! But I found that It would be more convenient to do a master’s degree at Harvard rather then an undergraduate, but I do plan to attempt and get internally transferred to my law firms US office (wherever I end up).
I also feel like since I am entirely career focused and I highly doubt I’m going to develop a focus on family due to certain circumstances, I would be willing to spend the hours, also because my final goal is to become equity partner so whether I wanted to or not I would still have to spend extra billable hours🫠. I have other options but I’m still going to aim high!
Thanks a lot again!People get rejected because there are more good people than spaces. It can be arbitrary. You can’t try and set yourself apart from those candidates by trying to explain why you would come across better.
You being ‘entirely career focused’ and having identified your dream firm already come across far more interested in the idea of being a lawyer than the law itself. I’m not saying that you are, but I’m saying that if you think that you would stand out on paper for being more interested in the law than being a lawyer, then you are wrong. And I’m not sure that the distinction matters much in any event.
Original post by thegeek888
I am applying to St. John's College, Oxford University and also LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS in October 2027. When are you applying?
A to Z Firm List - Chambers Student Guide
1. I have been collating a list of the largest top 200 UK law firms with offices here in London, UK. So, I can write to the recruitment manager of the respective firm and gain 2 to 3 days of work shadowing a solicitor. Also, I have copied the list of all the barristers in the UK and selected the London Chambers, and there are 193, and at least one will allow me to shadow them at their Chambers hopefully.
2. I have seen a lot of profiles of current solicitors at law firms on the websites of firms, as I have been searching for the careers/recruitment email addresses on the websites of the firms here in London and a lot of them studied English, History and French or Spanish or even German. Lol
3. Yes, you have to show you have a passion for the ‘academic’ study of Law. Also, the interviews will be on Year 1 papers such as Criminal Law, Tort Law and Constitutional Law.
4. Oxford Introduction to Law in the UK Summer Programme | Faculty of Law this course is excellent, especially if you’re taking a gap year or are applying with your achieved actual A-Level grades.
5. I can’t stress, how important the GCSE grades are for admission, as they are the only grades the admissions tutors have and the LNAT score alongside the UCAS Personal Statement to judge your application on. So I would recommend applying post A-Level with your A-Level grades achieved.
6. The US universities have a 4 year degree and a 3 year JD degree and 2 more years to to qualify as a Lawyer, compared to 3 years of any degree or a Law degree and SQE 1 year and 2 years of the training contract.
7. You would not want to transfer to the USA offices, as so many Americans work here in London and the London offices of USA firms offer £150,000 to £200,000 per year upon being a Newly Qualified Solicitor.
8. Here are the list of American Law firms with offices here in London you should email the careers person in charge for work experience:
9. Top US law firms in London
1. Kirkland & Ellis
2. Latham & Watkins
3. White & Case
4. Baker McKenzie
5. Skadden
6. Dentons
7. Simpson Thacher
8. Reed Smith
9. Weil
10. Mayer Brown
11. Milbank
12. Debevoise & Plimpton
13. Squire Patton Boggs
14. Shearman & Sterling
15. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
16. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
17. Dechert
18. Cleary Gottlieb
19. Sidley Austin
20. Ropes & Gray
21. Sullivan & Cromwell
22. Jones Day
23. Covington & Burling
24. Paul Hastings
25. Goodwin Procter
26. Proskauer
27. Gibson Dunn
28. Morgan Lewis
29. Davis Polk
30. Willkie Farr & Gallagher
31. Cooley
32. Fried Frank
33. Orrick
34. K&L Gates
35. Vinson & Elkins
A to Z Firm List - Chambers Student Guide
1. I have been collating a list of the largest top 200 UK law firms with offices here in London, UK. So, I can write to the recruitment manager of the respective firm and gain 2 to 3 days of work shadowing a solicitor. Also, I have copied the list of all the barristers in the UK and selected the London Chambers, and there are 193, and at least one will allow me to shadow them at their Chambers hopefully.
2. I have seen a lot of profiles of current solicitors at law firms on the websites of firms, as I have been searching for the careers/recruitment email addresses on the websites of the firms here in London and a lot of them studied English, History and French or Spanish or even German. Lol
3. Yes, you have to show you have a passion for the ‘academic’ study of Law. Also, the interviews will be on Year 1 papers such as Criminal Law, Tort Law and Constitutional Law.
4. Oxford Introduction to Law in the UK Summer Programme | Faculty of Law this course is excellent, especially if you’re taking a gap year or are applying with your achieved actual A-Level grades.
5. I can’t stress, how important the GCSE grades are for admission, as they are the only grades the admissions tutors have and the LNAT score alongside the UCAS Personal Statement to judge your application on. So I would recommend applying post A-Level with your A-Level grades achieved.
6. The US universities have a 4 year degree and a 3 year JD degree and 2 more years to to qualify as a Lawyer, compared to 3 years of any degree or a Law degree and SQE 1 year and 2 years of the training contract.
7. You would not want to transfer to the USA offices, as so many Americans work here in London and the London offices of USA firms offer £150,000 to £200,000 per year upon being a Newly Qualified Solicitor.
8. Here are the list of American Law firms with offices here in London you should email the careers person in charge for work experience:
9. Top US law firms in London
1. Kirkland & Ellis
2. Latham & Watkins
3. White & Case
4. Baker McKenzie
5. Skadden
6. Dentons
7. Simpson Thacher
8. Reed Smith
9. Weil
10. Mayer Brown
11. Milbank
12. Debevoise & Plimpton
13. Squire Patton Boggs
14. Shearman & Sterling
15. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
16. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
17. Dechert
18. Cleary Gottlieb
19. Sidley Austin
20. Ropes & Gray
21. Sullivan & Cromwell
22. Jones Day
23. Covington & Burling
24. Paul Hastings
25. Goodwin Procter
26. Proskauer
27. Gibson Dunn
28. Morgan Lewis
29. Davis Polk
30. Willkie Farr & Gallagher
31. Cooley
32. Fried Frank
33. Orrick
34. K&L Gates
35. Vinson & Elkins
I love shearman and Akin!
Original post by MsSpecter22
I love shearman and Akin!
Original post by thegeek888
me too. But Slaughter & May has a lot of the FTSE 100 clients. 😉
I always thought that it would make more sense to work in a US firm that is as good as a magic circle law firm (like slaughter and may) because the pay more but the quality is the same, wouldn’t you agree?
Original post by MsSpecter22
I always thought that it would make more sense to work in a US firm that is as good as a magic circle law firm (like slaughter and may) because the pay more but the quality is the same, wouldn’t you agree?
I am considering joining PwC in Tax, since they have 60 positions available every month or so and so do Deloitte, KPMG and EY. But PwC audits 60 of the 100 FTSE firms. Also, tax is exciting, as you can meet celebrities too. 😉
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by thegeek888
Yes, I would work for an American firm with offices in New York and London but they usually have a smaller intake of solicitors per year. Also, you're selling your soul for the first 3 to 5 years to a US Law firm essentially!!! 😀 lol
I am considering joining PwC in Tax, since they have 60 positions available every month or so and so do Deloitte, KPMG and EY. But PwC audits 60 of the 100 FTSE firms. Also, tax is exciting, as you can meet celebrities too. 😉
I am considering joining PwC in Tax, since they have 60 positions available every month or so and so do Deloitte, KPMG and EY. But PwC audits 60 of the 100 FTSE firms. Also, tax is exciting, as you can meet celebrities too. 😉
“Tax is exciting”😂
I’ve been practicing law for nearly 30 years in the City and this is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say this.
Original post by MsSpecter22
I always thought that it would make more sense to work in a US firm that is as good as a magic circle law firm (like slaughter and may) because the pay more but the quality is the same, wouldn’t you agree?
There are advantages to going to a top UK firm as they are full service and offer more discipline to focus on. I don’t see how you can want to be a corporate lawyer with no experience of what that entails. You may find structured finance or debt capital markets more interesting for example.
Original post by katana10000
“Tax is exciting”😂
I’ve been practicing law for nearly 30 years in the City and this is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say this.
“Tax is exciting”😂
I’ve been practicing law for nearly 30 years in the City and this is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say this.
Personally I find anything related to finance dreadful haha
Original post by MsSpecter22
Personally I find anything related to finance dreadful haha
Me too.
But not as bad as tax😂
I'm an Oxford graduate (Modern History). I have practised in commercial and public law at the London Bar and internationally for over thirty years. My current practice involves international commercial disputes, and I work with lawyers from several jurisdictions.
MsSpecter22, I agree with those above who have suggested that you focus on doing the best you can at school, and do not fixate on one university, one law firm, or one type of career, in the law or not. Until you start studying law, it may be difficult for you to decide which area of the law interests you, and whether you wish to be a disputes lawyer, a transactional lawyer, and so on. In addition, which firm or chambers a young lawyer ends up at, and which area of work they start out in, depends on many factors such as market forces, and sheer luck of the draw.
It may go without saying that the practice of law is not accurately represented by TV shows and films. Being a lawyer can be enormous fun. The intellectual, moral, and financial rewards can be good. But being a lawyer also involves a lot of hard work, not all of that work is exciting, and some of it can be very tedious. Some clients are horrible people, and some types of legal practice can be ethically, psychologically, and emotionally challenging. Most lawyers don't work in gleaming city offices or swanky chambers, and many lawyers lead a humdrum life for not great money. Obtaining a place in a leading law firm or set of chambers is very difficult.
You might find that you don't take to the law when you start to study it. You might decide that you prefer to do a non law degree and then study law after your first degree. Or you might find that you delight in academic legal enquiry and wish to become an academic lawyer, or that you'd prefer training to be a barrister and not a solicitor. It's too early to know what you will think about these things when you are starting university and when you are graduating.
I add that thegeek888 is, I am sure, trying to be helpful, but he tends to give dogmatic and not always reliable advice despite having no experience of university, or of legal practice. He is, as far as I know, an A level student who hasn't yet applied to any university or worked in any legal job, and doesn't plan to apply to university until 2027. The idea of aiming to practise tax law in the hope of meeting celebrities is entertaining, but also a bit daft.
Good luck in your studies.
MsSpecter22, I agree with those above who have suggested that you focus on doing the best you can at school, and do not fixate on one university, one law firm, or one type of career, in the law or not. Until you start studying law, it may be difficult for you to decide which area of the law interests you, and whether you wish to be a disputes lawyer, a transactional lawyer, and so on. In addition, which firm or chambers a young lawyer ends up at, and which area of work they start out in, depends on many factors such as market forces, and sheer luck of the draw.
It may go without saying that the practice of law is not accurately represented by TV shows and films. Being a lawyer can be enormous fun. The intellectual, moral, and financial rewards can be good. But being a lawyer also involves a lot of hard work, not all of that work is exciting, and some of it can be very tedious. Some clients are horrible people, and some types of legal practice can be ethically, psychologically, and emotionally challenging. Most lawyers don't work in gleaming city offices or swanky chambers, and many lawyers lead a humdrum life for not great money. Obtaining a place in a leading law firm or set of chambers is very difficult.
You might find that you don't take to the law when you start to study it. You might decide that you prefer to do a non law degree and then study law after your first degree. Or you might find that you delight in academic legal enquiry and wish to become an academic lawyer, or that you'd prefer training to be a barrister and not a solicitor. It's too early to know what you will think about these things when you are starting university and when you are graduating.
I add that thegeek888 is, I am sure, trying to be helpful, but he tends to give dogmatic and not always reliable advice despite having no experience of university, or of legal practice. He is, as far as I know, an A level student who hasn't yet applied to any university or worked in any legal job, and doesn't plan to apply to university until 2027. The idea of aiming to practise tax law in the hope of meeting celebrities is entertaining, but also a bit daft.
Good luck in your studies.
(edited 1 month ago)
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