WITH EXTRA INSIGHTS FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HEREthings you need

to know about a career with

8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

...WITH SOME EXTRA HELP FROM OUR 3 HANDY GUIDES

MY LIFE AT FRESHFIELDS Follow Yvonne's career

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A GUIDE TO

Giving a good

interview

+A GUIDE TO

Writing a successful application

+A GUIDE TO

Your training contract

+

#1

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#4

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#7

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#2

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#5What’s it like

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#8

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#3

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#6

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2016/17

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Rachel and George, trainees

1

This brochure aims to give you an insight into life as a trainee lawyer at

some big decisions ahead and we want

offer and I know it is well suited to deal with the challenges that we, and our

Throughout my career, which has included stints in our Paris and New

rise (and fall) of emerging markets, the growth of China and the recent

What has enabled us to support our clients throughout are the things that

teamwork, our ability to be truly global in the way we work and our desire

believe that, in bringing these three elements together, we are able to offer

is what enables us to deliver for our clients, whatever the political, economic

been easy, but it has always involved fast-moving, creative and challenging work, alongside colleagues who are

If this sounds like the sort of career

From the moment that you accept a

you the support you need to qualify as a

so you can keep stretching yourself and

If you know commercial law is for

contract – which allows you to

This brochure will tell you the ‘eight

ANDREW AUSTINGraduate recruitment partner

‘ From the moment that you accept a training contract with us, we’ll give you the supportyou need to qualify as a lawyer.’

Whitefriars reception

2 3

We help our clients realise their goals, however big the obstacles that stand

To do this, we need people who think globally and see opportunities where

We advise our clients wherever they

than a third of our revenue comes

who are both curious about different cultures and at their best when working

If you are creative and open-minded,

understand how business, politics and the law are connected across national boundaries – and how to become

150 Worked in over 150 jurisdictions in the last three years

28

2,800 2,800 lawyers

$1tn cross-border deals worth over

50,000

1743 since 1743

‘ We also look forlawyers who can buildstrong relationshipswith colleagues –

a great place to work.’

creating rapport with people, so we want lawyers who can build strong

We also look for lawyers who can develop great relationships with

We have active sports and social scenes – getting involved means getting to know people from across

65 Fleet Street

54

The work we

help our clients tackle their

means we handle three

– this ranges

to big-ticket M&A deals;

– we advise on every type of regulatory

regulation to combating bribery and corruption; and

– this involves not only litigation and arbitration but also handling major global investigations

At this stage you might not know which of these areas will most interest you, or where your skills and

of opportunities to decide over the course of a training contract with us, and you can

a workshop or participating

We help our clients grow, strengthen and

things from their perspective, and building relationships that withstand the most

Thinking

We aim to add value in

immediate issues, we anticipate how future legal, commercial and political developments

to be on top of the law, they also need to understand each

looking for graduates who have

that you have commercial awareness – in other words, a genuine interest in how

Colgate Palmolive, Mars

AstraZeneca, Novartis

OF COURSE IT’S HARD WORK BUT YES, IT’S REWARDING

Matthew, trainee

76

Vacation scheme community challenge

WE’RE A PARTNERSHIP IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD

training contract

you want to spend each three months of your training contract – and you can decide which areas as you go along,

‘ The eight-seat rotation is one of the most attractive things

I can experience more than

George, trainee

Work with the best If you aspire to do high-calibre work

and the hours are sometimes long –

supportive people who will lead by

Responsible business is a key part of

inclusion aspirations with our pro bono, community investment programmes, environmental and human rights

business into everything that we do – from our client and mandate acceptance decisions to our impact on the environment and society in

We encourage all our people to devote some time to community

programme focuses on social inclusion and provides volunteering opportunities with schools, social

Pro bono work ranges from acting

our trainees were involved in over 200

In addition we offer secondments

you are in, there are opportunities

• our low-carbon group has helped clients meet their climate change goals;

• we have offered work placements to help people back into employment; and

• Scholarship Scheme seeks to address the disproportionate under representation of black and black

Do international work Almost everything we advise on crosses international borders

offer you a training contract split between London and one of our

of a relatively small team and build close links with the other trainees

a friendly, collegiate atmosphere with market-leading training and

98

law school

offer you all the support we

‘ The best thing about the LPC was getting

We divide our business into seven practice groups, which divide further into specialist

must do at least one seat in corporate, dispute resolution

are available in antitrust, competition and trade; employment, pensions and

want to try out more than one specialist team or choose

interested in qualifying into towards the end of their

TrainingThroughout your training

be on the job as you work with our partners and associates – we operate an open-door policy,

so you should always be able

includes practical skills workshops and advice to help

After that, we offer legal training on a departmental basis and business skills training in how to work productively, delegate and

Formal training will only take

need a friendly word of advice

every trainee a trainee intake

personal mentor throughout your two-year training

with your TIP at any time for

halfway through your training contract to discuss your

one coaching available from

We will support you from the moment you accept a training contract to the

you can apply for a secondment at one of our network

you gain more autonomy

Working as a trainee at

long, especially when a deal

At the same time the work is fast-paced, varied and

responsibility – invaluable

support you need to become an international commercial

co-ordinate work across borders from London, perhaps taking

instructions from Singapore in the morning or talking

be plenty of opportunities to

Manchester, Frankfurt and

Centre is pushing the use of

OUR EIGHT SEATS OPEN UP THE WHOLE WORLD OF COMMERCIAL LAW

George and Rachel, trainees

• All your tuition and

the GDL and LPC

•

the LPC

• Discretionary grant of

be used for language study, a pro bono internship or voluntary legal work

• if required

•

second year

• 25 days paid holiday per year

• season ticket loan

• unpaid leave upon

•

• Subsidised canteen

• Wellbeing studio including on-site doctor, dentist, physio and gym

• Pension scheme

• Private medical insurance

• Life assurance

• Critical illness insurance

• Income protection insurance

• Childcare vouchers

• Discounts on lifestyle products

10 11

Then I make my way into work – I get the train and then walk

That half hour is my time to put my earphones in and prepare myself for the day

and start dealing with whatever is on my list of tasks

in having a comprehensive

I think that being surrounded by bright people who are so engaged in what

seat, so I do a lot of transactional

cross-border, so we work closely

of time is spent corresponding with them and the other

draft transaction documents and also run my own work streams, managing checklists and document lists, and preparing step plans to make sure transactions go smoothly

studied Law and

College Dublin and

trainee in February

a snapshot into

During the week, teams will organise dinners or karaoke nights, and some have bigger events, such as the annual ski trip – we went

has its own Christmas and summer parties – this year we had the corporate summer party outside in Temple

There are also plenty of sports teams and social clubs, including the choir, which

training contract

yourself, which then forms the basis of the conversation if you

are actually two interviews – usually with a partner and

during the interview process really made the decision for me in terms of coming to

focused on my application form and the second centred

read before the interview and then you discuss what

MY LIFE AT FRESHFIELDS

there are so many facilities

bit earlier in the evening and want to meet a friend for drinks or dinner, you have plenty

I would have gone down the Masters and PhD route, and maybe then gone into

1312

walking distance of the entertainment districts of Covent Garden and the South

chance to meet the other trainees in your intake, while learning some of the basics you need to get started – and

Living and working in central

cover the cost of a season ticket,

the process of moving to London and making a new life here, please contact the graduate recruitment

We try to make settling in as

partner, who will be your informal mentor for the course of your

there are football, cricket, hockey, rugby, netball, tennis and volleyball teams; and you also have the chance

active diversity networks, including

Network, plus a theatre-outing group,

These networks offer you the chance to spend time with people from all

There are also plenty of opportunities to meet fellow lawyers on a more

social events such as nights out,

Will, trainee

Whether you know London well or have

What’s it like living

Alice, associate

1514

Training contracts

two-year training contracts, for intakes

If you are a native Mandarin or Cantonese speaker, you can apply for this programme in order to spend your

two year training contract you will

go to meetings, participate in group

and attend social events organised

travelling to and from the city at the

student studying law or any other

degree, apply in your second year

If you like the sound of a career

to apply for a training contract,

If you have been accepted onto a vacation scheme, you can apply for

This is a great chance to learn more

Students in previous years have found

‘ The vacation scheme gave me

believe that this is really the career I want to pursue.’ Kehinde, 2016 vacation scheme student

(law and non-law)

(law –

(1st scheme)

(2nd scheme)

16 17

Still not sure whether

is for you? Why not try one of our workshops or programmes to get the information you need to make up your mind?

an international commercial lawyer is like, and what sets us

on whether to apply for a

associates and partners, and learn about improving your application from our graduate

We offer several workshops

at university, there are a number of options open to

16 November 2016

1 December 2016

and life at a global, commercial

advice on how to approach

21 February 2017

22 March – 23 March 2017 A practical scheme to help you develop your understanding of our selection process and the skills you need to demonstrate to secure a

this you may be invited to interview for a vacation

1 May 2017 –

7 September 2017 Develop your business understanding ahead of applying for a

6 March 2017

11 April – 12 April 2017 Use this scheme to develop your commercial awareness and practice your interview

a trainee buddy to help provide

Following this you may be invited to interview for a

25 November 2016

13 December 2016 A practical one-day workshop that will tell you more about

including insights from lawyers

3 April 2017

2017/18 academic year This role is open to students

penultimate year of study from a selection of universities

gain valuable skills by helping to promote our fairs and events

but it was the experience

Chloe, workshop attendee and future trainee

Michael, associate

1918

to be as simple as possible – and give you the chance to show your

The online

about your academic record, verbal-reasoning abilities,

completing the application in our guide to writing

graduate recruitment manager

For workshop and programme applications, we use a shorter version of the online application, which asks you to write a 400-word personal

verbal-reasoning test and

our two-day programmes, you will undertake a

To apply for a training contract, vacation scheme or workshop, visit our

ukgraduates

you to a half-day assessment

will be two hour-long interviews conducted by two interviewers – usually

• the general interview – a chance to tell us more about you and your skills

• the analytical interview – an assessment of your

read a press article and then discuss it with

The verbal reasoning testThis is a short online multiple-

It helps us assess how you The application process for training contracts and

about dealing with interviews in our guide to giving a

As a lot of our work for

also complete a 45-minute

a trainee, who will give you

your questions in a less

coming out of a recent

An online

A verbal reasoning test

2120

The graduate recruitment team along with trainees, lawyers and partners,

there are lots of opportunities for you

‘ We’re out and about visiting universities across the country, so come and talk to our trainees and lawyers about what life here is really like.’

Graduate recruitment manager

We try to visit as many universities as

networking and other events, such as presentations, drop-in skills sessions

our website or Facebook page to

At a number of these universities, we also have a student ‘campus

If we have a campus ambassador at your university, get in contact

call us, or consider applying for one

For any questions along the way, you can contact the graduate

65 Fleet Street

EC4Y 1HS

+44 20 7785 5554

by liking our Facebook page or following

Visit our website

22 23

2016/17

Workshop

3 Oct 16

25 Nov 16

Training Contract

3 Oct 16

2 Jan 17

Training Contract

Freshers Meet

3 Oct 16

16 Nov 17

Spring Scheme

3 Oct 16

21 Feb 17

Commercial Awareness Workshop

Campus Ambassador

3 Oct 16

Summer Vacation Scheme

3 Oct 16

2 Jan 17

or

Spring Scheme

3 Oct 16

6 March 17

Training Contract

Campus Ambassador

3 Oct 16

London/Asia Training Contract

3 Oct 16

31 Jan 17

London/Asia Training Contract

3 Oct 16

31 Jan 17

DON’T MISS THE APPLICATION DATES!

LAW STUDENTS ONLYLAW AND NON-LAW STUDENTS

24 25

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