2025

Why Macfarlanes?

Please explain why you are applying to Macfarlanes (300 words)

I am drawn to Macfarlanes’ expertise in Corporate/M&A, an area I became interested in while interning in Dentons’ Corporate department. I enjoy analysing how lawyers balance clients’ commercial interests with legal issues and facilitate transactions that support businesses’ strategic goals. Thus, Macfarlanes’ work advising long-standing client Ancala captured my attention. I am impressed by the firm’s crucial role in Ancala’s expansion as it assisted Ancala not only with their main fundraise but also their Growth Fund launch. These transactions also resonated with me because Ancala operates in the energy sector, which I researched as a mentee on the Norton Rose Fulbright-bp mentoring scheme.  

As Macfarlanes’ trainees often sit in the firm’s Tier 1 ranked Private Client practice, the opportunity to explore this area during my Training Contract appeals to me. Macfarlanes’ broad expertise, from estate litigation to trust structuring, would help me gain both contentious and advisory experience. While supporting my family’s property management and development business, I witnessed how our lawyer advised us on both business and personal affairs, which led to a client relationship of 20 years. His guidance on the tax efficiency of Czech Donation Agreements during succession planning was particularly valuable. Thus, I appreciate how Macfarlanes combines its corporate and private client services to successfully build long-lasting client relationships.  

Macfarlanes’ advanced AI strategy stands out to me. The firm’s participation in Lexis+ AI’s commercial preview and partnership with Harvey demonstrates its commitment to delivering innovative and efficient legal advice. Having assisted [redacted] with their implementation of ‘SingleCase’, an advanced document management software, I value the use of legal technology when addressing clients’ complex issues. As over 80% of Macfarlanes’ lawyers are using Harvey regularly, I am eager to leverage AI tools and develop my prompt engineering skills with the help of Macfarlanes’ lawtech team.

Tell us about yourself

Please use this section to tell us anything else that you feel would support your application. Examples can include, but are not limited to, key achievements, successes, non academic interests, your skills etc. (300 words) 

Training four hours weekly as a flyer on [redacted]’s competitive cheerleading team has strengthened my collaboration skills. At a national competition, I stepped in at the last minute when another flyer became injured during warmup. I learnt her stunt sequence in under 30 minutes and quickly adapted to a new stunt group by communicating openly with my teammates. I actively listened to their feedback to adjust my movements to their needs. As I remained calm under pressure, we performed a routine without any mistakes and ranked fourth in a highly competitive division. 

I received the [redacted] Sessional Prize for achieving the highest average amongst my third-year cohort. Having completed my schooling and two years of university in the French education system, I struggled to grasp the English system’s requirements when I began studying at [redacted] last year. After obtaining low 2:1s in my first assignments, I scheduled office hours with professors to seek guidance. Furthermore, by organising one-on-one discussions with classmates, I learnt from their essay-writing approaches. I also practised answering past questions weekly and submitted all optional formative essays across modules to receive additional advice. My perseverance and proactivity led to first-class marks in several final exams. Viewing challenges as self-development opportunities was key to my success, and I aim to adopt this mindset at Macfarlanes to effectively learn from feedback.  

Proficient in eight languages and having lived in three countries, I am well-equipped to collaborate with foreign counsel and build long-lasting relationships with Macfarlanes’ international clients thanks to my cultural awareness and familiarity with different working styles. Moreover, receiving Verbal Commendations during Model United Nations debates across France highlights my negotiation skills and positive engagement with contrasting perspectives. Thus, I would work seamlessly with colleagues from different backgrounds, which is essential given Macfarlanes’ commitment to diversity and inclusion.

2024

[Sender's name]

[Sender's address]

[Sender's contact details]

[Date]

Graduate Resourcing and Trainee Development Team

Macfarlanes LLP

20 Cursitor Street                

London, EC4A 1LT

I am a second-year student reading History at the University of Durham and I am writing to apply for the Macfarlanes vacation scheme. 

I first took an interest in becoming a commercial lawyer when I was sixteen and a careers fair was held at my school. At this event, I was introduced to the legal sector and the wide-ranging impacts that it can have. I realised that being a lawyer will be pivotal in creating a fairer society where rights and freedoms are protected. After this, I wanted to explore the legal sector further which is why I experienced life in a commercial law firm in the summer of that year. Teacher Stern offered me valuable work experience where I was able to shadow Jonathan Cantor. I found this experience interesting because it demonstrated the ever-changing nature of a career in commercial law and allowed me to develop an understanding of the complex demands associated with this field. It also showed the intellectually stimulating nature of the career, hence my desire to practice commercial law. Since that summer, I have consistently engaged in the legal world and taken on several opportunities to enhance my understanding of this career. These include partaking in work experience, virtual internships and insight schemes which have cemented my ardour to become a commercial lawyer.

Macfarlanes is a full-service law firm where I will be offered exciting opportunities such as working on fascinating cross-border transactions. It was interesting to read how Macfarlanes advised Legal & General on establishing a £270 million green debt facility to assist with its Wandsworth build to rent scheme. This transaction ensured that enough funding was in place for Legal & General to develop more than one thousand homes. Given that between 2021 and 2022, the average house price in the UK increased by 12.4%, the fact that 35% of these homes will be affordable is vital and shows the importance of the projects undertaken by Macfarlanes. The Finance Practice at the firm is impressive, and the complex transactions it has worked on demonstrates how a career at Macfarlanes would be academically enriching. Macfarlanes also offers unparalleled community services, as deputy chairman of my school’s charity committee, helping the community is of much importance. The firm has worked with Great Ormand Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSH), advising on real estate rights and offering a workshop on commercial participator agreements. Working on projects such as this demonstrates the altruistic nature of Macfarlanes and how lawyers can make a difference. It was fascinating to discover, the high levels of responsibility that Macfarlanes offers its trainees which was proven by the Macfarlanes Virtual Experience which offered the opportunity for me to gain an understanding of the tasks undertaken by its trainees.  I found it interesting to draft amendments to a hypothetical client's Articles of Association, as it demonstrated the importance of understanding legal language whilst also further underlining the high levels of responsibility offered to trainees. Therefore, this experience is another crucial reason for my application to Macfarlanes.

I have developed a number of competencies needed to meet the demands of a career in commercial law. These include proving my ability to work in a team and manage time efficiently which has been demonstrated at university, where I have taken on many roles and responsibilities whilst managing the demands of my degree. Such roles include: being a College of St. Hild and St. Bede ambassador and an elected member of The Durham Union’s General Committee. In terms of other crucial skills, the Debating and Mooting Societies have allowed me to enhance my ability to succinctly present an argument. Furthermore, tutoring students from the ages of ten to eighteen has improved my leadership skills and ability to present complex ideas in a simple manner. Finally, a legal career also involves the need to empathise with others. I have developed this skill by being a governor of two Special Educational Needs schools, where I shape their future strategies to ensure that the pupils have the best possible experience. Therefore, this demonstrates my suitability for a career in commercial law at Macfarlanes.

Thank you for considering my application.

Yours faithfully,

[Name]

2023

Please explain why you are applying to Macfarlanes. (300)

I am motivated to pursue a career at Macfarlanes as I find its Chambers UK, band 1 corporate/M&A practice appealing. I was intrigued by the firm’s advice to Siris on its £637 million acquisition of Equiniti. I was fascinated by how the firm carried out a large-scale all-cash acquisition. My interest in this practice stems from my internship at the [redacted]. I worked on a suite of corporate authorisations and conducted due diligence of a fintech company for an M&A deal. My interest in working on such large-scale transactions draws me to Macfarlanes.

Additionally, engaging with the Macfarlanes trainee experience, I learnt how the firm’s strength in private client, litigation, M&A, and finance provides a perfect mix of services for its clients. Macfarlanes trainees have the unique opportunity to work on complex corporate transactions in one seat, while mitigating disputes for high-net-worth individuals in another. This appeals to me due to my varied interests. Interning at India’s 2nd largest national bank has piqued my interest and given me a client’s perspective in finance. Winning several mooting and negotiation competitions has furthered my interest in litigation. Thus, the opportunity to train in a mix of these practices motivates me to apply to Macfarlanes. 

Lastly, at the Macfarlanes event with the [redacted] Law Society, I learnt about the firm’s collegiate culture. The small trainee intake, closer working relationships with senior colleagues, and high levels of responsibility within cases appeals to me. I would be able to grow independently with the assurance of support in this culture. I also learnt about the firm’s affiliations with Bright Network and Rare Recruitment to help increase representation from BME communities. As an underrepresented ethnic minority, this appeals to me and motivates me to apply to Macfarlanes.

Please provide details of 1-3 achievements or activities that demonstrate the qualities we look for in a Macfarlanes trainee. You may include both academic and non-academic achievements. (300)

Time management, collaboration, and working resiliently under pressure are essential qualities for a Macfarlanes trainee. As a volunteer at the [redacted], I have developed these skills. I work on criminal and company law-related cases. I interview clients to corroborate case details and draft succinct advice letters outlining the client’s legal rights. In addition, I provide suggestions to the clients about the most commercially viable option they could undertake. I effectively collaborate and build good working relationships with my supervisors, who are practising solicitors, to produce high-quality advice letters. I have to send out the letters within 10 days of the interviews, which means keeping up with tight deadlines and often working under pressure. This has taught me to efficiently manage time while re-organising other academic and non-academic commitments to deliver the client advice letters timely.

Commercial awareness, strong communication skills, and assuming ownership of one’s work are also essential qualities as a Macfarlanes trainee. I have developed these skills as the Head of Research for the [redacted]. I created a comprehensive careers guide outlining over 20 career paths for law students. In addition, I developed an application guide with firm profiles for over 50 city law firms. The guides are accessed by over 300 students every week, and drafting them has honed my written communication skills and my commercial awareness of the legal industry. I also host a bi-weekly podcast called ‘Spotlight by [redacted]’. Here, I break down and discuss complex commercial news and terms. Through this, I learnt how commercial developments in the business world are relevant to law firms from a client perspective. Delivering the podcast has also strengthened my oral communication skills. Lastly, recording, editing, and posting an episode bi-weekly required me to proactively take ownership of my work.

Please detail a specific example or instance where you have demonstrated resilience. This example can either be academic or non-academic. (300)

Last summer, I volunteered at [redacted], an NGO aimed at solving problems for local communities in rural Karnataka, India. In the past 3 years, operational costs for small coffee farmers had increased by around 30%. I surveyed over 100 coffee farmers to identify the cause of increased costs. I learnt that the farmers over-irrigated the coffee plants, which led to excessive water usage and increased irrigation costs. I decided to tackle this over-irrigation problem.

I had to secure funding from the local authorities to fund my solution. I made a presentation to the authorities and drew parallels from how Brazil's coffee farms benefited from technological advancements and helped them become the largest coffee producer in the world. My determination and commercial awareness instilled confidence in the authorities and helped me secure funding. My problem-solving aptitude drove me to develop an innovative yet commercially viable solution. I developed an Arduino-programmed sensor. The sensor calculated the aridity of the soil with respect to the irrigation needs of a coffee plant. I then attached the sensor to the valve of the irrigation systems in the coffee farms. The sensor would shut down the water flow when the crops were irrigated. My solution helped save around 2500 litres of water per acre, translating into £750, a 25% cheaper irrigation cost per acre. 

From securing funding to developing the product and installing it on the farms, the project spanned over 10 weeks. During the project, I hit numerous roadblocks with funding, product development and gaining the confidence of the farmers. Despite the challenges, my commitment and resilience ensured the project's timely completion. Although looking back, I could have improved my leadership and communication skills. Better organised delegation of work and open communication with the farmers would have ensured smoother implementation. 

Use this section to provide details of your non-academic interests. (300)

Firstly, I have been playing cricket competitively for over 6 years. In 2021, I led my school team to the semi-finals of the National Cricket Tournament in India. Through years of practice and commitment, I have improved my game consistently. Currently, I am a part of the cricket team at university. Chasing big targets while batting and defending small scores while bowling has taught me to efficiently manage high-pressure situations. Playing with a team of 11 has improved my ability to effectively collaborate with people while taking responsibility to achieve success.

Secondly, I am very passionate about theatre. Since I was ten, I have participated in a play every year. Some of my acting highlights include playing the roles of Peter Pan, Oliver Twist, and Sir Wilfrid Robarts in Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution. I pursue acting at university too. I played the lead in a student-written play, Kenneth. With 4 hours of practice every day for 7 weeks, I did 2 shows and sold all 250 tickets. Acting has been very rewarding as I have developed empathy and adaptability by playing versatile roles. It has also strengthened my oral communication skills. 

Lastly, I actively participate in negotiation and mooting competitions. I won the [redacted] Moot and reached the semi-finals of the [redacted] Mooting Competition, held at the Royal Courts of Justice. I competently responded to judicial interventions by HHJ Baucher and received the 'Best Speaker' award. I was also the semi-finalist in the [redacted] Commercial Negotiation Competition. I am fascinated by the scope of original thought and argument analysis in such competitions. It has taught me advocacy and the skill of simplifying complex information through legal research and analytical thinking. 

2021

Please explain why you are applying to Macfarlanes. (300 words)

My first interaction with Macfarlanes was at Bright Networks Top 100 First Year Lawyers event and then at Bright Networks Festival 2019. Here, [redacted trainee], a trainee, proudly spoke of Macfarlanes’ collaborative culture and development of internal talent; the majority of partners trained at the firm. Macfarlanes’ genuine focus on the development and progression of its trainees is personally attractive. Furthermore, Macfarlanes recent strides in diversity and inclusion are commendable. I met [redacted trainee] on-campus and it was encouraging to hear her praise Macfarlanes’ commitment to D&I through progressive inclusion networks (such as Balance or REACH) and the innovative Reignite Academy. I am delighted that Macfarlanes shares my enthusiasm for leveling the playing field as [redacted trainee] later presented me with the University of [redacted] Law Society Diversity Award for my dedication to actively contributing to diversity events throughout the year. Moreover, my fellow Law Society committee executive member and future trainee at Macfarlanes, [redacted future trainee], boasted of Macfarlanes strong private client practice and lucrative corporate practice, advising on the most complex transactions. This inspired me to research further. Macfarlanes work on Visa Inc’s purchase of Visa Europe captured my interest as I have recently completed an enlightening virtual FinTech course with HKU. After completing this course, I have a greater appreciation of technology's utilisation in respect to efficiency, innovation and client pitches. Therefore, working for a firm at the cutting-edge of technology use and innovation, as demonstrated by Velocity, iDeal, and use of Kira Systems, is an exciting prospect. Finally, Macfarlanes’ commitment to CSR is compelling, especially the volunteer work at St Hilda's East Legal Advice Clinic. This pro bono work resonates with me after interning at a community interest housing association, Pathway Housing Solutions, in [redacted city] and gaining an insight into the hardship associated with housing related disputes.

Please provide details of 1-3 achievements or activities that demonstrate the qualities we look for in a Macfarlanes trainee. You may include both academic and non-academic achievements. (300 words)

Firstly, I achieved fourth place in my Contract law exam and fifth place in Tort law in first-year. This demonstrates my industrious work ethic and academic excellence. A tenacious attention to detail, in relation to a factual matrix, is a prerequisite for excelling in Contract law. These qualities translate to a commercial law environment, in that quickly solving complex issues requires the capacity to research and unravel the relevant intricacies into concise and accurate advice for a client.

Secondly, interning at [redacted] Housing Solutions developed both my teamwork and leadership skills. Here, I lead the interviewing of the founder of a successful self-build project in Leeds. Also, I directed my team, after discussion, as to the sections of the business case plan which they would personally undertake. Subsequently, and after sharing ideas within the team, I solely drafted the strategy document on collaboration for PHS. Furthermore, this experience demonstrates my desire to give back to my local community and, by extension, support Macfarlanes’ CSR projects.

Thirdly, being elected Treasurer of the Law Society evidences my intrapersonal skills. Working within the executive committee necessarily requires great communication skills, while also understanding the circumstances of others; where others are becoming overworked it is my responsibility to lighten their load and either take it on myself or distribute it to other enthusiastic committee members. Moreover, my adaptability has developed through this role, as redundancies and furlough has been prevalent throughout the Student Union this year. Therefore, using the SU credit card or processing sponsorship agreements has been extremely difficult. I managed to overcome these pressing problems through using my own account to make Deliveroo voucher purchases - for our e-dinners with law firms - and subsequently expensing the expenditure.

Please detail a specific example or instance where you have demonstrated resilience. This example can either be academic or non-academic. (300 words)

I have worked for the charity [redacted] for over 2 years, working as a kitchen assistant and domestic when necessary. In this time, I have formed meaningful relationships with residents through small talk when preparing the dining table. Conversing with residents is always interesting, however, the prevalence of dementia can make this challenging at times. The unfortunate reality is that once residents move into the home, that is where they will most likely pass away. This is a distressing prospect in itself. However, this is compounded by the company policy of not informing staff when a resident does pass away. Routinely I conduct a lunch list, which involves knocking on each residents’ door and recording their lunch preference. During a particular lunch list I knocked on the door of a certain resident, who I had formed a great friendship with (and she had confessed that I was her favourite), to find her room completely bare and empty. This was a profoundly difficult unforeseen circumstance as this was my first encounter with grief. I was able to exercise resilience and overcome this significant challenge through 'lighting a candle' on a website I had found, which enabled me to send a message that would be shown at her funeral. I hoped that this message would give some closure to her family, who had relatively little contact with her while she was at the home. I was not actually sure if the message would be sent to the funeral at the time, but I was stopped by a fellow employee some weeks later, who thanked me for writing the message. I learnt from this experience that despite the gravest challenges, there is always a way to lessen the adversity and to find a way through.

Use this section to provide details of your non-academic interests. (300 words)

At University, I am an active member of the Debating Union, where I have won an internal competition. I have also been a finalist in two competitions run by the Commercial Awareness Society, of which I am an active member of. Also, this year I co-founded the Global Law Students (GLS) society. After attending first-year schemes at global law firms I realised that the Law Society is Anglo-centric in its careers support and therefore, with a group of friends who are international students, we founded GLS - a careers society with an international society.

Arguably, the most important activity that I take part in outside of study is mentoring first-year law students as a Law Parent. Answering queries and providing specific advice is extremely rewarding as I understand how helpful it was to have a mentor while in first-year.

In relation to sport, I play for the Law Society's basketball team and after top-scoring last year, I was selected as an Intramural Sport All-Star by the IMS officers. Furthermore, I enjoy playing squash and cricket in my spare time for the University's Engage programme. During the summer, I have coached young children cricket for the past seven years. In this role I have progressed from an assistant coach to leading my own sessions independently. And, I play cricket in [redacted] First Division for my local village, where I am the wicketkeeper - an essential leadership role in the team.

Moreover, I enjoy reading, specifically dystopian fiction and also nonfiction (namely Dawkins and The Secret Barrister). Also, indulging in podcasts is a passion of mine, notably The Coronavirus Newscast (formally BrexitCast) and Law in Action, as these combine my interest in current affairs and the legal system. Finally, I find great interest in keeping up with changes in UK and US politics.

Please give details of one area of your course which you found particularly interesting and explain why? (50 words)

Currently, I'm enjoying discussing whether an interest overrides a registered disposition in land law. I find this area of land law particularly interesting due the numerous elements which could be slightly tweaked and how this would ultimately affect whether the 3rd party interest would override a registered disposition.