2025

Cover letter (300 words)

To whomever this may concern,

I am a third-year law student at the University of [redacted], and I am writing to you as part of my application to Wedlake Bell summer vacation scheme, with the hope of securing a training contract.

I am pursuing a career in law owing to the dynamic, intellectually challenging and client-centred nature of the work. Studying law at university has equipped me with essential skills such as collaboration, problem solving and flexibility, as well as time management, organisation and prioritisation when balancing this with my extracurricular activities and positions of responsibility. I have worked in various client-facing roles, making me a good communicator, listener and negotiator.

I am applying to Wedlake Bell because it offers a unique trainee experience. Firstly, the small trainee intake promotes stronger relationships between trainees. This is important to me because this fosters a more supportive and collaborative environment. Secondly, the availability of a Mentor and Trainee Buddy demonstrates the firm’s commitment to my professional development and wellbeing, which will be enhanced by the smaller intake of trainees. Finally, the 4-seat structure of the training programme encourages more in-depth, expert knowledge and suits someone like myself, who has already decided into which area I would like to qualify.

I will be suited to a career at Wedlake Bell because my grades and extracurricular achievements demonstrate my commitment to excellence and unparalleled ability to balance competing demands and be flexible. My work experience and participation in sporting teams shows my tendency to build strong relationships, seek team-based work and foster a supportive and encouraging environment.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

[redacted]

Please give details of your interests and any extracurricular activities or hobbies that you have participated in? Please include your responsibilities and level of involvement. (250 words)

I am interested in language, and have a personal goal of achieving fluency in Spanish. In pursuit of this goal, I have attained level C1 through the University of [redacted], completed pro bono translation work for IBJ Criminal Defence Wiki, and enrolled in an exchange scheme in Spain. I also teach English to native Spanish students. In commitment to our collective improvement, I dedicate time to planning bespoke lessons, and completed A1 Catalan to help build strong relationships with my students, whose classes in school are taught in Catalan.

I am also passionate about sport. To combine this passion with my interest in language, I joined a local table tennis team whilst living in Spain, where I developed my communication and interpersonal skills, as well as my ability to motivate and encourage others. During training, we share our own expertise and knowledge, and develop strategies based on our diverse strengths. At my home university, I captained the winning women’s Varsity Table Tennis Team. My responsibilities involved collaborating with the committee and liaising with players to drive club success. My goal as captain was to increase female participation and create equal opportunities for male and female players. I successfully tripled female participation and created a second female varsity team, to offer more female players the opportunity to compete. To achieve this, I analysed other societies with high female participation, and used my problem-solving skills to create innovative solutions, implement changes into our club and make a positive environment for female members.

Tell us about something you are proud of (200 words)

Last year, I reached the top 100 of England female table tennis players. To achieve this, I had to effectively balance the commitments of intense training and my degree by working efficiently, frequently reviewing my schedule, and setting advanced personal deadlines for assignments. This meant that I could adapt quickly to unexpected tasks or setbacks without having to sacrifice training often. In doing so, I learnt time-management, organisation and prioritisation skills and, as a result, remained in the top 100 for the past year, whilst also obtaining a [redacted] Scholarship and other examination prizes for my academic performance.

One challenge I faced during this process was failing to qualify for nationals. To overcome this, I remained resilient and used the failure as an opportunity to learn. After the competition, I reflected on my weaknesses and communicated these with my coach, with whom I have a strong relationship of trust and understanding. We collaborated in creating a training plan, which I regularly reflect on and communicate potential improvements to my coach. I also actively share knowledge with and seek constructive feedback from a diverse range of players to gain different perspectives and drive collective improvement.

Tell us about something which did not turn out as expected and how you dealt with this. (250 words)

In January 2022, I was rejected from the University of [redacted]. Although, retrospectively, my shock was perhaps naïve, given the high level of competition for admission, the result was nonetheless unexpected. This is because I had dedicated myself to studying and preparing for the application for most of my secondary education and onwards, and had become sheltered to the possibility that my ambition would not be realised. After receiving the rejection letter, I promptly contacted the University for feedback, which I discussed with those around me to reflect on and understand my shortcomings. The University informed me that I may be reconsidered in August 2022 should a place become available on the course and my A level grades meet the entry requirements. I committed myself to studying arduously to get the best possible results, not only to give myself the best chance of receiving an offer, should a place become available, but also to prove to myself that my hard work and dedication thus far were not superfluous without a place at my dream university. As a result of my resilience and tenacity, I was accepted via the Reconsideration Pool and commenced my law degree at the University in October that year. Since then, my motivation, passion and commitment to excellence have driven my desire to succeed and, in the recent exams, I ranked 27/232 students. I also received a [redacted] Scholarship, the [redacted] Prize and a further Examination Prize for my great results.

Please tell us about a team that you have worked in or organised. Please include details of the skills you developed whilst working in or organising the team and any challenges or difficulties that you overcame. (300 words)

During August 2024, I undertook a two-week internship at [redacted]. The interns, as a team, were asked to prepare and deliver a presentation about the firm, as if pitching it to a client. I volunteered to take a leadership role, because I wanted to develop my delegation skills. When delegating responsibility, I focused on individual strengths. I took on the role of researching the firm’s values and how these would improve the client’s service, because I had recently completed some pro bono research and felt that research was one of my strengths. In contrast, I gave the task of promoting the firm over its local competitors to someone who lived in the area, as I felt that they, unlike myself, possessed relevant knowledge to provide an excellent answer. As a leader, I developed my ability to delegate and manage and motivate others. I also established clear and regular channels of communication by creating a group chat, a shared area to upload our work to and scheduled meetings to share our knowledge. In doing so, I strengthened my ability to communicate effectively, encourage the communication of others and adapt to different working and communication styles. During the project, I faced the challenge of resolving conflict. Two interns disagreed on how we should present our findings. I asked each person in the group to express their perspective and listen to others’, so that we could understand and include everyone, and work cohesively to resolve the conflict. To solve the problem, I suggested a compromise that incorporated both viewpoints, as I felt that a combination of both would create the most positive outcome. I learnt how to be flexible, pragmatic and considerate. As a result, we received excellent feedback on our presentation and built long-lasting relationships with each other.

2024

Cover letter (300 words)

Dear Ms Hale,

I am interested in pursuing a career in commercial law for the prestige, client focus and intellectual stimulation it entails. Previous work and academic experience induced me to enrol on the PGDL, which I found satisfied my innate curiosity and desire for challenge. Post-PGDL, I joined the legal recruitment firm [rec firm], where I specialised in banking and finance. In [rec firm’s] banking team, I discovered an interest in employment and finance law. While I appreciated the commercial and people-focused nature of this position, I missed the intellectual challenge that came with legal problem-solving. Consequently, I cemented my commitment to a career in commercial law by leaving [rec firm] to enrol on the LPC with an MSc in Law & Business.

I am drawn to Wedlake Bell for its practice area specialisms and training style. Given my interest in finance and employment law, Wedlake Bell’s expertise in these areas is appealing, especially its tier-one-ranked debt recovery practice. I want to work at a firm where I can develop the best understanding and proficiency possible in my areas of interest. I will be well placed to do this at Wedlake Bell, under the supervision of skilled associates and experienced partners. Wedlake Bell’s focus on giving its trainees a high degree of responsibility is equally appealing. I discovered at [rec firm] that I excel when provided autonomy. However, I am also reassured that I will be well adequately supported at Wedlake Bell, given its A* ranked peer support and partner approachability.

I believe the client focus, resilience, research acumen, commercial awareness and intellectual capability that I have shown throughout my academic, professional and extra-curricular life will enable me to flourish and become a valuable team member at Wedlake Bell.

Yours Sincerely,
 [candidate]

1. Please give details of your interests and any extracurricular activities that you have participated in? Please include your responsibilities and level of involvement. (250 words)

I have held many extracurricular positions of responsibility. These range from sixth form, where I was elected head boy, through to university, where I was elected president of the English society, appointed columns editor of the university magazine and then elected editor-in-chief. Under my editorship, the magazine received a Student Union trophy.

In addition to the mentioned positions, I was re-elected as course representative for all three years of my undergraduate degree. In my final year, I was appointed senior course representative and co-chair of the Staff-Student Liaison Committee.

Additionally I frequently engage in wild camping. I love wild camping for the beauty that the outdoors brings, the preparation and planning involved and the practical problem-solving required. The excursions I and my friends take to wild camp are often multi-day trips to places such as Dartmoor, the lake district or Mount Snowdon. The inclement weather and duration of these trips require careful research and planning, not just in terms of selecting camp sites and a route, but also in identifying the right equipment to take on the trip. Packing this equipment in the most efficient and logical manner is also rewarding, as I enjoy the sense of satisfaction derived from correctly coordinating and stowing my kit.

2. Tell us about something you are proud of. (250 words)

I am most proud of my extra-curricular role of co-chair of the Staff-Student Liaison Committee and senior course representative. I held these roles during the initial onset of COVID-19. Faculty and students alike were grappling with the challenges of online study. Frustrations on either side reached a breaking point in the first term. The student body wanted to be entitled to unlimited self-certified extenuating circumstances claims ('ECs'). These would allow them to defer their assessments at their own discretion. When I communicated this desire to the faculty their response was outright refusal. Understandably, the faculty, who were striking due to workload the year previous, did not want their carefully planned deadline matrix disrupted.

Nonetheless, I felt obligated to continue to try for another solution. I negotiated with the faculty for a more balanced remedy. Alongside moral and practical considerations, I highlighted their commercial interests in maintaining the reputation of their courses and the university. My appreciation for the faculty’s difficult position enabled me to negotiate a compromise for a limited, but useful, number of self-certified ECs to be awarded to each student. This was a practicable solution for the faculty that alleviated the pressure on the student body.

3. Tell us about something which did not turn out as expected and how you dealt with this. (250 words)

Perhaps the most challenging difficulty I have faced was not receiving my predicated grades of AAA at A level. I put significant effort into studying for my subjects and I missed out on my predicted grades in part due to mitigating circumstances and in part due to bad luck. While I achieved my predicted grade in Economics, I was one uniform mark score off the A grade boundary for English Literature. Unfortunately, the remark my teacher requested did not shift my score. As for Biology, I fell below my predicted grade due to a serious car crash that occurred outside of my exam hall. This hindered my performance on the exam. As a result, I received a C grade rather than my predicted grade of A. After discussing this with my school exams officer, I was advised that any considerate marking measures used would be unlikely to push my grade up to an A.

I decided that I would vindicate my capacity for English Literature through my degree in the subject and I elected to retake Biology the following year, alongside my first year of undergraduate studies. This latter choice required resilience and determination. Less than a month after my first year finals, I would need to resit my Biology exam. I also committed to self-studying, which required discipline and focus. My determination to have my results accurately reflect my capabilities paid off when I achieved a first-class honours in my degree and an A grade in Biology.

4. Please tell us about a team that you have worked in or organised. Please include details of the skills you developed whilst working in or organising the team and any challenges or difficulties that you overcame. (300 words)

In my final undergraduate year, I was elected as editor-in-chief of the university magazine. I managed and had overall responsibility for the website, finances, social events and print editions of the magazine. This required a great deal of organisation and attention to detail. I edited the print edition articles personally, directed our designers and liaised with the printers. This role developed a number of my skills, but most importantly it cemented my ability to act cooperatively as a team player. Supporting and leading my writers and editorial team was essential to ensuring the magazine’s functionality. I learned to listen to my team, identify their pain points and take proportionate action. There were times when this required picking up the workload of my fellow team members, when they were ill or otherwise indisposed. At other points, I had to learn to delegate and trust my editorial team, often because they understood their sections and the subject matters they and their writers were working on better than I could.

Moreover, managing the magazine often intersected with crisis management. An event where a writer plagiarised another external writer’s article saw me successfully negotiate with the offended third party and reconcile consequent internal disagreements. I decided that, instead of trying to deny or retrospectively edit the article, showing integrity by admitting the offence and giving a formal apology would be both the most prudent course of action and the most moral response. Despite my editorship occurring during the turmoil of covid, we won a Student Union trophy for the quality of our work and the communal atmosphere we fostered.