2025

Please briefly tell us why you would like to be a Solicitor apprentice at the BBC (250 words)

Given the BBC's standing as the world’s oldest and largest broadcaster, the opportunity to contribute to its legacy of innovation and leadership in global media excites me. From defending high-profile defamation and privacy cases for Panorama to negotiating global distribution deals for popular programs like Bluey, the BBC’s legal work is uniquely diverse, encompassing a wide range of sophisticated, high-profile matters. This range of work is especially compelling as it combines my interests in law, media, and business. 

The BBC’s comprehensive training approach, spanning legal and non-legal departments, and offered in a small cohort, appeals to me. Given my experience working in small, specialised teams, I am confident I would thrive at the BBC. Due to the small cohort, I could take on early responsibility and gain broader exposure to complex legal and business challenges, especially when working within CRBA seats. This combination of legal and strategic work excites me, as it presents a unique opportunity to develop a well-rounded skill set in-house.

Finally, the BBC’s strong commitment to DEI and social responsibility aligns closely with my own values. Initiatives like 50-20-12 and BBC RAISED demonstrate the BBC’s dedication to positive social impact, a mission I am eager to contribute to. As an ambassador for (Redacted), I actively promote diversity and inclusion within the legal profession, a priority I would be excited to help advance at the BBC.

Online assessment 

This consisted of multiple different sections each covering a different area. 

• The first few questions were situational questions, which had a given scenario and 5 different options which you had to drag and drop into your order of which you were most / least likely to do. 
• There was then a section with very short scenarios and a slider bar of how you would feel / what you would most likely do. T
• here was then a spelling and grammar section, where you were given a spread of 2 documents a few times and had to answer various questions on them. This included identifying how many spelling mistakes were in the documents and typing out misspelt words in some cases. 
• Finally, there was a test of drawing conclusions and identifying assumptions. You were given a situation, and then around 5 questions below which followed the original situation and you had to determine what was correct for each relevant section.

2024

Please tell us why you’re interested in the internship scheme? In your answer, please demonstrate how your current studies, work experience or interests would equip you on the scheme?

My interest in this internship scheme stems from my visit to Shell’s legal team in London. After placing as a finalist (15th out of 2000+ contestants) in the British Inter-University Commercial Awareness Competition, I was one of six students invited to meet Shell’s legal team. During this visit, I truly learned to appreciate the charm of in-house legal teams. 

In particular, I enjoyed the heightened commercial focus of practicing as an in-house lawyer. While a private practice lawyer may become an expert at a point of law, in-house teams have an unparalleled understanding of the client and industry they operate within. This is due to the fact that they are directly employed by their client, and are able to internally analyse the company in totality. 

At BBC, I would be provided a unique opportunity to explore this interest further at one of the world’s most important media outlets. I look forward to further developing an interest in the media sector, whilst studying Media Law during my LLB later this year. In addition, I appreciate BBC’s genuine commitment to diversity displayed through the scheme, as a candidate from a minority ethnic background with a long-term health condition. 

My current role at Eversheds Sutherland includes reviewing and redacting thousands of documents. Achieving 100% on my first quality control review demonstrates my strong attention to detail. Subsequently, I was given additional responsibility; extracting contractual provisions across hundreds of employment contracts for a global financial institution. During the BBC internship, I would be able to use my demonstrated ability to fulfill all of my obligations with precision. 

In addition to my role as Law Society President (to be discussed further below in another context), my experience competing in basketball demonstrates my determination and strong drive. After committing to intensive daily training sessions for a near decade, I would compete provincially for my high school and later nationally on my university’s basketball team. As such, I will truly make the most of this opportunity if selected. 

Finally, my experience during my second year; simultaneously holding the roles of Law Society President, Islamic Society Vice-President, and LexisNexis Student Associate demonstrates my exceptional time management. After managing various teams and events alongside my studies, I led both societies to their first award-winning years whilst securing a first-class grade in my second year, including an 82 and 80 in both Land Law modules. During the BBC internship, I would be prepared to successfully manage tasks across several workstreams.

We're looking for people who work seamlessly within a team, creating an atmosphere of cooperation that aligns with our BBC values. Please tell us about a time you have demonstrated your skills as a team player who thrives in a collaborative environment?

My role as Law Society President for two years illustrates my teamwork. For some context, the Law Society would quickly emerge from a dormant state, over-tripling our average attendance, becoming the third-largest society, and winning the university’s ‘Best Academic Society’ during my tenure. Despite these facts, our committee remained a small size of four and then five members respectively. The key to our success despite such large roles was three-faceted. 

Firstly, I instilled a principle amongst our team that any task that can be done within five minutes should be done immediately. This not only prevented our obligations from becoming a mountain of work, but also allowed us to maintain pace throughout the year. 

Secondly, I held my teammates in very high regard. When working as part of the team, I always respected that everyone has their own approach to a similar task, and that a different approach is not a wrong one. I was very tactful when intervening, only doing so when absolutely necessary to provide an objective benefit. 

Finally, I held my teammates’ time in incredibly high esteem. I am well aware that a failure of my own obligations does not occur in a silo. If I fail to complete a shared obligation of the committee, this falls onto a teammate and will come at the cost of their time. While this inevitably happens (and I have happily taken on my teammates’ obligations as needed), I ensure not to do so haphazardly. 

In addition to these three lessons, my varied experience across legal employment, extracurricular positions, and sports teams will allow me to truly thrive in a collaborative atmosphere, as provided at BBC. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of media and business, innovation is everything. Please tell us about a time you’ve brought creative spark and fresh ideas to the table?

I bring an innovative approach to each of my pursuits. 

For example, during my Law Society role discussed above, I would recreate our branding materials and introduce new events such as our Lawyers Panel and Commercial Awareness Competition, heightening interest from law firms who would eventually sponsor us.  

However, in order to avoid exceedingly discussing a single role, I will instead focus on my presentation at the Senate of Canada. When I was 17 years old, I had the opportunity to work with an organisation advocating for water conservation in South Asia. I was tasked with effectively presenting to the esteemed audience. Instead of conveying my message through the traditional medium of a scripted speech, I decided to instead advocate for water conservation through a spoken word poem. The attending Senators would praise the poem and appreciated the unique approach to a very important message. 

We celebrate diversity. Please tell us what unique skills, experiences and perspective you can bring to BBC Legal and CRBA teams and the impact this will have on you? We encourage you to record a video ( no more then 3 minutes) and upload the link here. If you can not do this we can accept a written response

I bring a truly international mindset. I am a Canadian, born into a family of Pakistani heritage. Throughout my time studying, living, and working abroad, I have come to appreciate the nuances that different parts of the world bring. For example, as a Canadian I was quick to notice that solicitors and barristers are separate professions in the UK, whereas lawyers in Canada hold both roles. Similarly, during my time in a top-50 firm’s Real Estate Finance team, I had the opportunity to work on Sharia-compliant mortgage structures (Islamically permissible and interest-free financing). BBC is truly a global organisation, and my previous experiences will allow me to leverage my depth of thought and international mindset throughout the scheme.  

In addition, I am also an attendee of a non-Russell Group university. As both an international and non-Russell student, I quickly learned that I fell outside of the radar of City law firms. As a result, I had to think outside of the box to pursue my ambitions. Despite no commercial law firms visiting during my first year, I was able to secure my aforementioned experience in a top-50 law firm after cold-emailing over 40 partners whose work interested me. This taught me to identify my own unique selling points, and also to build strong relationships as required in the legal sector. After attending my placement, I would end up receiving two invites to return to the team and maintain a good relationship with the Partner to this day. During the BBC internship, I would relish the opportunity to build relationships with some of the world’s best lawyers.

Further, I have been able to leverage these relationships towards providing opportunities for my cohort. After being elected as President of my university’s Law Society (a role I held for two years following my re-election), I networked extensively with both City and high street firms to increase opportunity at my university. Despite no City firms previously working with the society, I secured over £1600 in sponsorship funds and speakers from a range of law firms and in-house teams. This included new relationships with Eversheds Sutherland, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and Blake Morgan. As a result of my impacts, I was also recognised nationally as one of 10 students across the UK shortlisted for Bright Network’s Legal Leaders award.