Why would you like to work for Norton Rose Fulbright and the Newcastle Legal Services Team, and why do you think you would be a strong addition to the team? (500 words)

I would like to join the Norton Rose Fulbright Newcastle Legal Services Team as I am eager to begin my legal career with a forward-thinking, global firm which will provide opportunities for career development. Working in a top-10 firm will bring unique and exciting challenges within a dynamic field, which will allow me to develop my knowledge in a breadth of practice areas. 

I have been interested in commercial law since undertaking various commercial work experience programmes and enjoy the interaction of the law and business in this area. Having recently undertaken work experience with [redacted], I gained invaluable insight into several different practice areas in a global firm and enjoyed delivering a pitch to partners; I look forward to being able to further these skills as a paralegal.

Being a part of the Newcastle Legal Services Team would offer a variety of chances for me to expand my horizons, such as undertaking secondments or placements and working with lawyers on a variety of projects. I like that paralegals have the chance to advance their career as either a Senior Paralegal or through the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship, as I would be looking to progress to qualify as a solicitor with a firm which is willing to invest in me. I believe I would be a valuable long-term addition to the team and have the potential to become a real asset to the firm. I am open to learning new things and experiencing cutting-edge technology. 

Throughout my education, I have developed excellent time management and organisational skills by balancing my studies with part-time work, volunteering, and extra-curricular activities. I also held positions of responsibility during school, including being a prefect and captaining the [redacted] team, and completed all three Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, showing commitment to each of these roles. At university, I have demonstrated aptitude in written work and attention to detail, winning scholarships and prizes. These include the [redacted] Scholarship, the [redacted] Grant, the [redacted] Prize and the [redacted] Prize. 

My involvement in volunteering began during DofE, and I recently was a trained volunteer with the [redacted] in [redacted], supporting family members, witnesses, and other attendees of [redacted]. I enjoyed being able to give something back to the local community and building rapport with different people. The role required effective teamworking with other volunteers and court staff, as well as taking initiative and individual responsibility, and problem-solving when on duty alone.

I have played hockey for over 10 years and hold a committee position as Social Secretary for [redacted], consisting of organising social events for the club which has over 300 members. My role mainly involves liaising between members and venues to ensure our socials are well-run. I thrive in a team environment; this has translated into my part-time jobs, where I am effective in working with others to deliver the best possible service and adapting to manage stressful, busy periods.

Our thoughts

Positives

• This answer gets straight to the point, with a nice introductory sentence, and maintains a clear structure throughout. 
• The answer covers - at least to some extent - the various components of the question.
• It is also very well written, without glaring typos.
• It shows good research when mentioning specific opportunities such as the opportunity to secure promotion to "Senior Paralegal" or to join the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship.
• The applicant mentions a number of key transferable skills, with time management/organisation skills and attention to detail being key for paralegals.

Potential points for improvement

• Paragraph 1 is quite limited in terms of why NRF appeals more generally, and this isn't really covered elsewhere. 
• In paragraph 2, the applicant talks a lot about exposure and insights, but then says they would like to develop "these skills" further (having not really mentioned skills).
• In para 3, the applicant doesn't give that much detail about what the specific role involves and why the role appeals, other than broad statements around opportunities to learn. In places, it comes across quite clearly that the applicant sees this as a "stepping stone". The application was successful so this was clearly ok, but might be risky in similar applications for other paralegal roles.
• The applicant also doesn't discuss why Newcastle appeals, which might have been a nice addition.
• The applicant could mirror the wording of the question more, just to emphasise that the application was specifically drafted for the role. For example, they could have started paragraph 4 with something like "I think I would be a strong addition to the team because of the transferable skills I have gained through my experiences to date. For example...".