2025

Being ambitious for success is one of the core elements of the Gateley Team Spirit. Provide an example of when you have been ambitious for success. (200 words)

I attended a conference with a client who was under investigation for (redacted). After hearing her account, I immediately recognised that her conduct did not amount to (redacted) and that the allegation was likely a severe misunderstanding.

Previously advised by another firm to provide a ‘No Comment’ interview upon her arrest, my client’s account was not on record with the police. Recognising that her detailed account and supporting evidence could significantly alter the investigation, I contacted the investigating officer to arrange a further interview. I drafted a comprehensive 25-page prepared statement with numerous corresponding exhibits to ensure my client’s account was thoroughly considered. I obtained medical records, call logs, and messages spanning over five years, presenting this evidence to the police during the interview. As a result, the investigation was swiftly closed with No Further Action taken.

By recognising an opportunity to expedite the closure of the investigation, I engaged in intense preparation to secure a successful outcome for my client. This experience demonstrates my ambition for success and my commitment to achieving the best possible results. 

Please describe a situation where you took responsibility and were trusted to do. What were the challenges involved and how did you overcome them? (200 words)

During my role as a paralegal at (redacted), I took on significant responsibility by contributing to one of the firm's most notable cases. This involved supporting conferences that addressed multi-jurisdictional issues between Dubai and the UK. I represented the firm at these conferences alongside our director, engaging with prominent attorneys in Dubai.

The role required me to quickly learn about the law and its application within different market conditions and jurisdictions. To overcome this challenge, I conducted extensive research to understand how legal frameworks apply across various markets. I delved into the relevant laws in Dubai and collaborated with colleagues who had a deeper understanding of the legal landscape there.

I prepared detailed briefs and consistently sought feedback and guidance from the Director to ensure my research was both relevant and accurate. This process of research, collaboration, and refinement helped me overcome the challenges posed by the complex legal issues at hand.

By taking responsibility for this critical aspect of the case, I demonstrated my ability to handle significant tasks independently and effectively. This experience not only enhanced my legal knowledge but also honed my skills in research, collaboration, and effective communication.

Please tell us what we would be most interested or surprised to know about you. (200 words)

I am the current president of the (redacted) Society at (redacted) University. In this role, I am responsible for listening to and amplifying the voices of Jewish students. Recognising that Jewish students felt their voices were previously unheard on campus, I sought to address this issue effectively.

I engaged in meetings with the Chancellor of the University and successfully advocated for the appointment of a University Chaplain to offer support and counselling to Jewish students. Following my meetings and submissions on behalf of the Jewish Society, the University committed to broader support initiatives and greater engagement with the Jewish community.

Through these efforts, I have demonstrated effective leadership and the ability to navigate complex political and social topics with respect. My role has honed my skills in advocacy and negotiation.

This experience has been incredibly rewarding and has reinforced my commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. I believe this demonstrates my dedication to making a positive impact and my ability to lead with empathy and determination.

Please explain why you have decided to pursue a career as a solicitor? (250 words) 

My decision to pursue a career as a solicitor began after I established a podcast during my A-Levels, which sparked my interest in debate and the criminal justice system. I engaged with (redacted) leaders, a (redacted) lieutenant, and (redacted) leaders of various faiths to understand their perspectives. This experience taught me the importance of diversity of thought and how to respond creatively and respectfully in challenging circumstances.

This passion evolved into a desire to undertake meaningful work and make a difference in people’s lives. I started by working for a Not For Profit organisation, assisting vulnerable clients in obtaining non-molestation orders, child arrangements orders, and other vital services.

My experiences solidified my ambition to become a solicitor, driven by my love of advocacy, making a difference, and creative problem-solving. I became particularly passionate about commercial law because businesses are powerful agents for change, growth, and development. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer highlights that businesses are expected to lead on innovation and are trusted more than governments to drive social change.

The most significant global changes often occur through the private sector. I am inspired to work with leading businesses to deliver impactful change. While lawyers are often seen as problem solvers, commercial law offers the unique opportunity to drive change proactively, not just respond to it.

2023

Please explain why you have decided to pursue a career as a solicitor in a legal and professional services business? (200 words max)*

I have recently begun in a career change into law after spending two and a half years in the renewable energy sector. Though I’ve always been confident in my analytical ability, holding a position of responsibility at [redacted business in the energy sector], then a fast-growing business, gave me the chance to combine that ability with leadership and interpersonal skills. This, coupled with a long-term fascination with the law (evidenced my work experience at my local court whilst still at school) and a desire to collaborate in an intellectually stimulating environment, has made a legal career my natural next step.

Having recently met Gateley at a law fair, learning that the legal and consultancy arms of the business were fully integrated cemented my desire to apply. Being able to collaborate with experienced consultants, as well as lawyers, to provide holistic advice is incredibly exciting. I am particularly interested in Gateley’s regulatory work. It gives the opportunity for a detailed understanding of a client’s needs and operations as well as the regulatory regime it operates within. Gateley’s joint legal and professional service expertise lends itself well to this kind of work. It is a place where I know I would thrive.

Being ambitious for success is one of the core elements of the Gateley Team Spirit. Please provide an example of when you have been ambitious for success (200 words max) *

A proven example of my ambition for success is my first year at [redacted energy business] as an Energy Specialist. As someone whose suffered from a mild stutter since childhood, complete fluency was often difficult. This made working in a frontline customer-facing role at [redacted energy business] extremely challenging to begin with. Dealing with distressed, vulnerable, or angry customers often triggered stuttering episodes. In rare cases I was even discriminated against. However, I didn’t let this impede my ambition to succeed. I endured those tough initial months, and with support from an understanding manager, my confidence in the role increased dramatically.

This had a markedly positive impact on my stutter both inside and outside of work. My success in the role culminated in winning the ‘Energy Specialist of the Year 2019’ award, out of a team of approximately 400. I later progressed onto to secondments with the Ombudsman complaints team, managed training for new joiners and eventually spent a year as a Team Leader. These experiences taught me that personal and professional growth only occurs if you force yourself out of your comfort zone to take on new challenges. Gateley’s emphasis on ambition also indicates the company recognises this too.

Please describe a situation where you took responsibility and were trusted to do. What were the challenges involved and how did you overcome them? (200 words max) *

As a Team Leader at [redacted energy business], I was responsible for communicating company announcements and policy changes to my team. Tariff increases were especially unpopular as they resulted in a large influx of frustrated customers, resulting in a hit to team morale. If not dealt with swiftly, productivity also suffered.

I prevented this in my team by engaging my team, in detail, with the business rationale for the change. [redacted energy business]’s pricing structure was unique within the residential sector because it only offered one single tariff for all the 1.7 million homes it supplied (as opposed to a multitude of fixed-term tariffs), making it vulnerable to the volatility inherent the wholesale energy market (this is the main reason the company went bust in November 2021).

With reference to company figures, I showed that it wasn’t possible for [redacted energy business] to simply absorb these increased costs – for example between March and May 2021 alone wholesale energy costs rose by 29%. I also helped my team develop strategies for dealing with queries about the tariff change, such as emphasising times when [redacted energy business] had reduced its tariff in response to lower wholesale costs. These presentations were noted in my quarterly review for their clarity and the positive impact on my team’s performance which, unlike others, didn’t decline because of the tariff change.

2022

Why have you decided to pursue a career as a solicitor in a commercial law firm? (200 words max)*

My interest in commercial law was sparked by working closely with faculty when running university events such as open days and induction days. Through my involvement in customer service, I had become indirectly involved in the marketing of the university. For example, I organised a speed networking event within a tight budget. This experience I believe contributed greatly to my commercial acumen and interest in commerce.

I then went on to gain experience in different legal electives and found my commercial law electives more engaging than the Human rights elective I took during undergraduate degree. I enjoyed learning how business drives the economy and how the law impacts these enterprises. My curiosity led me to complete I further went on to complete online courses on topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Legal Technology and staying updated with the news through the Financial Times daily news. Learning about the impact of commercial law, strengthened my desire to pursue a career at a commercial law firm. briefing podcast and using Watson's Daily News mobile application.

I built on my theoretical interest by taking up also had the chance to complete 5 different commercial law work placements in national law firms, regional ones and an international law firm, [redacted]. I found the variety of legal work required as well as the collaborative and rapidly changing nature of the field enticing, which helped me solidify my decision to pursue a career as a solicitor in a commercial law firm.

Why have you chosen to apply to Gateley? (200 words max)*

My interest in Gateley stems from the firm's focus on residential and commercial development, acting for 18 of the top 20 largest UK house builders, including Barratt and Bellway. Having completed an internship in this area, I was involved in contract drafting and enjoyed the complexity of the legal work governing a large infrastructure projects. I have thus fostered an interest in this area field and have chosen to complete an advanced commercial property elective at BPP.

Gateley's trainee intake of 25 across offices with a wide trainee seat rotation is appealing to me. The comparatively small trainee intake means that I would be exposed to a range of legal and non-legal responsibilities which would benefit my professional development. I would also build on my commercial acumen when engaging with Gateley's non-legal arms.

I was also interested to see that Gateley has an office in Dubai which could is bound to grow with the recent changes in the UAE business laws. Having completed internships in Dubai and being bilingual, I am excited by the prospects of liaising with the firm's Dubai office.

Provide an example of how you made a positive contribution to a team and what the outcome was. (200 words max)*

I recently took part in a Model United Nations (MUN) 3-day conference, where I was working with 35 students and graduate representatives from 15 different countries. Our task was to collaborate with culturally diverse students to find resolutions to the social and economic causes of poverty. The process was challenging; There was a heated discussion on whether the MUN fund and policies should be more geared to health or education. I took charge of the situation and first asked the chair to give us a 10-minute break to cool-off. I then addressed the delegate groups separately. I used my cross-cultural awareness by actively listening and taking notes of what the delegates were saying, while also emphasizing that we had a common objective. I used affirmative language and nodded to encourage others to speak. I enjoyed facilitating clear communication among difficult delegates who remained at odds and the thought of completing the project energized me to continue despite the initial challenges. I felt a great sense of satisfaction our resolution paper was passed by the chair and I won the Honourable Mention award at the conference for my contributions and diplomacy skills.

Gateley people are forward-thinking and problem solvers. Describe the challenges and opportunities that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented to a business such as ours? (200 words max) *

Unlike traditional law firms, Gateley is able to capitalize on the change in consumer behaviour. The crippling effect of COVID-19 on the economy has meant that clients are more cost-conscious and there is increased need for the commoditization of legal services. Gateley, through having arms such as Gateley Capitus (tax advice) and Gateley Hamer (property consultants), is able to attract the majority of clients, who are looking for a one-stop shop. The challenge for Gateley would be to compete with the Big 4, who have also adopted this strategy to attract clients.

Covid-19 has also led to many retailers and restaurants to go into administration, with decreased consumer spending and reduced footfall as a result of restrictions. In June 2020, the UK passed the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act to enable flexibility for financial distressed companies. The increased activity in this area, means a need for advisory work in this sector. Firms like Gateley, who have not extremely focused on restructuring may lose out on such work, to firms who are specialist in these sectors. Moving forward, there can be more aggressive prominent advertising and expansion of Gateley's insolvency team and associated services alongside an investment in the latest legal technologies.

Being ambitious for success is one of the core elements of the Gateley Team Spirit. Please provide an example of when you have been ambitious for success (200 words max)*

One of my most ambitious projects was founding the university's law and politics legal department newsletter. I was in charge of setting up an editorial team, coming up with topics, selecting articles and managing the entire project.

At the start of the project, students were not enthusiastic about taking part in the newsletter, thereby making it difficult to formulate a strong hard-working editorial team and receive submissions from students all over campus. In addition to this, when the small team of 7 was set-up, it proved challenging to meet up due to our tight overlapping schedules. I worked on advertising the newsletter through conducting an interactive graphic presentation in every cohort explaining the merits of the project. I ensured prompts were being sent to serve as guidelines to encourage student participation. Furthermore, I decided to conduct virtual meetings and created google documents to track progress.

As a result of my efforts, I was able to attract 35-strong candidates for editorial and writing positions for the newsletter. In support of my initiative, the university agreed to sponsor the printing of 50 copies to be distributed around campus. As a trainee at Gateley, I believe I would be able to oversee ambitious projects and maintain a resilient attitude until they are complete.

Describe a situation where you took responsibility and were trusted to do. What were the challenges involved and how did you overcome them? (200 words max)*

During my undergraduate degree, I volunteered to run the [overseas nation] cultural booth , but the university was planning to stop funding and upholding the booth. This was because the funds were being mismanaged, leading to waste and very few visitors stopping by. The challenge was ensuring that within the strategy I had adopted, there was minimal waste and that I was environmentally conscious throughout my planning. I focused on being cost effective by connecting with a wholesale retailer that sold [overseas nation’s] food items at competitive prices. I established a relationship with the seller and asked them to connect me with another retailer who rented cultural items. Through applying my negotiation skills, I was able to rent the items at a discount. One of the ways in which I made the booth more engaging and environmentally friendly was to serve the food in sample size portions and in washable fibre containers, so that more visitors would be encouraged to experiment, and I could limit waste. As a result, there was zero waste, I managed to successfully run the booth using only 45% of the allocated fund and was nominated to run the booth for 3-consecutive years by supervising faculty.