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Nowadays, there are so many easily-accessible sources that can help  you to learn more about firms. I have briefly covered some of these below, but in the other lessons in this chapter, Simranjeet Kaur Mann gives a detailed, practical example of how to use a broad range of sources to carry out in-depth research into a firm.

Online resources

You can access information on firms through a number of sources. You could start with the firm’s website, its annual report, articles it has published, press announcements and its profile on other websites. Follow the firm’s social media channels (including LinkedIn) and keep up to date with firm news relating to deals, poignant developments, awards and expansion plans. Sources such as The Lawyer (for commercial law candidates), the Financial Times and the Economist can also be insightful.

However (and this cannot be reiterated enough!), be wary of regurgitating this information without explaining why certain aspects of the firm particularly appeal to you. It is likely that the graduate recruitment team wrote at least some of the content on these research sources, so simply reproducing the information could give the impression that your research was shallow. 

Firm and industry events

Speaking to firms’ employees during campus presentations, career fairs, office visits and networking events could give you a better insight into a firm’s culture and the day-to-day life of an employee, as well as a greater understanding of industries more generally. The same goes for firm-led webinars, virtual insight days, or even interviews with employees on firm websites. Some of the information you come across may be less accessible to other candidates, so could help to set you apart when answering motivation questions. University societies may also provide unique opportunities to gain insights into industries and meet with firm representatives, so join relevant societies and get involved!

Consider requesting the email addresses of the people you talk to, or connecting with them on LinkedIn after an event. You can then reach out to thank them again for their time, thereby reminding them of your name. If you have created a strong first impression, this could help you to progress through to the interview stage, as some firms tend to flag impressive candidates on their system after meeting them in person. In that regard, I benefitted enormously from meeting a variety of firms (and their employees) at countless campus presentations, career fairs and office visits during my time at university. Some employees may even be willing to provide further advice after the event (although do not be too pushy, as these people are generally very busy). 

Top tip: as mentioned, when speaking to employees, make sure that you bring a pen and paper with you and take notes! You may not interview at that firm for another year and a half, so will likely otherwise forget all the insights you have worked so hard to pick up. People won’t think it’s weird if you write while they talk, as long as you maintain some level of eye contact and actually respond when they ask you questions. In fact, when I represented firms at career fairs and networking events, I sometimes felt like my time was being wasted if people I spoke to didn’t take notes, as I knew they would likely forget our conversation as soon as they moved onto the next employee or firm. 

Your network

Last, but by no means least, use your network. If there are students at your university that have already interned at a firm, or you have LinkedIn connections, friends, family members, careers advisers or university lecturers that have previously worked for the firm, approach them and ask if they’ll talk to you about their personal experiences over coffee.

Be sure to work on building relationships with those you meet. For example, if a contact gives you some guidance and you subsequently secure an internship or job offer, message them to thank them and keep them informed. Similarly if you find out that someone at your university has secured an internship or a graduate job at the same firm as you, get in touch before you start work in order to start building that relationship at the earliest stage possible.

As mentioned, we cover firm motivation questions in much more detail in our Law firm profiles and research course, which provides an incredibly comprehensive guide to researching law firms, identifying unique selling points, and linking these points back to yourself. In this course, we've also built up an extensive bank of in-depth firm profiles and analyses of key differentiators for 90+ leading commercial law firms and in-house teams. 

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