As part of the application process for law firm open days and law firm insight schemes, you will likely be asked to explain your motivation for applying. You may also be explicitly asked what you hope to gain from the experience (but if you're not, I still think it's worth allocating some of the word count to explaining this).
Now, there's no objective way to structure a question like this. The content will depend on how the question is phrased, the word limit you are given, and whether you know what the day will include.
As a starting point, Hannah Salton - former Magic Circle recruiter and author of Graduate Careers Uncovered - acknowledges that "there are many different, valid reasons why you might want to attend an open day. The key to answering this question is to be honest and specific. Avoid general statements such as 'I'm interested to learn more.'"
With this in mind, I'll now attempt to give some examples of what a solid answer might include.
So, why might you be applying for an open day or insight scheme?
1. To learn more about the career
Some might be tempted to simply state that they want to "learn about the career". However, I think this could suggest that you don't really know what lawyers do and don't yet have much motivation to train as one.
Consider articulating your point in a way that suggests you do have an idea of what the career involves, and are fairly convinced that the career is for you, but now want want to explore this interest further. This would likely come across as more positive (and in turn, make you seem like a better investment for the firm's time and resources).
For example, you might say something to the effect of "I would appreciate the opportunity to build on my understanding of what the career entails, including what key commercial law firm practice areas do day-to-day, and what the role of lawyers can involve at different levels of seniority".
When might these points be relevant to mention? Well, these are fair points to make if you know that you'll have opportunities to attend presentations about the role of lawyers, ask questions, and meet the firm's employees.
2. To learn more about the firm
Next, you could focus on your desire to further explore your interest in the firm.
Simply suggesting that the experience will provide you with the opportunity to get to know the firm from scratch won't demonstrate any initial motivation, which won't make you stand out.
Similarly, whilst you could also potentially mention that these insights could help you to make a more informed decision about where you want to apply for vacation schemes or training contracts, statements such as this might indicate that you haven't done much research yourself and are therefore not currently that interested in the firm.
As with the point above, it's better to suggest that you have already done your research and through this, cultivated an interest in the firm (and would simply like to learn even more, first-hand). A more positive approach - if you have space - could be to then mention some of the reasons why the firm stands out to you at this stage (on that note, see our law firm profiles for examples of USPs for 100+ law firms and legal teams).
As a slight caveat, Hannah Salton warns that you should "be mindful not to slip into answering a totally different question however - if you are talking about what makes the firm stand out, be clear about how this links with your motivation to want to attend the open day/insight scheme".
When might these points be relevant to mention? Well, discussing firm motivation in particular makes sense if you know that there will be workshops on the firm's work/clients/practice areas, opportunities to network with its lawyers, or the chance to experience the firm’s culture and working environment first-hand (for example, if there will be work shadowing).
3. To develop professional skills
Another potentially relevant reason for applying to open days and insight schemes could be to develop your professional skills.
These types of experience can often include skills-based workshops or exercises designed to simulate the work carried out by commercial lawyers, for example negotiation exercises, case studies, group projects, and so on.
Such experiences can help to develop your legal and commercial acumen, your problem-solving and communication abilities, and your team working, negotiation, and presentation skills (not to mention your professionalism and networking skills, assuming you'll be immersed in the firm's culture and meeting many of its people).
4. To improve your CV
Finally, you could mention that you are attracted to the opportunity to improve your CV through bolstering your work experience. After all, experience at the type of firm you want to work at can add real credibility to your application.
Of course, any open day or insight scheme could help you to subsequently get a foot in the door at other firms. However, I think it's probably better to convey that the main reason you want the CV boost is so that you will have a better chance of securing a job at this firm further down the line.
Perhaps you could say something like "The opportunity to improve my standing as a candidate also appeals, given my keen interest in applying for a vacation scheme further down the line".
This point may well be covered by the above three points however, as demonstrating that you've learned about the career, got to know the firm, and developed professional skills will naturally improve your CV.
As a quick word of warning, remember that others will read this article (hopefully anyway!), so please don't simply copy/paste wording from the above. The last thing I want is for my readers to get caught out for plagiarism! I wrote this article simply to give you some points to reflect on.
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