When carrying out firm research and articulating your answers to firm motivation questions (or the “why the firm” section of a cover letter), don’t focus on fairly generic attributes and insights that merely reflect a quick skim of the firm’s website and marketing materials. Instead, try to identify features that genuinely and convincingly distinguish the firm. 

Note that it’s fine to mention certain features that apply to a few other firms, as long as the selection of factors you highlight cumulatively point only to the relevant firm. With this in mind, here are three key points you should always keep in mind when working on answers to “Why this firm?”.

1. State the selling point

Make sure the selling point is clearly highlighted.

“The firm’s leading finance practice appeals...”

“I am attracted to the firm’s uniquely flexible training contract…” 

2. Show your research

This part should always be firm-specific.

“…as demonstrated by its Band 1 Chambers ranking / its role advising on [brief overview of high profile finance deal] / its receipt of [finance-related award]…

“…including the opportunity to apply for 3 month seats across dozens of practices…”

3. Explain why this selling point specifically appeals to you

Tell the firm why you care. Why the selling point aligns with or links to your interests, motivations or ambitions. Why it will provide a better training experience than the firm’s competitors are able to offer. 

When doing this, you could link the selling point back to a previous experience, which could demonstrate that you have related interests, or have enjoyed experiencing a similar selling point in a different context. Alternatively, you could look to the future and highlight why the selling point will add value to your training experience.

Linking to a past experience: “…given the interest in finance I developed through taking optional finance modules at university / completing finance courses online / carrying out finance-related work during a placement”

Reflecting on your future training: “…as this indicates I would have a better opportunity to find the area of law that truly aligns with my skills and interests before qualification / as this would provide a holistic understanding of how the different practices collaborate on complex legal matters, making me a more well-rounded lawyer early on in my career”

Now, this last part is important, but people often lose sight of it. Whilst it might make sense to discuss the firm’s culture, values, reputation and approach to training – as these factors are likely to have an impact on your day-to-day training experience from the outset – it often wouldn’t make sense to discuss a firm’s revenue or profitability, as this most likely won’t impact you as a junior (assuming you’re not being offered an ownership stake in the business!). 

With the above in mind, this chapter sets out some of the factors that you may want to keep in mind when considering your personal reasons for applying to a particular firm. Note that these are just a handful of examples to guide you. This list is by no means exhaustive, so it’s imperative that you carry out thorough research and reflect upon your personal motivations so that you can relate the firm’s (ideally unique) selling points back to yourself.