When pursuing a career in law, it is important to apply to firms that suit you. Initially, this may seem quite difficult to do, especially if you are trying to balance applications with degree commitments. As this is a very common problem faced by students pursuing a legal career, this article will go through some simple but effective ways to research law firms in a way that is time-efficient but also very effective.
Speaking to people at the firm
One of the best ways to get insights about life at a law firm is by talking to the people who work there. Some firms host ‘meet and greet’ events at universities, while others host open days and insight schemes that you can apply to attend. There has also been a marked increase in online Q&A events during which you can chat to people from the firm from the comfort of your own home. These events offer an excellent opportunity to talk to a variety of people who work in different roles and practice areas at the firm, helping you build your understanding of what it is like to work at the firm.
When speaking to the people at the firm, it helps to know roughly what you want to learn from them. You may want to know what they like about the firm so that you can discover new things that interest you about their work. You may also want to ask about things that you have read online. This can help you translate a few lines that you read in a firm’s press release into an understanding of a key facet of their business strategy. By focusing on what you want to learn about, you will be able to gain useful insights to expand upon in your applications, while also demonstrating that you are someone who has done their research.
One topic that generates a lot of questions at Q&A events is the application process itself. As application processes can be quite complex, it makes sense that you will want to ask about what they entail. Questions about the technicalities of the application process are best directed at members of the graduate recruitment team. They are the people who run the application process and, as such, they will be best-placed to clarify any details that you are unsure about. That said, it may still be useful to ask trainees, associates, or even future trainees if they have any tips about preparing for individual stages of the application process, as these could give you the edge that you need to secure a role at the firm.
Using online sources
Websites and online guides can provide you with a lot of information about a law firm, but it can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for when you read through them. Oftentimes, the comparative usefulness of different websites comes down to personal preference. As such, it may be useful for you to create a ‘bank’ of websites that you use when researching firms. Within this ‘bank’, you can note down what kind of information each website provides. For example, one site may be particularly useful for learning about the training provided by different firms, while another provides detailed insight into firms’ practice areas. By keeping track of the sources you use, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary googling and trawling through your browser history.
Once you have identified some firms that interest you, it is a good idea to keep track of the current work they are doing. This will not only help you gauge whether a firm’s work interests you, but it will also allow you to elaborate on these topics further in your applications and interviews. The best way to find this information is to follow law firms on social media (especially LinkedIn) and to read through press releases on their official website. At first, the content that you find through these sources will seem jargon-heavy, complex and a little overwhelming. However, if you read this content regularly and look up any terms you do not understand, you will develop a deeper understanding of the work done by these firms. This will help you flesh out your answers to application questions while also improving your understanding of business concepts that may be relevant during the application process.
Identifying a firm’s unique position
A common problem that arises in application writing is tailoring to the firm. When you first start to research law firms, they may seem broadly similar, making it difficult for you to explain why you are applying to each specific firm. However, if you structure your research and focus on areas of personal interest to you, you will find it easier to identify the features that make each firm unique.
A good place to start is looking at a firm’s competitors. A firm’s competitors may be defined by practice areas, geographic regions, culture, and clients. By comparing these details across different law firms, you will start to notice some patterns that mark out groups of law firms with similar characteristics. While these patterns may not give you definitive lists of law firms who see one another as ‘competitors’, they may help you identify which law firms are probably competing for similar work. Having established this, you can then shift your focus onto what makes these law firms different.
Differences can take a variety of forms, and it can be difficult to identify precisely what makes a law firm an attractive option for some clients and not others. However, by talking to people from the firm, paying attention to their press releases and researching any innovative new developments that they are working on, you may be able to identify a unique selling point (USP) that sets them apart from their competitors. A firm’s USP is an excellent talking point at law firm events and interviews, as it can help you learn more about how the firm generates and manages its work. Furthermore, if you are confident that you understand a firm’s USP, you can use it in your application to demonstrate your motivation for applying.
In Summary
Researching law firms is something of an art form, and it can take time to master. However, once you get the hang of it, you will notice that it becomes significantly easier to research, plan and write law firm applications over time. Hopefully, some of the advice in this article will help you become more confident when researching law firms, making the whole application process seem a little less overwhelming.
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