Billy's success story: Securing a place on an Insight Scheme at Macfarlanes

Billy is an Economics student from the University of Warwick. He secured a place on a First Year Insight Scheme at Macfarlanes in London, through Bright Network.  

First, please tell us a little bit about yourself. 

“Being a competitive cyclist from a young age, I’ve learned that one of the things I enjoy most is working in a team in a high-pressure environment.

Combined with my desire to work through intellectually challenging problems, commercial law comes across as a pretty obvious choice!”

What motivated you to apply for your role? 

"Macfarlanes was one of the first City law firms I became familiar with because of its elite reputation that sets it apart from other firms.

The chance to spend a full week inside a City law firm, shadowing trainees and working on live matters, is such a unique, invaluable opportunity.

I wanted to gain insight into whether law might be the right career path for me, and this is the only First Year Insight Scheme that truly allows you to do that.”

What was the application process like? 

“I found that the application process for Macfarlanes emphasises a genuine, well-founded interest in the firm and its work, which means you have to spend time researching the firm and demonstrating why you want to work there, which was an incredibly enjoyable process.

What’s more, having an actual interview with a real human, rather than a recorded HireVue interview, was a real bonus.

The recruitment team at Macfarlanes conducting the interviews were incredibly friendly, with the interviewers being some of the nicest I’d met.”

How did you prepare for the application? 

“I prepared with my university careers service beforehand and practiced answering common motivation questions as well as some more technical, firm-specific questions.

As soon as the interview started, I was put completely at ease and, before I knew it, time was already up.”

What are you most proud of about your experience? 

“The beginning of university was a very daunting experience, particularly from a career perspective. Right from the get-go, first-year internship applications were in full swing, and it seemed like everyone around me was already set on what their future job would be – which made me feel like I was already falling behind.

Without any real idea of what career I might be interested in, I started applying to a variety of roles that interested me and that I wanted to learn more about. It was an incredibly rewarding process, particularly coming from a position just months prior where I’d felt so clueless and out of my depth. I was proud to have been able to find my confidence and start exploring the wide range of opportunities out there.”

What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps? 

“The number one resource is other people. Whether it’s friends, fellow students, or other people in your network, there are always people you can reach out to and learn from, and it’s from talking to other humans that you learn the most and gain the best advice.

Another piece of advice would be that when it comes to written applications and interviews, you need to put in the time to research and practice, as there are no shortcuts.”

What have you learnt from going through the process? 

“One of the main things I learnt is just how many resources there are out there to help you with applications. From websites, newsletters, podcasts, university career services, the list goes on.

I’d recommend using anything and everything you have access to, and you’ll realise just how competitive an application you can craft. Above all, as long as you’re passionate and can demonstrate a genuine interest, you’ll do very well.”

Tell us about the future. What's next? 

“I’m eager to begin the vacation scheme application process, as the prospect of spending an extended period of time in an office, gaining more practical experience, and learning even more excites me.

I’m excited to continue to get stuck in with my university law society next year too, and to further build on my commercial awareness. Lastly, I’m most looking forward to going back to Macfarlanes for an application workshop and to keeping in touch this summer!”