In Law, a first year placement can help open doors and make contacts for the future. Ankita, currently in her first year at LSE, worked hard to get onto the scheme at Clifford Chance. She sat down with us to tell us about her application experience.
What attracted you to Clifford Chance?
I chose Clifford Chance because of its global reach – it has thousands of lawyers working in dozens of offices around the world – and its excellent reputation. The type of work it attracts is very interesting and on a large scale.
What is the Springboard Scheme?
The Springboard Scheme is a great opportunity for a first year law student to gain some insight into the working life of a solicitor. It’s a week of shadowing, activities, case studies and seminars, plus a one-day trip to a European office – for me, that’s Paris. It also gives the opportunity to be fast tracked to a Training Contract Assessment.
Tell us about the application process
The first part of the process is an online application form and Watson Glaser critical thinking test. Then there’s a video interview. Successful candidates get invited in for an hour-long combined case study and competency interview with a Partner.
For me, the toughest part was the video interview; it is really difficult to present yourself well and naturally to a machine asking questions.
My favourite part was the interview in their offices. The way the interviewers interacted with me made the presentation feel like a problem solving task. It was a great learning experience.
What advice would you give to other applicants?
If I could redo one thing it would be to prepare and submit my application earlier. Because I left it late, I was more anxious and I think my application didn't fully reflect my potential.
You should get someone else to read your application before you send it off. For the interview, prepare with outside knowledge that you can drop in to conversation. Other than that, just be yourself.
