My name is Joanna, and I studied law at the University of Bristol. I began working at Taylor Wessing in August 2016 as a trainee solicitor within the Employment, Pensions and Mobility department.
How did Bright Network help?
I first heard about Taylor Wessing when I was preparing for the Bright Network's law festival, where we had speed networking with various firms. This gave me the chance to meet Taylor Wessing fresh off the back of sessions on networking provided by Bright Network.
Why did you choose this firm and this role?
Taylor Wessing first stood out for me because of their reputation in the tech sector, along with their fashion and luxury brands clients. After meeting the people, what stood out to me was how approachable and genuine everybody was, something which was very important to me considering the amount of time one spends with them.
Employment appealed to me because I enjoyed studying it at Bristol, it offers experience in contentious and non-contentious work, and it is very topical.
What was the toughest part of the application process? And your favourite part?
I found the toughest part writing the application itself. It can be quite difficult fitting all your research into a set amount of characters. That said, I found the questions very engaging and felt they really offered me a chance to write something distinctive which could differentiate myself from all the other applicants.
My favourite part was the vacation scheme! I worked really hard and was exhausted after the two weeks, but the work, socials and people were great. It is such an excellent opportunity to see how you fit into a firm, which I think students often overlook in the scrabble to obtain a training contract.
Were you surprised by anything in the process?
I was surprised by the lengths at which the graduate recruitment team went to put us at ease every step of the way. I really enjoyed my assessment day which definitely surprised me.
What are three top tips you would give to graduates applying now?
- Find something you really love about the firm and make sure your enthusiasm comes across (but at the same time demonstrate your knowledge of the firm as a whole).
- One tip a speaker at Bright Network taught me was to set up Google alerts for firms you are interested in. I have had alerts coming in daily for Taylor Wessing for the last three years. They help you keep on top of what the firm is doing now and gain an understanding for the law firm as a business.
- Have a flatmate interview you. A lot of my friends shied away from this because it can be embarrassing to go into interview mode in front of your friends, but if you can deal with an interview in an awkward setting, it will be less daunting in the real thing.
