It's an exciting time to be an NQ

You’re entering the final stretch of your Training Contract and qualification in August or September is within sight. It’s an exciting time isn’t it?

Hopefully, so. For most, it’s also an uncertain one – principally because they’re not sure which firm will be their home as an NQ.   

So, it’s June. Where are we now?

The most commercially savvy trainees are exploring the wider market around them - even if staying where they are is on the table. The critical question is invariably this: “where will best enable me to develop as a lawyer in all the ways I would ideally like to in the next few years?”. And they realise that they’ll be best placed to answer it with the knowledge and experience that comes with having visited other firms and met with other partners. Life decisions don’t come much bigger than this, so putting yourself in the strongest position possible to make it, makes sense.

Interviews come next. If they’re not pencilled in yet, they’ll likely be on the horizon. What should you be doing now ahead of them?

If you know the partners you’ll be meeting, then know as much as you possibly can about them, their work, their publications and presentations and their practices in the context of the wider team (and, if applicable, group). Anything that can be found online is fair game.

If you haven’t yet got such specifics to shape your preparation around, what can you do to get ahead? Lots.

Thinking through and planning (and then ideally practising) answers to some universally applicable questions is a smart starting point.

The questions in our new infographic here fit the bill.

Obvious questions you might say. But not necessarily easy to answer on the spot, and because they’re obvious and materially central to your ability, character and experience, the expectation can be that you should be able to answer them really slickly. Prepared, structured answers to these will be applicable to numerous variations on them and knowing you have them to deploy should be a real source of confidence.

Over the coming weeks, we’re also going to be answering them. Watch out for them, use them and let us know what you think of what you see.

At this stage your CV will likely form a foundation for a good part of the interview. So know it inside-out. Be prepared to talk about your education and your choices along the way - Why Law? Why choose to train at the firm you have?, for example.

Be hotly prepared to talk fluidly and in detail about the key pieces of work you've been involved in during the seat most relevant to the position you’ve applied for. The essential facts are a given, but you’ll really be able to score points if you can then take things further: expand on the technical detail and show the ability to understand the wider concepts involved and the wider commercial backdrop. Could you discuss why what was done was done and how it influenced the ultimate outcome of the matter and the broader client relationship? If a problem arose, what was it, how might it have been dealt with, how was it dealt with and why? After all, part of being a great lawyer is understanding the client, as well as just the law.

For further advice or if you have any questions, then don't hesitate to contact me at andrew@douglas-scott.co.uk