What is your favourite time of the recruitment calendar?
My favourite part of the recruitment calendar is the campus fair season. I love going to all the universities to meet with future candidates and hear about their journeys.
Does your firm run a vacation scheme?
We have two, week-long vacation schemes that both take place in the summer. They're always at the start of June and run back-to-back, firstly in Liverpool and then in Manchester. We hold a range of talks on topics like pro bono and sustainability because we’re a B Corp organisation. The vacation schemers also spend time working at a desk, undertaking real work alongside our fee-earning teams. There are also several networking opportunities throughout the scheme – we host lunch every day and different people in the business come along to meet with the vacation schemers. There's also an inclusive social on the Thursday (it’s not centred around drinking) to get everyone really integrated.
What key skills does your firm look for in candidates when they apply?
There are three core skills that we're looking for in candidates when you apply. The first one is a growth mindset. We want to see that you can take ownership of your learning and seek out new opportunities. Secondly, we want candidates to have strong communication skills. That's not just about being able to speak to other people or writing things on paper, you must also be able to communicate deadlines and your stance on matters. Finally, we really value collaboration. At Brabners, we stand together and show that we care for each other. We need people who can come on board and immerse themselves into life at the firm.
How important is diversity and inclusion to your firm?
We've just launched a new equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy, which focuses on many different strands of the business to ensure we’re as diverse and inclusive as possible. This year we’re launching an external event series for candidates. If people want to find out more about EDI at the firm, we’ll be hosting sessions around social mobility, race and ethnicity and neurodiversity. We really want to showcase our commitment to the work in this area.
What is the most common way that candidates let themselves down in their applications?
We want to see that the application is structured correctly in terms of paragraphs and that there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Poor spelling in an application is one of the easiest ways to let yourself down because our future lawyers must have strong attention to detail. It's also the easiest thing to fix by using spell check or screen reading technology to help you spot and fix mistakes.
How important is commercial awareness and how can candidates show they have this skill in their applications?
As part of our application, we ask two questions that are focused on commercial awareness:
- Why do you want to work for a commercial law firm?
- Please can you pick and discuss a commercial matter?
We're expecting candidates to come to us with an understanding of what commercial awareness is. The best way to demonstrate commercial awareness is to take the law out of the equation. For example, a lot of people regurgitate specific laws and facts back to me but, to think commercially, sometimes you need to step back, think logically and remove the law from it. At the end of the day, you need to consider how a business works and what makes a business successful.
Before speaking to you at a law fair, how much should a candidate have researched the firm?
I appreciate that some people won't have the time to do any research. There are often so many law firms present at law fairs, so it's just not feasible for you to come in and know absolutely everything about the people you're speaking to. When people come up to me, my job at that fair is to educate you about the firm and talk to you about what we offer and what we do. We want someone to just come up to us and be enthusiastic about an opportunity with Brabners. At the bare minimum, just know we're a law firm.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying?
I'd say get involved as early as you can because it's only going to help you get that training contract later down the line. If you're a first year, attend insight programmes and open days and apply for first-year specific programmes. For example, we're launching Begin at Brabners, which is a first-year programme that’ll take place over two days in spring. After the programme you’ll be matched with a mentor and then hopefully you’ll take part in our vacation scheme in the second year and then get a training contract confirmed. It’s never too early to get involved.
Should candidates use examples of non-legal work experience in their applications?
We don't look specifically for legal work experience, so you should definitely mention any non-legal work you’ve undertaken. We appreciate that not everyone's going to have the same chances in life or the same access to legal work experience. With this in mind, we're looking for absolutely anything that demonstrates why you’re suitable for the role, whether that be volunteering or work experience schemes anywhere. Whatever you've got, bring it to the table because that’s what we assess on. When crafting your application think about how you can showcase the skills you've learned from any law or non-law related experience.
What is your dream job (other than this one!)?
My dream job is to be a Formula One racing driver. I've picked this because I can barely drive on the road in a normal car. It’s truly a dream!
