Freshfields’ application process: what to expect

The personal statement is all about who you are. Tell us about activities during university, your hobbies and interests, your work experience and your reasons for applying. Don’t paste a bullet-point extract from your CV.

Demonstrate you have thought about what we and our clients need, and that you have the potential to be a great trainee. It’s about more than just your academic achievements – showing us that you have a range of interests and hobbies will bring your application to life.

You should have a good idea of why you want to work at a firm like Freshfields, so make this reason clear.

Try to avoid the phrases we see all the time: ‘I enjoy being challenged’ or ‘I find the law interesting’. Instead, you could say why legal work will stimulate you and what your longer-term career ambitions are.

We already know all the facts and figures from our website so include something about Freshfields only if it genuinely supports a point you’re making.

Why does Freshfields appeal to you? Do you want to join an international firm? Or have you heard good things about us from a trainee? Be as specific as you can.

You have a limited number of words so use them effectively. We already know your name, university and grades from the personal information section, so it’s best to avoid repeating that in your personal statement.

We read a lot of applications so avoid cliché. Try not to talk about ‘honing’ your analytical skills. Avoid ‘relishing’ the chance to work on ‘cutting-edge, high-profile deals’. Find meaningful words of your own.

Keep your sentences relatively short. Long sentences can be difficult to follow.

Tone is important. Don’t be too informal – or deferential. We want your writing to reflect who you are.

Finally, structure what you say. Put what’s most important first and don’t forget to use paragraphs.

The work our lawyers produce has to be spot on. It doesn’t look good if the first document you write for us has errors.

Read out what you’ve written, edit it and edit it again. Then get someone else to read it and make suggestions.

If you’re going to claim an attribute, such as being a team player, you need to provide evidence – for example, if you play football or sit on a committee at university.

Include as much relevant information as possible – legal experience and any other relevant work, even if unrelated to law. Working part-time outside of your studies can help to show that you can juggle a busy schedule, for example.

If your exam results one year weren’t what you were expecting, explain why – and say how you’ve tried to improve things. We take this into consideration when reviewing your application.

Finally, tell us about what you do outside of work and your studies. We want to know what makes you tick. 

We’re interested in your background and experience, and in assessing your ability to put across your point of view, your eye for detail and how self-aware you are. Try to think of some examples of when you’ve pitched in to help manage something, dealt with a difficult individual, or organised a project or event. Also, try to think of times when things didn’t go well and what you did in response.

You should also think about the sort of work that Freshfields does, what being a trainee here involves and why you are well-suited. Talking to current trainees or other people at workshops and law fairs is great and there is also lots of information on our website.

For the analytical interview, read recent articles from the Financial Times or The Economist to get an idea of the political, economic and financial developments that affect our clients.

Your interview will help us see if you’re who we are looking for. Be yourself – and be open and honest about what motivates you, your strengths and weaknesses, why you want to work here and any concerns you may have. Your interview is also an opportunity for you to assess the firm: ask any questions about what we do or what working here is like and we’ll do our best to answer.

When you introduce yourself to your interviewers, you want to appear (and feel) confident, so take a deep breath, look them in the eye and smile. Try to relax! If you’re unable to answer a question, say so. We’re not trying to trick you. Make notes if you want and ask any questions you’ve prepared or thought of during the interview.

Firstly, feel proud of yourself. You have done very well to secure an interview and to get to this stage. If you are successful, you’ll get a call from one of your interviewers. The graduate recruitment team will follow up with further details.

Don’t be too downhearted if you’re unsuccessful – interview technique is a skill that needs practice, so your time hasn’t been wasted. We’ll give you feedback if you think you might find it helpful.