Legal Training Contracts - Training Contract Applications

The three mistakes most candidates make in their training contract applications are: poor spelling & grammar, copying & pasting (from previous applications) and using inappropriate language.

Spelling & Grammar

Making spelling and grammar mistakes in your initial application for a training contract shows a real lack of attention to detail, which will reflect very poorly on you in the eyes of prospective employers. Considering the type of service that Law firms provide to their clients, attention to detail is crucial if you want to be given the chance to attend an interview.

Errors in drafted legal documents could cause great problems for a law firm, and if you have not been responsible or conscientious enough to effectively check through your application form, you cannot expect a good law firm to consider employing you.

In a profession where a firm's reputation and the perceived quality of its work are the foundations for its business success, application form errors will not be accepted.

Copying & Pasting

There are no short cuts to a well-written and well-constructed application. Cutting and pasting from one application to another is easy to spot, and is a waste of your time. This method may improve the time spent completing applications, but it will not improve their quality, and this is the key factor with training contract applications. Sending out a small number of well written, focussed applications, targeted to the firm in question, will result in more interview offers, than sending many unfocussed applications.

Inappropriate Language

The tone and style of your writing should match the purpose. The prose you will be drafting during yor training contract will be for legal documents, and your application should reflect this. Avoid using colloquial language, write clearly, be objective and do not waste time with flowery language. Get to the point.