📩 How firms actually choose who gets a training contract

Hey

Most candidates never see what happens after they leave the room. The scoring, the conversations, the reasons one strong candidate gets an offer and another doesn't.

On 12 June at 12:00, Mark Dubes is joining us to walk through exactly that.

Mark spent over 20 years in legal graduate recruitment and has interviewed more than 10,000 candidates, including at Mayer Brown. He'll cover the full decision-making process from the recruiter's side, how applications are reviewed, how assessment centre performance is scored, what happens in debrief meetings, and how final offers are actually made.

Applications

1. Research for your applications

   Access over 20 law firm profiles, complete with breakdowns, seats, secondments, and other requirements.

2. How to research a law firm

   A 9-step law firm research checklist that shows you what to look for, where to find it, and how to use it.

3. Magic Circle Analysed Deals

   This breaks down recent transactions and explains how to move beyond simply mentioning a deal, towards demonstrating real commercial understanding and relevance.

4. Written Application Framework

   How to structure your answers, apply the rule of three and build a compelling narrative for your applications.

5. 15 Applications Sample Bundle

   15 real application answers samples from major firms along with an explanation of what worked and why

6. Securing a Vacation Scheme

   What to do if your efforts still aren’t converting, despite trying everything.

7. Application tracker, CV & Cover Letter Guidance

   Track your applications, access CV and Cover Letter templates, and more.

Psychometric Tests

1. Watson Glaser Cheat Sheet

   A clear breakdown of the key skills tested in critical thinking tests, along with where to practice, mistakes and red flags to watch out for.

Interviews

1. Commercial Awareness Starter Pack

   Guidance on how to develop your commercial awareness and a worked example showing what a strong answers looks like.

2. The Interview Question Bank

   Over 80+ interview questions asked by leading law firms.

3. Video Interview Guide

   Covering common formats, how firms assess answers, and how to communicate clearly and confidently on camera.

Work Experience

1. How to gain Legal Work Experience

   This covers six avenues you could explore to gain relevant legal work experience.

2. Virtual Work Experience

   Explore free virtual internships and DIY vacation schemes. Build real-world skills you can showcase on applications.

3. Opportunities in Law

   80+ opportunities across law firms, chambers, early-careers programmes and paralegal roles.

Studying

1. First Class LLB Notes

   Includes proven tips for managing time, revision, and exams.

2. First Class Problem Question Model Answer

   How to structure a problem question answer and showcase your legal reasoning.

3. Essay Structures

   Covers how to open with impact, write clearly and finish with a focused conclusion.

4. Oscola Referencing Cheat Sheet

   A simplified guide to OSCOLA referencing, covering how to cite cases, legislation, books, journal articles, and more.

SpaceX IPO Threatens Passive Investors

SpaceX has filed to go public, but only 4% of the company will actually be available to the general public. Since Elon Musk is claiming the entire company has a $1.75 trillion valuation, the 4% would represent $75 billion. The full company valuation would make SpaceX America’s 7th largest company.

Index funds, passive investments that track a large number of stocks, are designed such that companies with small public floats - like SpaceX will have - are automatically added to the fund. What this means is that millions of passive investors with pensions or who have regularly invested in index funds will automatically also be invested in SpaceX whether they choose to be or not.

Analysis

This is a concern because passive investment into index funds exists as a means of low-cost diversification for ordinary people, i.e. a low risk way to have your money grow relative to inflation. The risk with companies like SpaceX is that they may be overvalued, loss-making, and have questionable governance.

On questionable governance, Musk retains control of the company even though it is going partially public through special-class shares that grant him strong voting power. Whereas public shareholders own the risk but cannot influence decisions, so if Musk makes reckless choices then passive investors are trapped holding deteriorating shares in a company whose leader they cannot remove or restrain.

What does this mean for capital markets and investors?

• Index providers’ rules creates forced buying of potentially overvalued companies by passive investors who cannot opt out

• Dual-class share structures allows founders to retain control while public shareholders bear economic risk

• The passive investing model risks being overtaken by billionaire-controlled companies like SpaceX if the SpaceX public float ends up being successful

How to Use This In Applications

31 May 1859 — The clock in the tower of the Houses of Parliament was started. Big Ben will sound for the first time ever 2 months later on 11 July.

1 June 1946 — Television licences were issued in Britain for the first time; they cost £2. Broadcast receiving licenses, introduced by the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1904, became permanent in 1924. The BBC's television services, starting in 1936, were initially covered by these licenses. During WWII, broadcasts were suspended, but upon their return in 1946, separate TV licenses were introduced.

2 June 1949 — The Government of Ireland Act is passed and principally provided for the departure of Ireland from the Commonwealth but it also affirmed Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom, subject to any future referendum to the contrary.

3 June 1996 — The High Court awarded compensation to 14 police officers traumatised during the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster.

4 June 1970 — Tonga Act is passed, making the Kingdom of Tonga independent within the British Commonwealth.

5 June 2012 — This day was declared a bank Holiday to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

6 June 1844 — The Factory Act is passed, which is arguably the first health and safety act in Britain.

Want a clearer route to securing a training contract?

The Future Trainee Academy brings the full recruitment process into one place, with guidance from a recruiter who assessed 10,000+ candidates and examples from future trainees at top firms.

It covers applications, interviews, assessment centres, and more. You’ll also get a certificate you can add to your CV and LinkedIn.

When you join, you will also gain access to the Watson Glaser Practise Hub where you can practise as much as you need to comfortably pass it!