Finalist undergraduate law student Simran Kaur Momi secured a training contract at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP following a vacation scheme with the firm last summer. Inspired by her experiences and recognising that she could, along with other Kent Law School students in a similar position, share her insights with her peers, Simran designed and delivered a series of workshops on ‘How to secure a training contract.’
Simran explains the initiative below:
‘Applying to top city law firms and pursuing a career in commercial law can feel daunting. However, with the support of mentors and UKC I’ve found that these goals are achievable with the right focus and preparation. As firms make a greater effort to connect with students from non-Russell Group universities and promote diversity, it’s important to spread the message that a career in commercial law is accessible to anyone willing to put in the work. My goal is to help students understand their potential and show them that they can succeed and excel in these spaces, hence last term I decided to lead a workshop series supporting other UKC students in their firm applications and journeys.
My name is Simran Kaur Momi. I’m a third-year student studying law, but before studying law I spent 2 years at UKC studying Architecture. My background is somewhat unconventional, but those experiences have only reaffirmed my interest in law. Via social mobility schemes like SEO London and Aspiring Solicitors, I had the opportunity to visit city law firms where I learnt about the typical workings of a commercial law solicitor, gained insight into the workings of international law firms and had the opportunity to engage in fictitious exercises like negotiations and due diligence processes. Given these experiences, I enjoyed the prospect of considering how commercial lawyers aim to increase a business’s profitability while complying with regulations and laws in high-stakes and contentious deals.
Having received so much support on my journey to securing a training contract, I felt it was only right to give back and help others along their path. One of the key principles of my faith, Sikhism, is Sewa—the act of selfless service—so I was inspired to create a workshop series to guide others through the processes and steps they could follow to secure their training contracts. Everything I have done is truly something that could be emulated by many students at UKC, it is just a matter of knowing the right tools to unlock that potential.
While setting up the project, I had the opportunity to connect with several other law students who had also been successful that summer in securing training contract offers—each through unique and inspiring approaches. It was incredible to witness how many of us had achieved success and to see the enthusiasm with which they were willing to engage with and contribute to the project.
The series was split up into three separates 2-hour sessions, each talk focusing on specific parts of the process.
Workshop 1: An Introduction to Training Contracts and Researching Law Firms, With Lillie Murrell.
This talk broke down the stages of the application cycle and introduced what commercial law is. A key part of applications is firm research, and Lillie shared her top research tips, which led her to secure 2 vacation schemes in one cycle. Lillie and I first met through the Macfarlanes First Year Skills Initiative. It was great to speak together a year later and discuss our progress and different journeys.
Workshop 2: How to Craft a Standout Application, With Elyse Anagbo
The second talk broke down the online application process including commonly asked questions, answering techniques, and methods to best talk about your experiences. I met Elyse via LinkedIn and through her work as the president of the BAME Law Society. Elyse attended a vacation scheme for a US firm but ultimately accepted a direct training contract offer from Clifford Chance. Her advice and system in approaching these two very different applications provided insight into the different methods in applications, ways to answer different types of questions and guidance on psychometric tests like the Watson Glaser.
Workshop 3: Excelling in Assessment Centres and Building Commercial Awareness, With Kashvi Grover
Given Kashvi’s success in the BUICAC competition and success in converting her assessment centre into a training contract, I found her experience best suited to discuss how to approach the commercial awareness components of an application. We broke down some of the key attributes of a deal and definitions of commonly used commercial terms. The talk also touched briefly on the assessment centre process, and we compared our different experiences.
Overall, I couldn’t be more grateful for the other students who helped make the workshop series the success it was, for being open in sharing their experiences, and for being so enthusiastic to help amongst their own commitments.
We were all so happy to know there were more of us who were successful in securing training contracts this cycle and knowing who else we would be working with within the city! Moreover, I am also very grateful for Emek taking the time to help this project come to fruition and the support of the law school.’
Senior Lecturer Emek Delibas added that ‘I am incredibly proud of Simran for designing and delivering this masterclass for KLS students. She and her peers who assisted in the series’ delivery are important role models in our learning community. I look forward to seeing them thrive as the leading lawyers of the future.’