Final-year Kent Law LLB student Tyra Ntege, who has already secured a training contract with Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance, is profiled in the LawCareers.Net Handbook 2020 (a national Training Contract and Pupillage Guide).
Tyra features in an ‘insider report’ on page 73 of the book, talking about her participation in Clifford Chance’s SPARK scheme. SPARK is a five-day paid scheme for exceptional first-year students who are keen to pursue a career in commercial law.
After participating in the scheme last summer, Tyra was offered an interview. She subsequently secured a training contract with the firm which she will begin in August 2021.
Free copies of the Handbook are available to pick up from the Law School’s reception desk in Eliot Extension. And you can watch a video about Tyra on the Clifford Chance website in which she talks about her love of football, her desire to challenge discrimination and how the SPARK scheme gave her the confidence to start her journey as a commercial lawyer.
Tyra previously shared her top tips for fellow aspiring lawyers:
- Join LinkedIn and read their daily rundown as well as BBC Business news and the Financial Times to get a sense of the commercial environment and global market. This will enable you to ascertain whether you’re interested in the type of work and clients that commercial lawyers deal with
- Visit the website of the top firms and see what schemes, open days, insight events they have to offer. Apply, and get the reputable name of the firm in addition to the experience gained on your CV. It opens doorsSelectively network, meaning don’t just bombard anybody from a firm with your questions – be courteous in your approach. On that note, Graduate Recruitment are the best people to get in contact with at each firm
- Do not underestimate the relevance of part-time jobs, voluntary opportunities/societies. These things are what set me apart hugelyStart to consider key competency questions that firms look for. These can be found online, wiki, student room anywhere
- BME students should apply to Rare. It is online and the process is not too long. They have plenty of beneficial programmes and the organisation is run by lawyers who work for the top firms or have worked in these places in addition to graduate recruitment positions and students who hold offers or who have done vacation schemes at these firms
- Work in a supermarket is just as valid as work experience in a bank. Both are getting to know the type of clients that firms are instructed byReach out to current trainees on LinkedIn.
Clifford Chance is one of many leading law firms attending the annual Kent Law Fair on Wednesday 30 October. The Law Fair, organised by members of Kent Student Law Society, will be held from 1pm – 4pm in Eliot Hall on Kent’s Canterbury campus.