Shubham was awarded the Stephenson Harwood LLP Prize earning him an invitation to an Open Day in 2021; an application coaching session with a member of the graduate team; and a £50 book voucher. He found the experience intellectually stimulating and encourages fellow aspiring solicitors to take part. Here he reflects on his experience of competing:
‘By virtue of the disconnect between legal academia and legal practice, there is often a large gap formed for the required knowledge and skills that students wishing to enter the profession need to possess. Often such skills and knowledge entail commercial awareness that is tested throughout the application process.
‘Commercial awareness competitions such as BIUCAC 2020 fill that need by affording students an opportunity to build such skills and knowledge whilst also competing for prizes such as work experiences, open days, and one-to-one meetings with graduate recruitment teams, among others.
‘BIUCAC 2020 entailed a range of testing methods: three online quizzes, a 10-minute Q&A session with legal professionals in the penultimate round, and in the final round, a written exercise, another online quiz, and a series of presentations and case studies with partners and associates at leading international law firms. The final round, mirrored to a great extent, the experience of undertaking a day-long assessment centre, as one would encounter in the training contract recruitment process.
‘The impact of BIUCAC cannot be understated. In its inaugural year, it was the largest commercial awareness competition in the UK, with 4,100 entrants, and was an almost entirely student run initiative. Throughout the process, Denis Visokvich (BIUCAC founder) and the team were repeatedly in contact with all participants, ensuring everyone was up to date with the rules and procedure. Furthermore, it was more than a just a set of online quizzes and presentations. In the lead up to the competition, the BIUCAC committee organised exclusive virtual open days, trainee panels, a virtual commercial awareness scheme, and a graduate recruitment workshop and virtual networking event with all sponsor firms for all the finalists. It was indeed a well-rounded experience, that sought to improve a participant’s standing the law firm recruitment process from all aspects.
‘Finally, massive thanks to Kent Student Law Society, who ensured Kent’s participation in the competition and organised the penultimate round of the competition. They were able to source prizes for the same, which included legal work experience, and mentoring sessions for applications. With close to 100 sign-ups from law students at Kent this year, I am sure the impact that the competition has had will ensure further sign-ups in the following year. Likewise, I am confident of the success that BIUCAC will have in the years to come!’
BIUCAC is designed to enhance the CVs of the contestants; over the course of five rounds, students are asked to research key topics that are relevant to the commercial environment of law firms and their clients.