15 déc. 2022
By Diebo R.Gillis-Harris, Suraj Kundu & Lydia
From speaking about rejection to sharing how mentoring built its motivation, Roy, Future Trainee Solicitor at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom outlines how his international background helped him succeed in his professional career.
1.Could you please tell us more about your educational and personal background?
Roy: I am a Kenyan national but I spent my primary and secondary schooling years in both Kenya and South Africa. This was a great opportunity early on in my life to come to grips with the concept of multicultural living. It also exposed me to a plethora of interesting academic topics and schools of thought. Following this, I went on to complete my LLB at the University of Bristol and I have recently graduated with my LLM in Banking and Finance Law at Queen Mary University of London.
I was first intrigued by Law when I noticed around the age of 16 that there are several different lenses through which people view life and ultimately try to derive meaning from it. I wanted to delve deeper into why the rules that govern our society exist and how these rules are applied in different aspects of human existence (i.e. criminal law as compared to company law). From there, I started to develop an interest in finance as another lens to view the mechanics of society. Hence, a programme that meshed these two interests seemed like the next logical step in my academic journey.
Throughout my upbringing, I have also engaged in the study of languages to better communicate with my own community but also with those different to me. This led me to pick up French and Swahili and I continue to want to improve my command of these languages and hope to learn even more as I continue onwards in life.
Q2. You have quite significant extracurricular experience – and you were recognised (i.e. won awards) for a number of these – what made you stand out in this regard?
Roy: A lot of my extracurricular activities, especially during my time at university, were society committee roles. These are opportunities you need to look for. Speak about your manifesto and convince individuals of how you will be able to help them. The even more important part is sticking to your word once you get into the role because the best thing you can do as a student is to build a reliable reputation. Show that you are someone who is hardworking and willing to go above and beyond. This is precisely the kind of reputation that will allow you to demonstrably stand out to graduate recruitment once you start applying to law firms. It substantiates how you have already and intend to continue working to deliver positive outcomes.
Q3. For students that failed to be involved in extracurricular activities at university, what other options or opportunities available for those looking to change that as a graduate?
Roy: There is a two-pronged approach to achieve this. First, people can start by upskilling themselves through online courses. In my case, I undertook corporate finance and banking courses but also a transaction economics course with Columbia Law School. In short, place yourself in an environment where you can attain information and knowledge. There are several courses that you can access for free, however, sometimes you need to pay for them. I have generally taken the position that anything you pay towards your education is an investment in yourself, so if you are in a position to do this, I would highly recommend it.
The second step is to figure out how to apply all the information you’ve absorbed. The best way I found to achieve this was through competitions. In addition to the negotiation competitions I took part in at university, there were also external competitions I took part in that really helped me. Case in point, the Aspiring Solicitors Commercial Awareness Competition (CAC). Through this Competition, I was able to get in front of Skadden and display my skills and characteristics. As an international student, that’s a place you want to get to. Over the last five years, between law firms, the Big 4 accounting firms, and individual organisations, I have submitted somewhere in the region of 150 applications. It gets very tiring, receiving rejection after rejection. This is why putting myself in an environment where firms could see my aptitude in action and subsequently express an interest in me was such a fascinating switch in dynamics.
Q4. A lot of international applicants are not confident when it comes to presenting work experiences that are not from the UK. Any advice for them?
Roy: The most important thing here is your ability to sieve out and articulate the persuasive value of the experiences you have gained outside the UK. For example, during my internship at a law firm in Nairobi, Kenya, I often conducted legal research on matters that went towards the drafting of commercial contracts like joint-venture agreements, share purchase agreements and non-disclosure agreements (among several other types of documents). In my applications, I made sure to identify the transferrable skills I had gained from undertaking and executing these tasks to demonstrate how I had built a good level of familiarity with some of the types of work I would be expected to regularly handle as a trainee solicitor. So, it is important to avoid the temptation to underestimate the significance of these experiences merely because they were obtained outside the UK. Lastly, one of the best pieces of advice that one of my mentors gave me was to lean into the fact that I have experience in a different legal jurisdiction and commercial landscape. This can cleverly be put forward as a value add if the firm is looking to expand its operations into a certain region or needs someone who is comfortable with how business is conducted there.
Q5. People that go through several application cycles tend to lose motivation along the way - how did you handle the rejections and setbacks and maintain belief in yourself all throughout your journey?
Roy: I reached a point where I realised rejection is inevitable, but rejection in many aspects is redirection. It takes a very resilient approach as one can start to think that they should change profession or return to their country. But I was determined to prove to myself that I can do it! I didn’t want to give up easily. Instead, I was determined to exhaust every single resource and avenue available to me. For instance, I applied for a scholarship at a company through which I got an internship with a firm not based in the UK but in Kazakhstan, altogether different from the UK’s legal sector. However, the partner I worked with is based in Oxford, UK and the work I was involved in related to the UK, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Southern African countries. I talked about those experiences throughout the whole process to stand out. Utilising unique (often alternative) work experience opportunities like these was one of the ways I ensured that I had exhausted all the options available to me before I would even consider giving up. In essence, everyone has a different journey and will face various difficulties. It is like climbing a ladder, so one should focus on conquering one rung at a time. For instance, some of my university colleagues (2020 cohort) went on to complete the LPC right after graduation and will be qualified solicitors in early 2023. By that time, I’ll not have even started my training, let alone the SQE. However, God willing, by 2026 I’ll be a qualified solicitor, having trained at Skadden. So, keep up your resilience and respect your journey because every part of it will add some value that you can use in your own endeavours and hopefully, can then impart to others.
Q6. How long did it take you to secure a Training Contract?
Roy: My journey to securing a Training Contract was not easy by any means. As I mentioned before, I submitted around 150 applications by the time I received my offer, and this began around 5 years ago when I applied to First Year Schemes being only a few months into my undergraduate Law degree. About a month after submitting my first applications, I started attending Open Days, Firm Workshop events and Insight Evenings and only a few months ago did I succeed and make it to the assessment centre stage before eventually securing a vacation scheme. Everyone’s path looks different, and I hope that those reading this will not have to wait that long. Nevertheless, I am grateful it turned out the way it did for me, as I can comfortably say I was ready by the time the right firm was placed in front of me and I am elated that I will now be able to start my legal career at the place I was ultimately meant to wind up at.
Q7. Why did you decide to take part in mentoring scheme and how did these add value to your candidacy for highly competitive legal work experience opportunities (e.g. vacation schemes and training contracts)?
Roy: Mentoring is an excellent tool for learning what recruiters are looking for, developing your ability to articulate your interest in a firm, and enhancing the structure of the various elements of your applications. It is crucial that someone is there to support you as there will be many rejections along the way, so mentors can help by guiding you to get a foot in the door. Also, you should try to be in touch with people from all levels of seniority (trainees, associates, partners etc.), as well as from other types of lawyers (e.g. barristers). Doing so is important because it will enable you through receiving hands-on advice from different perspectives – allowing you to develop a comparative and holistic perspective of the profession.
For students who struggle to find a mentor, I suggest that you first get in touch with those organisations offering mentoring schemes. This is because these organisations would have already vetted the individuals that they think would be a value add to students and candidates looking to break into the legal profession. This in turn allows the mentor-mentee relationship to develop more organically over time because both parties are aware of each other’s objectives. At the same time, it is also advisable to use your interactions with current/potential mentors to develop the confidence to independently seek advice and guidance. Confidence (especially in one’s own abilities) is one of the most sought-after characteristics in the legal profession, especially within commercial law. To achieve this, my approach has been to reach out to people on LinkedIn by sending them a request to connect. In doing this, I put forward a concise message introducing myself, asking for their assistance and appreciating any time they can spare to help me. If they accept, you should make sure to ask thoughtful, targeted questions and again, show gratitude for their advice. Also, try to consider ways you could be of value to them. You do not want to be seen as someone who only sponges off others without thinking of how to contribute your own quota. Simply put, for any kind of mentoring relationship to be successful, it should seek to be a reciprocal one.