How to Answer “Why Do You Want to Be a Commercial Solicitor?” (With Example Answers)
“Why do you want to be a commercial solicitor?” is one of the most commonly asked questions on training contract and vacation scheme application forms. Crafting a strong answer is essential to progressing to the online test, video interview and assessment centre stages.
A compelling, personal explanation of your journey to pursuing commercial law is also an essential component for performing well in interviews and engaging recruiters at open days and insight events. Your narrative will draw on a variety of your life, academic and work experiences, demonstrating how you have sought practical insights and the skills and qualities required to be an excellent trainee.
Typically, you will have around 250 to 300 words to answer the question in an application form. However, you may need to prepare more concise versions of your “why commercial law” answer for use at the start of cover letters, or in cases when you are asked to explain in the same response why you are pursuing this career and why you are applying to that particular firm.
Here is how to draft an answer that holds a recruiter’s attention, from structure and content through to the mistakes to avoid.
How to structure your “why commercial law” answer
While there is no set formula for answering this question, a chronological approach is an effective method to craft a coherent response within the word limit.
With that in mind, consider discussing (i) the origin of your interest in commercial law, (ii) how you built on this interest, and (iii) the experience(s) that confirmed this is the career for you. A chronological structure allows you to demonstrate a clear trajectory that has led to you applying for a vacation scheme or training contract.
You should be authentic when discussing the origin of your interest in commercial law. Do not be afraid to use personal examples, which have the benefit of differentiating your response from those more generic. The originating experience does not have to be a sought-after work experience opportunity. It can be as simple as a news story that caught your attention or an academic proficiency, such as attention to detail or a skill with written language, that you identified as relevant for a solicitor.
What to include in your answer
Having discussed the root of your commercial law interest, the recruiter wants to know how you explored the career’s opportunities and demands.
Selective open days are among the most effective means of explaining how you explored or confirmed your motivation to become a commercial solicitor. However, Forage programmes and other virtual insights are also effective tools, considering that in-person legal work experience can be hugely difficult to secure.
Applicants fortunate enough to have completed a previous vacation scheme should leverage the experience. Even though the scheme did not lead to a training contract, applicants should discuss the skills developed and practice areas explored on the scheme. At a later stage in the application process, there will be an opportunity to demonstrate a growth mindset and resilience by explaining learning from the scheme.
Career-changers should consider the transferable skills they have developed in other fields, taking care to explain why they have decided to pursue commercial law. Remember that your application is an exercise in convincing the recruiter of your commitment to a legal career.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Ensure that your answer responds to the “commercial” and “solicitor” elements of the question. A common pitfall is for an applicant to reference shadowing in chambers without explaining why the experience convinced them to pursue a solicitor’s course rather than a barrister’s.
Similarly, the law is a varied profession, so applicants must ensure that any experiences in criminal or public law are reframed in the context of motivating a commercial law career. Consider the transferable skills developed and how the business-driven, client-facing role of a commercial solicitor is in contrast to those practising in other sectors.
Finally, the majority of firms offering sizeable vacation scheme and training contract cohorts are full-service firms. While it is encouraged to identify the practices that a firm is renowned for and demonstrate an interest in them, you should not imply that you have a narrow scope. A strong applicant demonstrates that they will enjoy all the seats of their training contract and, implicitly, that they have an understanding of the business needs that may determine the practice they qualify into.
“Why commercial law” example answer: weaker draft
My passion for academia has always been selective, prioritised for those fields that allow me to channel and leverage what I’ve learnt for a particular purpose. A career as a solicitor aligns with this, allowing me to use my experience to offer solutions for businesses facing commercial issues. While reading law at university, I have gained in-person experiences at various law firms such as [law firm] and [law firm] who exposed the wealth of diverse work available to solicitors. I am attracted by the opportunity to gain access to work in emerging markets to facilitate innovation and industry-changing deals.
The applicant’s introduction uses imprecise, unengaging language that would not grab a recruiter’s attention. The applicant references their “experience” vaguely and refers to “various law firms” when it is a more effective use of words to simply name the firms and what the “in-person experiences” entailed (i.e. a selective open day, a university dinner, etc.). The applicant ends the paragraph with further imprecise language and commercial buzzwords, referring to “diverse work” and “innovation and industry-changing deals” with no personal link or explanation of why they want to work in emerging markets.
This is well-accompanied by my entrepreneurial endeavours such as founding an online media marketing business where I thoroughly enjoyed the process of analysing client issues and tailoring solutions to their needs. Additionally, my position on executive committees of societies in university has refined my communicative skills, I have built long-term professional relationships and understand the value of fostering trust and transparency which are crucial facets to a solicitor’s success.
The use of “well-accompanied” is inaccurate (and simpler language is often more effective) before a generic reference to an online business without quantifiable evidence of success or a description of the specifics of “client issues”. The applicant should name the committees they have served on and provide context for their “long-term professional relationships”. The paragraph veers off course from their motivation to be a commercial solicitor and instead becomes a discussion of the skills they would bring to the role.
“Why commercial law” example answer: exemplar draft
My interest in commercial law began during a work placement at [company]. I worked with the in-house legal team who highlighted considerations impacting transactions, like the enforcement of close-out rights upon events of default, demonstrating the tangible impact of legal advice on financial markets. This prompted my curiosity about how legal advice shapes financial services within commercial transactions, encouraging me to explore commercial law.
The applicant begins with a clear reference to an experience that sparked their commercial law interest and explains why. Naming the company they undertook a placement with immediately grabs a recruiter’s attention and separates this application from the many that begin with a general reference to the intersection of law and business.
At my university law fair, I learned that clear communication is vital in the profession. This resonated with my experiences in debating societies, where I have developed persuasive communication and the ability to tailor messages to different audiences. To see how these skills apply in practice, I completed several Forage internships, including [law firm’s] Banking and Mergers & Acquisitions (“M&A”) programmes. I enjoyed distilling extensive documentation and technical language into accessible advice. This reinforced the importance of communicating complex information clearly, as well as strong analytical and research skills. I have refined these abilities in my [humanities] degree, receiving a commendation in an essay competition for my persuasive arguments. Whilst I have enjoyed applying these skills to studying the past, I am eager to use them in a legal career where I can shape real-world outcomes.
In contrast to the weaker draft, the applicant not only identifies a relevant skill for the profession but demonstrates that they sought practical experiences to apply it in practice. They leverage virtual programmes well and identify a practice that interests them without closing the door to other areas of commercial law. The applicant explains where they developed research and analytical skills, which are often overlooked, before providing a clever link between their academic experience and professional aspirations.
With this in mind, I undertook an internship with [financial markets infrastructure firm’s] in-house legal team. I assisted with due diligence, reviewed Share Purchase Agreements (“SPA”) and Articles of Association, and identified negotiation points. For example, I suggested resisting SPA liability caps that materially affected client risk. In the Articles, I flagged pre-emption rights that limited flexibility post-acquisition. Applying my analytical skills to produce substantive outcomes was extremely rewarding. My pursuit of commercial law was reaffirmed at [law firm’s] Open Day, where I discovered a firm with the elite full-service capabilities to apply my skills and develop well-rounded expertise.
The applicant refers to the technical knowledge they developed through another experience as further evidence of how they explored commercial law. Crucially, they go beyond simply telling the recruiter what they did by explaining that their skills were suited to their tasks and that the work was enjoyable. The applicant provides a punchy conclusion to their answer by referencing the open day of the firm they are applying to.
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