Commercial Awareness for Solicitor Apprentices Week 6

Introduction: This week we interviewed Ollie Youngman from HFW, which is a very good interview indeed. We look at HSBC splitting its business into 4 sectors, American firms expanding in Germany and I give my advice on how many applications to apply for. 

1) Tell us about your background

I’m an army child meaning I’ve always been moving around since I was born. Until the age of 16 I’d been to 6 countries (England, Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, Norway and Kuwait) and attended 7 schools. While I found myself moving every 2-3 years and having to constantly start over, I couldn’t thank my experiences enough. Being an army child allowed me to expand my cultural awareness and improve my interpersonal skills, two things I think are essential in working in a law firm. Apart from that, I’m a first generation university student who since moving back to the UK in year 9 attended Portsmouth Grammar school, which I then left to go to college to follow my passion for law which I studied at A level. From there I was pushed to apply to universities, yet it wasn’t until I was introduced to apprenticeships by a friend that I found what I really wanted to do.

2) How did you find the application process?

I would say I found the application process quite long but incredibly rewarding at the end. HFW in particular has a five stage process which is very similar to that of other firms holding the solicitor apprenticeship. For me, the most challenging aspect of the application process was having to balance it with A level revision later in the year. However, once you find what works for you, you’ll find yourself being able to efficiently revise and do applications. For me it was revising in the day and setting time aside in the evening for applications or Watson glaser tests. Similarly, creating a schedule of firms and their application opening/closing dates really helped me. In doing this, I was able to meet all the application deadlines for the firms I wanted to apply to.

3) What is it like working in a business advisory team as a first year?

I think HFW have done an amazing job with how they have structured the solicitor apprenticeship programme. In particular, starting in three business services seats for the first 18 months (3 x 6 month seats). By starting in business services it created a foundation of the company, I was really able to see the mechanisms behind what the main sectors do (specifically that of shipping). 

My general experience of working in business services has been amazing though. Since starting I’ve assisted with the directories HFW submits to, that being Legal500 and Chambers to ensure all the bios have been up to date and correct for the release of our amazing rankings this year. As well, I’ve been able to assist in multiple pieces of non-legal shipping work which has really helped broaden my horizon of what to expect within the future, that being my one year long legal seat after the business services seats. Yet, my main take away from these pieces of work is that I’ve been able to gain significant exposure of what HFW does as a company, whether that’s reading partner’s bios or reading about past cases, it all adds to the bigger picture of getting to know the company. From this I’m sure I’ll know the company like the back of my hand by the end of the six year program!

4) What is your advice for the Watson Glaser test?

The watson glaser test for me is the most important section of all solicitor apprenticeship applications. This is due to it being what I consider to be the main “sifting phase” to sift applicants out before the later stages such as that of assessment centres and interviews. From this it’s of paramount importance that you revise the watson glaser test (something I regret not doing, so take it from me). While it may look like a relatively simple test, it’s the tips and tricks which really help you in consistently achieving high scores. Online you can find a few free tests, however, I’d recommend investing in a small course which will go through each of the five sections in detail and what the sections are really asking of you. I managed to find one online which ran through each section individually, explaining the reasoning behind the questions and provided tips on how to consistently get the answer correct. If you’re not wanting to spend any money then that is completely fine, I’d look online (especially Youtube) and you’ll find loads of videos of people doing the same thing. My final tip would be that ‘practice makes perfect’, meaning that you should try and get as many tests as possible, then work on your weaker areas. 

5) What made HFW stand out to you when applying to solicitor apprenticeships?

Firstly, due to my background of being an army child, it was the guaranteed international secondment. Many firms will state in their descriptions for either the solicitor apprenticeship or training contracts that they offer secondments, yet, it isn’t guaranteed and is subject to different variables such as business needs or based on your performance. However, HFW is completely different, guaranteeing it completely and contracting it. Secondly, is HFW being a sector based firm, although not very common in other firms which hold solicitor apprenticeships, HFW being sector based allows them to be specialists in their areas. Take shipping for example, a very niche subject which few firms specialise in, yet specialising in this and covering areas such as ACM, ship finance, sanctions and yachting. There is a reason why HFW is considered the best in the world. Another point was the super positive feedback on the work life balance and firm culture; having been there almost two months now, I can confirm that it’s completely true. Having been ranked band A+ for work life balance, I find myself working my contracted hours and rarely leaving the office any later than needed. With respect to the firm's culture, everyone is amazingly friendly and will provide support whenever it’s needed. Similarly, there is no “hierarchy” which can be seen in other law firms, whether you’re talking to a paralegal or a partner, everyone treats you with equal respect and value; a quality of the firm which I couldn’t value more. Lastly, was the super high profile work which HFW has been involved in. Having known about the MV Ever Given since 2021 due to the mass coverage through the media, it was a huge surprise to me to see that HFW was involved in assisting the ship owners and the P&I Insurers (protection & indemnity). From this, it was the opportunity to be able to work around people who have such experience in their field and to be able to learn from them.  

Interview takeaway: Ollie is clearly a great guy with a fantastic story to tell. The Watson Glaser is very difficult, which I can echo from my own experience, and I looked at youtube videos which helped me personally. Regardless of whether or not you have an international mindset like us, his explanation of sector based firms is invaluable for when we are personalising our applications. 

Commercial legal explainer: 

What could the effects of HSBC splitting up mean for the legal world? For those that don’t know, HSBC has recently announced it is splitting into 4 sectors, which is happening for many reasons, one of which could include dividing legal risk which is a concept we discussed in the previous newsletter. Having struggled to cope with the geopolitical and legal repercussions of doing business in China and Hong Kong, they found themselves scrutinised by the UK government and that scrutiny has affected their profit and ability to carry out their day to day job. Rather than risk a challenging politico-economic situation in China affecting all profit, any loss that does occur will be localised while the overall brand of HSBC receives the commercial respect and business it wants to attain. Corporate responsibility is a tricky area to navigate and that is why many firms are already sectorising their business. 

*Interview tip: Understanding how international relations and geopolitical circumstances can affect a business is vital because it shows you can keep up to date with the news which clients and partners at law firms rely on. To bring it into an interview you can mention an interesting event and then do a brief legal analysis to tick off the commercial awareness box. Only mention it if asked about commercial awareness to avoid going on a tangent as a key skill of a lawyer is concise and detailed legal commercial analysis. 

Worldwide commercial law news: 

US law firms are rapidly changing the international law firm market in Germany. There has always been a steady presence of UK law firms, however it is only recently post covid and in an effort to boost the struggling German economy that american firms have been embraced. This will allow transatlantic law between Germany and the US to thrive and economic trickle down through taxes means that the citizens will be able to receive help from the state when they need it which is an integral part of a welfare state. This shows just how dynamic corporate law is and how far reaching it is and its power in doing good for society worldwide. 

*interview tip: If you are applying to a US headquartered firm then this is going to be goldmine information for you. Even if you aren’t, you are, just by reading this, equipped with the skills to identify and challenge stereotypes of US law firms. I am a firm believer in bringing humanity back into law, and this exemplifies my motto beautifully because although indirect everyone in German society is going to benefit. 

Advice from someone in the same boat:

There are many apprenticeships out there, and knowing how many to apply for can be tricky. The purpose of CASA is to give up to date advice, which is why I encourage you to apply early; especially given that many apprenticeships are already open, for example linklaters. Should the worst happen and you get rejected from a law firm it is vital you have back up options, which is why applying to university as a backup is always worth considering because a degree shows experience but just doesn’t come with a salary. I am applying for 5 myself, and I choose where to apply based on what firms have opportunities for working with people and travel; because that’s what's important to me, and you have to think about what is important to you.