Law firms do not want robo-lawyers, they are looking for well-rounded people. Well-rounded individuals can more easily integrate into the firm’s culture and they can also draw on their experiences to perform legal work more effectively. So, do not underestimate the power of this question! This is your opportunity to show the recruiters who you really are outside of law, what your interests are, which can help you to stand out from the crowd.
Make a list of your extracurricular activities. Did you hold any positions of responsibility? If yes, great, law firms love to see people who have those experiences because it shows that you have a sense of ownership over your work (even if it is volunteering). Ideally pick 2-3 experiences that you want to talk about, preferably including at least one in which you held a position of responsibility.
Focus on the details when talking about extracurricular activities. How long did you participate in this activity? How many people were you responsible for? This will add depth to your answer. Although you want to describe the experience, do not over-describe it because you want to sell yourself and not that experience.
Need help answering more application questions? Take a look at our Guide that will help you answer most commonly asked training contract and vacation scheme application questions.
To sell yourself to the recruiters focus on the things that you learned during extracurricular activities. These can be skills like public speaking, task-management, or time-management, etc. In detail, explain how that experience helped you to develop those skills. Make a clear connection between the activity and developing that particular skill.
Bad answer.
During the summer, I volunteered as a lifeguard at a local beach. I was responsible for the safety of beachgoers in my designated area. When required I had to rescue and provide medical attention to people in emergency situations. Also, as a lifeguard I had to be very vigilant of any disturbances at the beach such as, fights, rowdy dogs, or littering. When situations arose that were out of my control, I had to call the police.
This answer is over-descriptive, it fails to develop any points that would help the applicant to sell themselves.
Good answer.
For the past three summers, I have volunteered as a lifeguard at Brighton beach. Being responsible for the safety of the beachgoers taught me the importance of following instructions. On five occasions I had to rescue young children. I was able to do that successfully because I followed the exact guidelines from the lifeguard manual.
