Meet Alfie who completed a Global Virtual Internship

Tell us about your background, when you are starting your Training Contract?

My name is Alfie and I am a current trainee within the Tax practice area in Clifford Chance's London office. I studied Law at the University of Birmingham for my undergraduate degree, and, looking further back, Maths, Physics and History at A Level.

Can you tell us why you completed a Global Virtual Internship?

I completed several of the Clifford Chance Global Internships during my time at University. Initially, I came across them during the March 2020 lockdown (at the end of my first year of University) as a means to keep busy and further my development in my legal studies. It also proved particularly useful as in-person experience was very limited across the industry and I believe that it helped me to stand out in the application process to ultimately land an interview.

Following the interview, I was unfortunately rejected for a Training Contract at Clifford Chance. One key piece of feedback that I received from the Early Talent Acquisition Team was that whilst I clearly had an academic passion for the law, it was not obvious that I had that passion for law as a career, or Clifford Chance as a firm. Following that feedback, I completed further Global Internships and gained a much greater insight into the role of a lawyer, and the firm itself. When I interviewed for Clifford Chance again in my third year, I was able to draw on my experiences when completing the Internships to ultimately be a better candidate and secure an offer.

What did you learn about the role of a lawyer from completing our Global Virtual Internship(s) and what skills did you gain?

Organisation and analytical skills are undoubtedly two of the key skills to be a successful lawyer. These are skills that I am still improving on every day of my Training Contract and learning from the impressive people around me. The Global Virtual Internships were very helpful in honing these skills in a non-academic context, and they gave me concrete evidence to show interviewers my passion for the law and the profession outside of the lecture hall. But more importantly, they provided me with a genuine insight into the type of work I'd be asked to complete as a Trainee at Clifford Chance, and confirmed my belief that this was the career for me.

Interestingly, I also learned things that I was able to take into other areas of my life. I completed the Business and Human Rights Internship, which really opened my mind to the pro-bono possibilities within the firm, and the importance of being an advocate for these key issues, to the point that I spent six months working for a human rights charity before starting my Training Contract. Knowledge that I had gained from the internship, and avenues of research that opened up as a result, really informed the work I did for that charity, and continue to do via pro bono work during my Training Contract.

Why would you recommend completing a Global Virtual Internship?

First and foremost, the Clifford Chance Global Virtual Internships are genuinely interesting, challenged my skillset and affirmed to me that law was a career which I would enjoy. They are flexible and don't have specific deadlines, so are easy to fit around work or study commitments during the busy applications season. I also think it helped me in obtaining my Training Contract. Of course, there were other reasons why I was a better candidate the second time around, but the internships were key stepping stones in showing that I had developed my passion for the field, and for the firm, and gave me experiences and skills which I could draw upon to impress.