Following my initial interview at the law firm in Luton, I was invited back for a second interview. This involved an abstract theory test (identifying patterns of shapes etc) and a proof reading test followed by a second interview with two of the partners of the firm. The interview went quite well, however they notified me last week that I was unsuccessful in applying for a training contract with them. I also had an interview with a law firm in Cambridge, which simply comprised of an interview with two of the firms partners. As with the interview Luton, I came away with the impression that I had held my own, and although they stated that they were very impressed and placed me on the reserve list (in case any of the applicants to whom they had offered the job turned it down), they too notified me last week that I had been unsuccessful. I am not too disheartened as I feel I have learnt a lot from these experiences, and hopefully I will be a stronger candidate next time I apply for my training contract.
My work experience in London which I completed at the end of September was really enjoyable, and I feel the experience of working in a busy city firm will stand me in good stead in the future. Whilst there I worked on a number of personal injury cases in which the claimant had suffered either catastrophic brain or spinal cord injury. As I hoped, my experience of spinal-cord injury really helped as otherwise I would have been totally stumped by the terminology they were using! I travelled down each day using the train, and although this was by far the most efficient way of getting into London, it was extremely tiring and by the end of the week I was relieved that it was over, and that I had a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for Uni.
I returned to Uni full-time a couple of weeks ago, and already I can fill my stress levels rising! However, I am really enjoying being back, and so far the modules I chose are proving to be really interesting (not to mention difficult!). I received some really good news last week that I had received the award for the highest grades for my year in the second year of my degree, and I am just hoping that I will be able to maintain this level during my third year!