Matt Oliver
Matt is a former FTSE 100 lawyer and qualified career coach who founded Trainee Solicitor Surgery in 2009. He’s helped over 300 aspiring solicitors secure training contracts at top UK and US firms, drawing on 10 years of legal practice and 15+ years of coaching expertise.
Matt shares free, trusted advice in his articles and offers expert one-on-one coaching for those who want tailored support from someone who has been on both sides of the process.
Posts
Before choosing where to apply for training contracts, it’s important to know that law firms come in all shapes and sizes and undertake all manner of different legal work for an extensive range of clients. Research is Key For wannabe trainee solicitors, it’s vitally important to fully research the different types of firms and organisations…
Assessment centres are often the final hurdle between you and a TC offer. This essential guide is packed with advice for every test and exercise – from Watson Glaser to group tasks to in-tray exercises. You’ll also find links to the best practice resources so you can be fully prepared and beat the competition.
A CV for your training contract application may turn out to be one of the most important pieces of work you ever produce. You should see it as a piece of work that you take pride in rather than something that needs to be thrown together to enable you to submit a job application. The…
Law vacation schemes are a must for any aspiring solicitor who has yet to secure a training contract. Ideally, a strategy for getting on to multiple vacation schemes must be considered at an early stage of your studies. Law Vacation Schemes – The Basics There are many formal vacation schemes run by the large to…
Our Essential Guide Here you will find our essential guide to passing the Watson Glaser critical thinking test when applying for training contracts and vacation schemes. It also includes sample questions and answers that reflect typical scenarios and the different skills required. Critical thinking skills are now assessed by more and more law firms as…
If you’re looking for a good, up to date book to help you with the training contract recruitment process there is a new book on the block: “The Complete Guide to Getting a Solicitor’s Training Contract” by Sarah Cave Sarah is a solicitor herself, so knows her stuff on this. Here’s the quick book summary:…
I asked some experienced graduate recruiters a question I often hear…. In your experience, which factors differentiate an excellent application from a good application?” Paula McMullan, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Gide Loyrette Nouel LLP (London), had this to say: A great application is one where I can tell that the person: has taken the trouble…
I was recently pleased to help out with the design for a new eBook authored by City solicitor Luke Murphy. It’s aimed at giving students and graduates a leg up into the legal profession. It contains some great advice around some job search and career progression strategies you need to know. I thoroughly recommend you…
One of the things that candidates for training contracts and vacation schemes are most commonly advised to do is to research the firms they are applying to. However, one of the most common things I see that lets candidates down with their applications is a lack of effective research. This does not mean candidates are…