Insightful Questions To Ask Trainee Solicitors: A Guide

Trainee solicitors are a goldmine of information and advice for aspiring solicitors.

But so few candidates make the most of this.

You will give yourself a competitive advantage if you find ways to meet trainees and ask them well-thought-out questions. 

In this post, I’ll explain why you should ask trainees questions and give you examples of effective questions to ask.

So, let’s begin…

Why You Should Ask Trainee Solicitors Questions

There are 3 compelling reasons you should seek to ask them questions:

1. They’ll give you the most realistic view of their firm and what it’s like to train there

Much of the information available online about a firm is created by the firm itself for marketing purposes.

Speaking to trainees will give you more candid insider insights about key aspects of the firm, such as TC seats, training and support, and culture.

You can also ask the exact questions you want to get information you don’t already have.

You can then use the information you get from these conversations to help you finalise your shortlist of firms to apply to. You can also reference what you learn in your “why this firm?” answers. 

If done well, graduate recruiters will be impressed by this.

2. They successfully navigated the TC recruitment process you’re seeking to succeed in

They have already figured out how to succeed in securing a training contract and are, therefore, great role models and sources of advice.

As well as more general advice on TC recruitment, they can give you specific insights into what their firm values in its future trainees and how to stand out to the firm as a candidate.

Having this knowledge puts you at an advantage.

3. You will build connections and a support network for your TC campaign

The TC recruitment process is challenging and hard to do alone. When you find ways to speak to trainees and show you’re enthusiasm and curiosity, they will often offer to help you on an ongoing basis.

These connections are invaluable at each stage of the recruitment process, giving you further information about the firm, the training and the recruitment stages.

I’ve had some coaching clients who had one-hour Zoom calls with trainees prior to an assessment centre, which helped them massively.

Examples of Questions to Ask Trainee Solicitors

The best questions to ask trainees are those you really want to know the answer to and you can’t find the answer to elsewhere.

You should also consider the bigger picture of the training contract recruitment process and ask questions strategically to help with that.

The questions I recommend fall into 3 broad categories:

1. Questions to learn more about the firm

There’s always more to learn about the firm.

When you’re still deciding on which firms to apply to, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about each firm to decide whether you and it are a good fit.

When you’ve got your shortlist of firms, you’ll want to get an even deeper understanding of each firm to help you answer application and interview questions well.

I find questions along the following lines are good ones to ask trainees:

• What’s the firm’s strategy for the next few years? (You can also narrow this down to strategy in specific practice areas/sectors.)
• What differentiates the firm in terms of its culture or otherwise?
• What traits does the firm most value in its trainees and lawyers?

2. Questions to learn more about the training contract

It’s critical you ask questions about the firm’s training contract as it’s most directly relevant to you.

Given the competitive nature of the TC process, many candidates end up thinking any training contract will do. This means they don’t fully consider the different elements of training and what their personal preferences are. This can lead to a poor choice of firms.

This lack of consideration will count against them when answering standard motivations questions like “Why this firm?”.

So, ask questions that get under the hood of the training contract, such as:

• Which seats do most trainees tend to do as part of their training contract?
• What levels of responsibility and support do trainees get?
• What is it about the firm’s training that would make you recommend it to a TC candidate over other firms?

3. Questions to learn more about the TC recruitment process

These questions can be general questions about aspects of the training contract process or specific questions about that firm’s process.

Avoid general questions like “What tips do you have to secure a training contract?”.

Instead, I recommend more specific questions that can elicit information that is genuinely helpful and could give you a competitive advantage over other candidates, such as:

• What do you think made you stand out in your firm’s TC recruitment process?
• If you started off being unsuccessful with applications, what did you do differently to progress to the next stages in the process?
• What traits would you say are shared by the firm’s trainees?

Two final questions…

You will need to balance how many questions you ask with the time you have with the trainee. You want to give them enough time and space to answer each one.

I recommend that you seek to leave time for one or two more questions at the end of the conversation:

• What else do you think I need to know about the firm and its TC recruitment process? That way, they can quickly think about anything else they feel is important and share it with you.
• Who else do you recommend I speak to whilst I’m researching the firm? You might get a recommendation and/or an introduction to another person to speak to that could elicit some more invaluable information to help you in your TC campaign.

In my experience, the more people you speak to and the more thoughtful questions you ask, the better. Often, this is a key aspect of what sets successful candidates apart from unsuccessful ones.

Don’t overthink it, though – just ask yourself: Who can I set up a short conversation with now?