Why this chambers?
The material for this answer will come from the research you have done on each set, including your assessment of their juniors’ profiles. You now need to go a step further: comb carefully through each chambers website again and read their news, events, and blog pages. Keep going for at least a year of archived news/events.
Your answer should demonstrate two things:
- That you know the work this chambers actually does
- That you are well-suited to join this chambers
Your answer has to be specific to the chambers
A good answer will demonstrate commercial awareness. Copy & paste answers will show!
Going one step further
This research will also help if/when you are asked at interview how you will generate business for your potential chambers. You cannot know what their commercial strengths are if you have not taken the time to research it. Once you have done that, you can tailor your answer accordingly
Note: “making links with solicitors’ firms” is not the only way to bring in work; it’s also a boring answer and one that candidates use a lot. There are better answers out there.
Apart from the usual flattery, your answer should contain the following points:
- Address the types of work that chambers does and focus on what the juniors do. If relevant, relate your work experience to it.
- Identify any big/famous and/or interesting cases the chambers has done; again, relate it to your own experience (be careful with this one; you aren’t an expert on LiBOR now that you’ve worked on the case as a paralegal etc.)
- For each chambers, make sure you find something interesting that makes them stand out to you specifically (e.g. the kinds of cases, approach to clients or their business model etc.) and either link this to your own experience or explain why you think this is interesting.
Your answer should demonstrate that you are a great, if not perfect, fit for chambers.
