Examples of motivations for wanting to be a commercial lawyer

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The distinction between skills and motivations

It’s important that you distinguish between your career motivation (i.e. what you want to do) and your skills (i.e. what you’re good at doing). Many candidates say things like “I want to be a lawyer because my skillset aligns with the career”, but the former doesn’t necessarily follow on from the latter.

For example, I’m good at writing, a confident communicator and very well organised, which means I would probably make a very good administrative assistant. However, just because I possess these skills doesn’t mean that, by default, I would want to carry out that role.

What you did vs. what you enjoyed

In addition, if you’re linking previous work experiences to your motivation to become, for example, a lawyer or banker, don’t focus solely (or predominantly) on what you did during those work experiences. It’s less about what you did, and more about what you were exposed to and how you felt about it.

The fact that you have carried out some basic legal work might demonstrate your competence (which could be helpful when answering a competency question). However, it doesn’t in and of itself convey that you enjoyed the work and would like to continue doing such work throughout your career. By all means mention your previous work experiences and explain how these exposed you to certain aspects of the career. But don’t then forget to explain how these aspects have cumulatively contributed to your desire to pursue your chosen career. And be sure to relate each motivating factor back to your personal experiences, ambitions and interests.

With this in mind, I’ll now give examples of some of the aspects that you may want to consider when trying to convey your personal reasons for pursuing your chosen career.

Drawing out your motivations

The career aligns with your interests

One reason for pursuing a career is that various aspects of that career align with your interests. It might be your interest in the business world, current affairs, the subject matter, the wider industry, or a combination of these. If this is the case, then explain what your interests are, how you developed them, and how each interest aligns with the role for which you are applying. To put this into context, I have included some examples in the blue box below.

Interest in the commercial world

Are you attracted to the business-centric nature of the career, or the opportunity to work with businesses throughout the various stages of their life cycles? Do you feel the career is at the intersection of a number of your interests (for example, commercial law is arguably at the intersection of business, finance, law and politics)? If so, explain how you developed your interest. Does your interest in business stem from growing up on the periphery of a family business, or from running your own side hustle?

Academic interests

Does the opportunity to carry out work that involves the practical application of the concepts you have studied in an academic context appeal? If so, why? Did you particularly enjoy studying school subjects or university modules that relate to your chosen career (e.g. Economics, Business, Finance, or commercially-oriented Law modules such as Contract)?

Interest in the industry

Do you have a longstanding interest in the relevant industry? Do you want to work in an industry that’s facing constant change and disruption? Or are you interested in the trajectory of the industry? If talking about the industry, explain how you learned about the industry, what you learned, and why you find it so interesting (note that this can also subtly demonstrate commercial awareness).

The nature of the work appeals

You could also consider the nature of the work you’ll be carrying out on a day-to-day basis, as long as you take the time to explain why you feel that the nature of the work will personally appeal to you. You could also elaborate on why this suggests your career will be fulfilling in the longer-term. To put this into context, I have included some examples in the blue box below.

The intellectual challenge

Are you likely to carry out unique, interesting work that provides a constant intellectual challenge? Linked to this, will there be unrivalled opportunities to continue learning and developing, perhaps with a steep learning curve? If so, why do you care? Does the potentially challenging work suggest you will rarely find yourself clock-watching or feeling intellectually unfulfilled? If the learning curve appeals, can you give an example of where you have enjoyed a particularly steep learning curve in the past?

Day-to-day tasks

Does the work involve specific tasks that you believe you’ll enjoy? For example, are you attracted to the prospect of problem solving on a daily basis, carrying out in-depth research, producing reports, delivering presentations, or contributing to the commercial decisions of large corporate clients? If so, link your statements back to your own experiences. Have you previously enjoyed carrying out similar tasks, for example during your studies or whilst undertaking extracurricular activities?

The nature of the role appeals

You could also consider the role you’re applying for more broadly. What does it involve? Who will you be working with? What is the day-to-day like? And so on. Just make sure you explain how you found out about the role and why certain aspects interest you.

Ways of working

Are you attracted to the prospect of working in a client-facing role, with a focus on building client relations? Do you want to work predominantly in teams? If so, explain why these aspects appeal. Have you worked in a client-facing role in the past, and if so, what did you like about it?

The working environment

Do you think you’ll thrive in a highly pressurised environment? If so, how can you back this up? Have you particularly enjoyed working in a similar environment in the past (e.g. spending long hours undertaking challenging work), for example when working on group projects or undertaking work experience? If you have, why did you enjoy it? Did the pressure keep you absorbed and engaged? Does this suggest the career will remain fulfilling?

Working in an international context

If you are interviewing at an international firm, you should also consider explaining why the international element of the career appeals. Do you have a real interest in working on cross-border matters, potentially for high profile global corporations? If so, how can you back this up? Have you chosen to study abroad, attend international study programmes, travel, or learn other languages?

Complete our?Writing successful applications,?Law firm research, profiles and interview insights, and?Writing professionally?courses or pick up our?Application, Interview & Internship Handbook?for much more information about how to write high quality CVs, cover letters, and application answers, including how to articulate your answers to career and firm motivation questions.

This content forms part of the?Commercial Law Academy, a comprehensive e-learning platform for aspiring commercial lawyers.

Our 20 in-depth courses provide insights into legal careers, firm profiles and interview insights, expert advice on writing applications and tackling psychometric tests, dozens of example (verified) successful cover letters and applications, resources to help you prepare for interviews and internships, example interview case studies, practical content to help you understand and confidently discuss commercial concepts and current affairs, plus tips on how to network, negotiate, deliver presentations and write professionally.

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