When you have conviction that you are a catch, that a law firm would be lucky to hire you, this w...

When you have conviction that you are a catch, that a law firm would be lucky to hire you, this will show in your answers, your body language and your confidence under pressure.And you are a catch. The competition of securing a training contract often makes it feel like you are not, but this is misplaced. One hire to a law firm could be worth millions in the long term. This is why law firms fight to find the ‘best’ people.Will you become a great lawyer? I have no idea. But you are probably better than you think. Most people undersell themselves because they don’t price in future potential. It’s hard to tell a firm that you are going to be great at what you do when you haven’t started the role yet. The whole point of being a trainee is that you’re training, and you’re going to be pretty bad until you practise enough and get good, so it would be weird if you didn’t feel a sense of imposter syndrome going in. What I will say is that the confidence, knowledge, authority and expertise you see in lawyers didn’t start that way. They started like you. They were nervous and stressed. Over time, they learned how to develop their storytelling, presence and composure. They became good at their role by learning and practising their legal, commercial and interpersonal skills. As you head in to your next interview, or even begin your training contract, have conviction that a firm is lucky to have you. Yes, you might not be the best right now, but you are also going to keep improving, working things out and developing your skills. You are already capable and this isn’t even your final form.Finally - I’m running a workshop on interviews next week. It’s open to everyone. The day/time/topic isn’t set yet, but you can sign up to be emailed when the details are finalised.