Guidance for candidates - AI in early talent applications

Why authenticity matters

Authenticity is one of our four values and underpins everything at Charles Russell Speechlys, including our application process.

Authenticity is key as we want to hear your real reasoning and voice, rather than generic or made-up answers or personas.

Furthermore, the SRA requires all trainees and solicitors to demonstrate ethical conduct, professionalism and sound judgement. These principles are integral to our training contract and are reinforced through regular performance evaluations.

Integrity in the profession is critical and is also reviewed at the ‘Character and Suitability’ stage at admission.

Therefore, you need to ensure you are using AI responsibly and ethically to support your application and not in a way that replaces your authentic voice. Essentially, don’t expect AI to do all the thinking for you.

What are we looking for?

Our application process is very reflective and requires thought and consideration. We look for:

• Genuine reasoning for why you want to be a solicitor and work for Charles Russell Speechlys.
• A considered thought process and well researched evidence to back up your motivations, avoiding simply copying sections of our website.
• A commercial and international outlook that aligns with our Firm strategy.
• A commitment to your self-development and growth.
• An ability to showcase your skills and values, and how they align with the Firm.

Ultimately, AI is a tool and should not be a replacement for critical thought. We are still looking for the best candidates who display the required skills and demonstrate their ability to think creatively and intelligently.

You can learn more about what we look for at each stage here.

Using AI responsibly during your application process

Organisation and management

• Task management tools: use AI tools to manage your application process efficiently and stay on top of deadlines.
• Diary optimisation: tools can help you schedule your time and prepare for deadlines / interviews.
• Productivity insights: strategically understand how time is spent and get ways to be more productive.
• ESG considerations: be resourceful with your prompts and don’t waste them.

Understand AI for yourself

• How AI works: understand how AI works and what are the risks –understand the platform you are using, where they get data from, how is their data being used etc.
• Legal industry specifics: how AI is being used in Law?
• Stay up to date: keep up to date with AI trends – things shift over time and new platforms are released.
• Confidentiality: avoid providing AI tools with personal or sensitive information.

Preparation and research

• Conduct research/competitor analysis: use AI to gather information and the industry and competitor analysis.
• Research information about the firm: focus on publicly available information about Charles Russell Speechlys and how we use AI.
• Learn about industry/commercial trends: AI can summarise important trends, news updates, and policies, which you can refer to in your responses.

But always fact-check and verify sources for accuracy and reliability!

Using AI responsibly to support your application form

Drafting and content creation

• Structuring your answers: use AI to organise your thoughts and structure your responses logically.
• Language and tone: AI can assist in refining the language and tone to ensure clarity and professionalism.
• Conciseness: ensure your answers are concise and within word count.
• Summarise key points: AI can help summarise your key points to ensure your application is clear.

Reviewing and reflection

• Get feedback: use AI to get feedback and suggest improvements. You can use prompts to ensure your answers are tailored to our firm requirements specifically.
• Check grammar and spelling: AI can help identify and correct errors in your writing but do also check yourself.
• Reflection: after learning about trends, reflect on how they relate to you and the firm.

Do not

• Do not copy and paste: after learning about trends, reflect on how they relate to you and the firm.
• Invent or exaggerate: do not invent or exaggerate skills, experiences, or motivations. AI should support you, not replace you.

Using AI responsibly to support your video interview

Interview preparation

• Answer structures: get AI to evaluate your answer structure, e.g. by using the STARR technique.
• Practice questions: identify relevant skills from our website and ask for it to give you sample questions.
• Mock interviews: receive feedback and recommendations on practice responses.
• Time management: use AI to help refine your answers so you can be concise and within the time limit, whilst still providing key detail.

Personal presentation

• Body language analysis: some AI platforms provide feedback on your body language to help you refine your non-verbal communication skills and visual engagement.
• Speech analysis: some AI platforms provide feedback on your speech patterns to help you refine your verbal communication skills and personal impact.
• Wellbeing and stress management: some AI platforms can help with breathing technique and mindfulness to support any nerves you might feel.

Do not

• Invent or exaggerate: do not invent or exaggerate skills, experiences or motivations.
• Over-prepared answers: do not use AI to create pre-prepared or mid-interview generated answers that aren’t genuine or simply copy content from our website. It’s harder to adapt to the question. Instead, we recommend having your keyword prompts to help you.
• Mid-interview use: avoid using AI platforms during the interview. This impacts the visual delivery as we can see candidates reading off the screen, and it comes across as less genuine.

AI tips for studying

However, academic integrity is key! AI should support learning, not replace it so that your work can be original.

We recommend checking with your school/academic institution on their AI guidelines as everywhere is different.

How are Charles Russell Speechlys using AI in the recruitment process?

At Charles Russell Speechlys, we do not use AI to make automated recruitment decisions.

All application forms and video interviews are reviewed by our wider recruitment team, with decisions made by our Early Talent Team and training principal partners.

While we use AI in the Early Talent Team and wider firm to speed up things like drafting, and to support our organisational effectiveness, we do not use AI to screen applications.

We use AI to generate video interview transcripts to support the reviewing process so that we can both read and hear your video interview responses to ensure objectivity. This is the only time AI is used to support our Early Talent application process.

To learn more about AI in the legal sector, listen to our Up in the AI podcast.