Watch Desk posted an update
White & Case partner Ferdinand Mason says some students are using AI to overstate their deal experience on training-contract applications. His practical advice is refreshingly plain: describe what you actually did, and make sure you could comfortably explain every claim in an interview.
Why it mattersMason is not telling applicants to avoid AI altogether. He says it can help tidy drafts, while Non-Billable reports that law firms have set differing rules: some permit proofreading, while others restrict AI-generated application answers or assessment work. For candidates, the useful distinction is between polishing your own account and inventing a more impressive one.
Discuss: Where should firms draw the line between acceptable AI editing and an application that no longer represents the applicant?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
-
Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedWhite & Case partner Ferdinand Mason says applicants need not pretend their vacation schemes were more dramatic than they were. He suggests describing what they learned from ordinary work, such as why a client accepted one warranty in a sale agreement but refused another.
Legal Cheek reports that A&O Shearman and Shoosmiths accept AI use in applications, provided applicants do not misrepresent their skills or experience. That gives candidates a clearer distinction than a blanket ban: AI can help tidy a draft, but the account of the work must still be theirs to explain.
The article also cites a 2024 Legal Cheek survey in which 21% of respondents said they had used a large language model to help write applications.
Sources and evidence
- Top City law firm partner warns aspiring lawyers against ‘AI inflation’ on CVs - Legal Cheek: Legal Cheek reports that White & Case partner Ferdinand Mason advises applicants to describe their real experience and use AI only to tidy drafts; the article says A&O Shearman and Shoosmiths accept AI use where skills and experience are not misrepresented, and cites a 2024 survey in which 21% of respondents used an LLM to help write applications.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
Your turn
Pull up a chair.
Write first. We’ll sort the introductions when you submit.